Question
Why is it that most adult Americans still don't know what an audiologist is, or why seeing one is important if hearing loss is suspected?
Answer
When making health care or purchasing decisions, most Americans get their information from the media. Whether newspaper or television advertising, search engines, health blogs or online media distribution channels, the media (and the marketing investments that fund it) is where consumers learn things. So, when someone suspects a hearing problem, it is very likely that what they do about it is directed in large measure by what they glean from the media.
According to I-Data Research, the U.S. hearing aid market in 2009 was valued at $4.68 billion. Of the $4.68 billion that U.S. consumers spent last year on products and services related to hearing problems, at least 10% of that revenue was re-invested in marketing hearing care solutions to Americans. Nearly $400 million was spent last year putting information into the various media to direct people's decisions about their hearing health care.
The largest investors in hearing health care marketing are either companies that manufacture products related to hearing care, or large-scale and branded hearing care distribution companies. For these companies, marketing is a key and necessary part of doing business. The purpose of these marketing expenditures is to increase that company's business. Unless these companies are in the business of manufacturing or delivering audiology care, it is unlikely that the value or importance of audiology care is included in their marketing content. As a result, the audiology message is not the message getting to Americans looking for their information in the media.
Getting the audiology message in the minds of Americans requires the U.S. audiology community to market itself competitively within the media. To do that successfully, the U.S. audiology community must approach audiology marketing as a business, and collectively invest business revenue in national media messaging about audiology care that parallels if not out-paces the existing technology and retail distribution messaging media presence.
David Smriga is currently the President of AuDNet, Inc. AuDNet is a national network of independent audiologists dedicated to providing expert, professional hearing and balance care so that patients achieve the best quality of life possible. The company's mission is to position audiologists as THE hearing experts and educate consumers about the importance of audiology care. Through its consumer-facing website www.NowiHear.com and its Preferred Provider Community of audiologists, AuDNet is already educating thousands of Americans each month to both understand and demand audiology care. The current SEO and sponsored link activity associated with www.NowiHear.com makes it the single most effective internet resource for directing hearing health consumers to audiologists.
To learn more about AuDNet, you may also visit the AuDNet web channel on AudiologyOnline.