Wednesday 29 April 2020

Healthcare's digital future


The inter-inclusion phases of digital in Healthcare

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in Digital Healthcare has generally followed the same pattern as other industries. In the 1950s, when institutions began using new technologies to automate highly standardized and repetitive tasks such as accounting and payroll, healthcare pioneers and other industry stakeholders began using AI to process huge amounts of statistical data. 

Twenty years later the second wave of adoption of artificial intelligence has come.It did two things: it helped integrate different parts of the main processes (production and human resources, for example) within individual organizations and supported B2B processes such as supply chain management for different institutions within and outside outside the individual sectors.

As regards its effects on the health sector, this second wave has helped to create, for example, the electronic health card in Germany. It was also a catalyst for the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act in the United States - an effort to promote the adoption of health information technology - and the National Artificial Intelligence Program in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom . Regardless of their immediate impact, these programs have helped create an important and powerful infrastructure that will surely be useful in the future.

Many institutions in the public and private sector have already gone through the third phase of AI adoption , i.e. the complete digitalization of the entire company, including digital products, channels and processes, as well as advanced analyzes that allow completely new operating models. What will this third wave be like for healthcare?

Healthcare players have had some success - and have benefited - from the first and second waves of AI adoption. But they have struggled to successfully manage the myriad of stakeholders, regulations and privacy concerns needed to build a fully integrated healthcare system: this was in part due to the fact that the first and second waves of adopting AI they focus more on the processes and less on the needs of the patients .

Now that patients around the world have become more comfortable using digital networks and services, even for complex and sensitive problems such as healthcare (the successful PatientsLikeMe , DrEd , ZocDoc sites are just three examples of this trend), we believe it is the time has come for the various healthcare structures to invest in Healthcare Marketing strategies that focus on Healthcare. But where should they start?

Non-healthcare organizations that pioneered the third wave of digitization have started trying to understand what their customers really wanted; they then built their initial digital products and services based on this information and methodically expanded their offerings and customer base. We believe this model can also work for healthcare. Success in the third wave of digital depends heavily on understanding patients' digital preferences in both channels and services. But many digital Healthcare strategies are still guided by myths or information related to the patient experience that are no longer true.

Myth 1: People don't want to use digital services for Healthcare

Many health executives believe that due to the sensitive nature of medical care, patients do not want to use digital services except in some specific situations but the reason why patients are slow to adopt digital health care is mainly because of the existing services. they do not meet their needs or because they are of poor quality: over 75% of respondents from McKinsey & Company would like to use digital health services, provided that these services are simple to use and allow an interconnection between the various digital devices. Of course, non-digital channels will continue to be relevant and important, so digital channels will have to be incorporated into a well thought out multi-channel concept.
Myth 2: only young people want to use digital services

One of the most widespread myths about healthcare is that only the younger generations want to use digital services and, therefore, digital Healthcare will not reach many of the major players in the system.

 The McKinsey & Company survey shows, however, that patients of all ages are more than willing to use digital services for health care, in fact, patients over 50 want digital health care services almost as much as their younger colleagues the. More than 70% of all older patients in the UK and Germany want to use digital health services, and that number is even higher in Singapore.


However, there is a difference between the types of digital channels that older and younger patients want to use. The former prefer traditional digital channels such as websites and email, while the latter are, of course, more open to relatively new channels such as social media .
The type of service , not just the channel, should be segmented by age : younger patients obviously want access to health promotion and prevention services, while older people need information on services for health conditions acute and chronic.

Myth 3: mobile device health is the turning point

Mobile health, the practice of healthcare supported by mobile devices, is often considered the future of digital services in the healthcare sector. However, the demand for mobile health care is not universal, it is therefore not the only critical factor in the future of healthcare digitization.
Of course, there is definitely demand for mobile healthcare applications, and it is stronger among young people. 

Healthcare systems should therefore create mobile solutions for this audience, for example apps that focus on prenatal health or on what could be classified as lifestyle apps . Attention to solutions that could have a great impact but which do not interest the segment in question: digital applications to manage the chronic conditions typical of elderly people, for example.

Myth 4: Patients want innovative features and apps

Healthcare facilities often think they need to be innovative when designing their digital service offerings. But the main features that patients expect from their healthcare system are surprisingly trivial:
Efficiency , better access to information , integration with other channels and availability of a real person if the digital service does not provide them with what they need . Highly innovative services, better apps and more social media are far less important for most patients
.
Myth 5: A complete platform of service offerings is a prerequisite for value creation

When it comes to digital, many institutions - not just those in healthcare - think it is necessary to build a complete platform with offerings along the entire spectrum of customer services. But the survey finds that it can be smarter to start small and act fast .

