Senior Internet stats, how they shape up and why you should look at your online marketing strategy
When I speak to people in our industry, I hear consistently “Well our demographic aren’t online really”. I have one word to say to that, Bunkum, here’s a second, Balderdash! Only this is a family blog there would be other more interesting words.
I present, to the left, thanks to Pew Research Center, the survey stats of internet users in the United States. I would like to point your attention to the age demographics results. 91% of individuals between 30 and 49 are active on the internet. These are the children of your prospective Patients.
77% of adults aged between 50 and 64 are online, these people should be viewed as your long term prospects. In fact some of them are your prospective Patients right now. 53% of 65 year old and plus use the internet. These are your prospects and your Patients. 53% ladies and gentlemen, theoretically you have the opportunity to reach 53% of your prime target market via the internet. So, don’t you think that it is time that everyone in Healthcare, not just Hearing Healthcare, have a look at their online marketing strategy?
Who are we kidding here, your prime demographic is online, they are online and they are active. But lets go one step further, what are they doing online? Back to Pew:
| Internet activities (all) | |||
| According to our February 2012 survey, 80% of American adults use the internet. Here are some of the things they do online: | |||
|
|
% internet users who do this |
Survey Month |
Survey date (approximate) |
|
Use a search engine to find information |
91 |
February 2012 |
01/02/2012 |
|
Send or read e-mail |
91 |
August 2011 |
01/08/2011 |
|
Look for info on a hobby or interest |
84 |
August 2011 |
01/08/2011 |
|
Search for a map or driving directions |
84 |
August 2011 |
01/08/2011 |
|
Check the weather |
81 |
May 2010 |
01/05/2010 |
|
Look for health/medical info~ |
80 |
September 2010 |
01/09/2010 |
|
Look for information online about a service or product you are thinking of buying* |
78 |
September 2010 |
01/09/2010 |
|
Get news |
76 |
May 2011 |
01/05/2011 |
|
Go online just for fun or to pass the time |
74 |
August 2011 |
01/08/2011 |
|
Buy a product |
71 |
May 2011 |
01/05/2011 |
|
Watch a video on a video-sharing site like YouTube or Vimeo |
71 |
May 2011 |
01/05/2011 |
|
Search for info about someone you know or might meet* |
69 |
September 2009 |
01/09/2009 |
|
Look for “how-to,” “do-it-yourself” or repair information |
68 |
August 2011 |
01/08/2011 |
|
Visit a local, state or federal government website* |
67 |
May 2011 |
01/05/2011 |
|
Use an online social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn.com* |
66 |
February 2012 |
01/02/2012 |
|
Buy or make a reservation for travel |
65 |
May 2011 |
01/05/2011 |
|
Do any banking online |
61 |
May 2011 |
01/05/2011 |
|
Look online for news or information about politics* |
61 |
August 2011 |
01/08/2011 |
|
Look online for info about a job* |
56 |
May 2011 |
01/05/2011 |
|
Look for information on Wikipedia |
53 |
May 2010 |
01/05/2010 |
|
Use online classified ads or sites like Craigslist |
53 |
May 2010 |
01/05/2010 |
|
Get news or information about sports* |
52 |
January 2010 |
01/01/2010 |
|
Take a virtual tour of a location online |
52 |
August 2011 |
01/08/2011 |
|
Do any type of research for your job |
51 |
March 2007 |
01/03/2007 |
|
Upload photos to a website so you can share them with others online |
46 |
November 2010 |
01/11/2010 |
|
Send instant messages |
46 |
December 2010 |
01/12/2010 |
|
Pay to access or download digital content online* |
43 |
August 2008 |
01/08/2008 |
|
Look for info about a place to live* |
39 |
August 2006 |
01/08/2006 |
|
Download music files to your computer |
37 |
December 2007 |
01/12/2007 |
|
Get financial info online, such as stock quotes or mortgage interest rates |
37 |
May 2010 |
01/05/2010 |
|
Rate a product, service or person using an online rating system |
37 |
May 2011 |
01/05/2011 |
|
Play online games* |
36 |
September 2010 |
01/09/2010 |
|
Categorize or tag online content like a photo, news story or blog post |
33 |
December 2008 |
01/12/2008 |
|
Read someone else’s online journal or blog^* |
32 |
May 2010 |
01/05/2010 |
|
Look for religious/spiritual info |
32 |
September 2010 |
01/09/2010 |
|
Post a comment or review online about a product you bought or a service you received |
32 |
September 2009 |
01/09/2009 |
|
Post comments to an online news group, website, blog or photo site |
32 |
September 2010 |
01/09/2010 |
|
Share something online that you created yourself |
30 |
September 2010 |
01/09/2010 |
|
Research your family’s history or genealogy online* |
27 |
September 2009 |
01/09/2009 |
|
Download video files to your computer |
27 |
December 2007 |
01/12/2007 |
|
Participate in an online auction |
26 |
September 2010 |
01/09/2010 |
|
Make a donation to a charity online |
25 |
May 2011 |
01/05/2011 |
|
Make a phone call online, using a service such as Skype or Vonage |
25 |
August 2011 |
01/08/2011 |
|
Participate in an online discussion, a listserv, or other online group forum that helps people with personal issues or health problems* |
22 |
December 2006 |
01/12/2006 |
|
Download a podcast so you can listen to it or view it later* |
21 |
September 2010 |
01/09/2010 |
|
View live images online of a remote location or person, using a webcam |
17 |
September 2009 |
01/09/2009 |
|
Use Twitter |
15 |
February 2012 |
01/02/2012 |
|
Create or work on web pages or blogs for others, including friends, groups you belong to, or for work |
15 |
September 2009 |
01/09/2009 |
|
Take material you find online—like songs, text or images—and remix it into your own artistic creation |
15 |
May 2008 |
01/05/2008 |
|
Download or share files using peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, such as BitTorrent or LimeWire |
15 |
August 2006 |
01/08/2006 |
|
Sell something online |
15 |
September 2009 |
01/09/2009 |
|
Create or work on your own webpage |
15 |
January 2010 |
01/01/2010 |
|
Create or work on your own online journal or blog* |
14 |
May 2011 |
01/05/2011 |
|
Buy or sell stocks, bonds, or mutual funds |
11 |
September 2009 |
01/09/2009 |
|
Use an online dating website* |
8 |
September 2009 |
01/09/2009 |
|
Visit virtual worlds such as Second Life |
4 |
September 2009 |
01/09/2009 |
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Tracking surveys (March 2000 – February 2012). Please note that the wording for some items has been abbreviated. For full question wording, please refer to the questionnaire. While this list contains many of the activities the Pew Internet Project has asked about, it is not a comprehensive list. For a complete list of our activity tracking since 2000 please refer to the Usage Over Time spreadsheet. * Item wording has changed slightly over time for the items marked with a single asterisk. Please see questionnaires for question wording. Last updated: February 2012 |
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