Surprisingly, all over the world, most people want the same thing: digital Healthcare for routine activities and navigation in the often complex healthcare system . In Germany, Singapore and the United Kingdom, for example, three very different countries with three very different healthcare systems, patients often mention " finding and scheduling medical appointments " as the service with which they need assistance.

Other commonly cited needs include help in selecting the right specialist and support for repetitive administrative tasks such as prescription refills . What many of these services have in common is that they don't require huge artificial intelligence investments to get started.

Thursday 16 April 2020

Free ecommerce site: should I create it?


Do you want to create an ecommerce site and the free tools made available on the web seem like a good solution? That's when it's good to use them and when not.
Those who want to create an ecommerce site for their business using the free tools on the web should first ask themselves: is it really worth creating it this way? Now we will find out together the answer to this crucial question for a company's business.

Free or cheap ecommerce sites: what the web offers

The software to create an inexpensive or free ecommerce site currently on the web has several contraindications:

·         They are often owned by third parties and therefore do not give the possibility of accessing the source code. This has several complications: you cannot make any additions (such as, for example, the one with marketplace), you cannot work on SEO optimization and, moreover, once you decide not to continue the activity on that platform, the data is lost.

·         Software is rarely found to create ecommerce sites totally free : most of the programs on the web, in fact, offer a free basic version or a free trial period and then, in addition, advanced paid packages or monthly fees .

The open source CMS to create free ecommerce

At the website development level, the Internet provides some open source CMS that allow you to create free e-commerce sites that can be managed in all their parts. However, you must be able to install and configure the software correctly.

Compared to the solutions examined previously, these open source CMS provide the source code (with all the positive consequences connected with it) and do not provide for any maintenance fee. In addition, they also have extensions (some for free, some for a fee) for more advanced features.

Should I create a free ecommerce site?

Once you have analyzed what the web currently offers, it is easier to answer the initial question.
We start from an assumption: if the goal is to increase sales already made in the traditional physical store by selling only a few products online (and to an already loyal clientele), one could also be satisfied with one of the many free or cheap software on Internet.

On the contrary, those who intend to create a real professional ecommerce site should in principle avoid those types of software. To create a professional ecommerce business, such that online sales become the main form of income, an investment similar to that required for opening a physical store is in fact necessary. In addition, the main investment does not concern the construction of the site, but the subsequent phase relating to business organization and marketing.

It is important that, at the base of an ecommerce site, there is an in-depth analysis of the competition and the market and a business plan. In addition, the site must be responsive, optimized from an SEO NYC  point of view, captivating from a graphic point of view and easily usable by users.

Opening an ecommerce is a great opportunity to grow a company's business, make products known beyond local borders and thus expand the customer base. Knowing how to do it right, therefore, is essential.

Tuesday 14 April 2020

Social Network for Companies: Where to Be Present


Being present on the most famous social networks is important for a company: here are the best corporate social networks that you should absolutely be watching.

To promote the brand and its products and services to the general public, a company must necessarily be actively present on the most famous social platforms. Understanding which are the social networks for companies to be supervised absolutely according to your specific business needs, however, is not easy. Let's find out how to do it together.

What is social media marketing?

We start, first of all, from the definition of social media marketing : it is a specific branch of marketing which, through the implementation of a series of strategies and practices, deals with generating visibility on social networks. The biggest innovation compared to traditional marketing is represented by the fact that it foresees and promotes a role that is no longer just passive of the user / customer.

What are the best social networks for companies

Being present on all the most popular social networks of the moment is not always the best choice for a company. Sometimes, in fact, this translates into many open but little followed profiles , with a very low number of posts and many (too many) ideas from users left without feedback. Simply drawing up a list of social networks on which to open a profile because "you can't not be there" is a wrong approach. On the contrary, the choice of the social platforms to be monitored must be included in a precise social media marketing strategy.
Pay attention to your available budget

In order to be present actively and effectively on a large number of social networks, important human and economic resources are required. Before opening a new channel, therefore, it is necessary to analyze the available budget and the extent of the investment required to carry out the various activities in the best possible way.

Understand what your goals are and where the audience is

Since being present (effectively) on all social networks is often not possible for a small company, it is necessary to make a choice. To identify the right social network to be managed, it is essential to keep two aspects in mind: what are your business objectives and where your audience is (and, more specifically, where it talks about the brand).

Analyze the behavior of your competitors

A further useful starting point to understand which corporate social networks to supervise is provided by the competition : analyzing the behavior of competitors and the results (positive or negative) obtained thanks to the presence on a specific platform allows you to get an idea on the benefits relationship / risks linked to the possible entry into a new social network.

Learn more about the specificities of the various channels

Although they all fall under the "social network" macro-category, each platform, from Facebook to Instagram , via Linkedin and Twitter , has specific features in terms of potential / criticalities that differentiate it from the others.

Generally speaking, Facebook, the largest social network in the world, offers companies, for example, a high probability of intercepting their audience where they spend more time, as well as identifying the target precisely, carrying out targeted advertising campaigns through Facebook Ads and to create engagement starting from the Groups .

Instagram, which has a lower average age of users, is a platform more marked by immediacy and sharing of the moment, also thanks to the success of Instagram Stories . Often, companies use this social network to tell the "behind the scenes" and propose a more informal narrative, also through the Influencers' expedient.

Linkedin , on the other hand, is more focused on B2B communication and is one of the most used social networks by professionals and companies to create business connections.
Finally, Twitter is often used by companies as a customer care channel , that is, to provide assistance to their customers and receive feedback from consumers. The immediacy of this social network also offers the opportunity to create instant marketing campaigns, taking advantage of the trends of the moment.


Monday 13 April 2020

What are backlinks and why they are useful for SEO


Find out what quality backlinks are and how I can help SEO positioning your website.

The backlinks are one of the ranking factors that Google takes into greater account for composing the SERPs, ie the pages of search results. More precisely, they were among the very first factors used by Google to evaluate the popularity of a website, based on the assumption that a web page with many incoming links is more authoritative than one without backlinks.
In recent years, however, in light of the widespread distorted use of backlinks by webmasters, Google has placed many limitations in this regard and its algorithm has begun to evaluate also other types of mention to web pages, such as the so-called linkless mentions ( i.e. simple quotes to a website without links).
Precisely in light of this and the continuous updates of Google's algorithm, it is very important to fix some points in order to understand why backlinks are still very important for SEO NYC today and, above all, what type of backlink is valued today by and on the search engine.
Let's find out together in this complete guide dedicated to backlinks, in SEO  known as inbound links or inbound links .
What is meant by quality backlinks?

The meaning of backlinks refers to hypertext links that lead to certain web pages. Not all backlinks are created equal. As we have already mentioned, in fact, once the importance that this factor had assumed for Google's algorithm is understood, the webmasters have learned to circumvent it with unethical practices, such as the purchase of packages.
At that point, Google moved accordingly and, to assess the popularity and authoritativeness of a web page, began to consider only the incoming links considered "quality". But what exactly does that mean?
It is a link from an authoritative source that refers to a web page in a relevant way. The concept of relevance is central because Google, today, tends not to consider or, worse, to penalize a page that has an irrelevant incoming link.
The focus, in addition to the quality of the source and the relevance of the backlink, also focuses on the method of its acquisition and on the link building strategies implemented.
Unable to buy links or implement other unethical practices now penalized by Google, the webmasters had to roll up their sleeves and quickly understand how to get quality backlinks .
How to get quality backlinks
Getting quality links to your site from authoritative and relevant sources is not an easy task.

The general rule is always the same: " Content is King ", ie "Content is sovereign". In fact, producing high quality content is a necessary prerequisite for the site to be linked spontaneously or, to put it better, natural.

In this regard, it is advisable to focus on evergreen content , that is, able to remain relevant without the need to continuously update them, and on unique and original content , such as case studies, infographics and interviews.

Obviously, quality content is not always rewarded with a quality backlink. Much, in fact, depends on the visibility of the site. Quality content must be useful and relevant at least for a particular audience. To make yourself known by that particular audience, you can resort to the practice of the guest post .
Writing and publishing one's own quality content on another site makes it relatively easy to obtain a quality link to one's own website from an authoritative source. Again relevance is paramount.
There is talk of outreach email when contacting a person with the aim of promoting their own content and encouraging them to publish it on their site. To succeed, it is important to personalize the message in the best way, as well as to focus on the originality of its content and its ability to find an answer to a question.

Among other ways to get quality backlinks there is the possibility, when taking part in an industry event and / or sponsoring it, to receive a link from the organizer's website. The advice is to identify the most important events that affect your reference niche.