In this digital age, social media is a powerful tool for healthcare providers to connect with more patients and grow their practices. A recent study shows that around 84% of people use social media to search for health information. However, many healthcare providers are still confused. They are unsure how to effectively leverage these social media platforms.
That is where this article comes in. We will walk you through actionable steps to create and then implement a strong healthcare social media marketing strategy. By the end of this article, you will learn the advantages of social media in healthcare marketing, your target audience, and clear goals to create engaging content to attract more patients.
Having this in mind, start scrolling ahead to grab our personal and result-driven strategies of marketing for healthcare brands.
Why Social Media Marketing in the Healthcare Industry is Important?Â
Before going ahead, let us clarify your thoughts regarding the importance of social media in the healthcare industry.
So you know around 100 billion people look for health information on the Internet annually?
Yes, this is quite a big number. And the important thing is that this number keeps rising every year by a certain percentage. This number comprises your targeted patients. So if you target them through social media then chances are high of growing your healthcare business.
However, attracting these patients needs a handful of experience in digital marketing. It would do wonders if you are experienced in this sector. Otherwise, you can hire some marketing professionals who have expertise in promoting healthcare brands.
You might be still wondering what are the strengths of using social media in healthcare.
If you are following an effective promotion strategy then you will enjoy these benefits of healthcare social media marketing:
1. Create a Positive Image of Your Brand
Social media helps you create a positive image of your healthcare brand. And the best thing is that you don’t have to spend even a penny on these social apps. However, this question might arise in your mind.
How to build trust and credibility online?
Well, this is quite easy if you have a team of digital marketing experts on your side. They will help you build a brand through:
- Sharing helpful information consistently.
- Showcasing your expertise without sounding salesy.
- Engaging with your audience.
According to a recent survey, around 72% of patients trust online reviews before booking an appointment. Thus, building a brand has become easier when there is a wide sea of interested people out there. They are waiting for your services. You just need to reach out to them professionally in a good way.
2. Know Your Audience with Social Listening
Healthcare marketing campaigns can help you understand what people think, feel, and need at the moment. It has become possible with the help of social listening tools. Let us understand it through an example.
Let us suppose you have a healthcare organization and there is an eruption of flu cases in your area. Then a social listening tool can help you see what people are worried about or confused by. You can use such a tool to get common questions and correct false information (if there is any).
With this information in hand, you can share the right messages that match the community’s needs such as:
- Advice on flu prevention
- Symptoms to look for
- When to see a doctor
Taking these steps will ensure right and accurate information reaches the audience.
3. Spread Awareness of Health Issues
Social media helps you spread health tips and information. Therefore, you can leverage social media healthcare marketing to create public awareness about important health issues. You can educate people on how to stay healthy and prevent illness through sharing:
- Tips
- Updates
- Health advice
For example, you can post about healthy eating habits on various social media platforms. Posting on social media reaches a wide audience and can make a big difference. This way people will know how to take care of themselves.
4. Calm Fears During EmergenciesÂ
Do you know social media can help calm people’s fears during emergencies?
This can happen when you share accurate and timely information about such scenarios on social media. Healthcare providers like you can quickly update the community with facts and advice. Doing so will help prevent misinformation and panic.
For instance, use social media to post updates during a health crisis. It will inform everyone about the reality of the current situation and hence help them reduce stress.
5. Attract New PatientsÂ
Lastly, marketing your healthcare services on social media helps you attract new patients. It becomes believable when you get to learn that around 12.5% of healthcare businesses get their clients from social media.
As we have already discussed, a large population relies on the internet to search for healthcare. Therefore your chances of attracting patients also increase if you make yourself available to them online.
Best Marketing Strategies for Healthcare Organizations
You can employ various ways to be successful on social media in the healthcare industry. However, we have collected the most effective 7 healthcare marketing examples that you should follow to win in the relevant field.
Keep reading ahead to learn about the medical marketing ideas:
1. Share Educational, and Inspirational Content
The first step to making a name on social media in healthcare is to start creating content that is:
- Informational
- Inspirational
- Educational
- A mix of educational and entertaining
- Patient success stories
- Celebrating staff
- The positive impact of your work
Approximately 53% of Gen Z want to see relatable brands on social media. Most of them open social media apps to entertain themselves and enjoy their spare time. So you can’t always focus on rough content, that is just promotional and too much self-talkative.
Instead, try to keep your content as entertaining as possible. It will help connect with the new generation at a deeper level. Doing so will automatically let them trust your brand and come seeking your help whenever they need it.
2. Share Infographics
You might have heard about the importance of captivating infographics before if you have ever worked in social media and health care.
But why do you need infographics for social media and healthcare marketing?
Its reason is obvious because you need to break down the complex data into something very engaging and easily readable. This is the aim of visually appealing infographics.
You can hire professional graphics designers or creative people for this purpose if you don’t have any know-how of designing. Graphic designers will help design amazing infographics for successful healthcare marketing campaigns.
3. Share Behind the Scenes
Don’t be lifeless every time. You don’t need to be dull and formal in your social media posts while interacting with the audience just because you run a healthcare organization. Instead, keep trying different formats and ways to keep your posts more creative and engaging.
For example, you can take inspiration from the posts of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. They often share cute and funny pictures of kids. Doing so creates a relatability in their audience. It gives them a human feeling to build trust in their hospital.
So you can look to add some behind-the-scenes posts as well of your healthcare agency. It will create more interest in your audience whether they are patients, staff, or other workers. They will start seeing your organization as a friendly and welcoming place.
4. Use Relevant Hashtags
Never compromise on the use of relevant and effective hashtags in your social media posts. These play a double role. For instance,
- A trendy hashtag can increase the reach of your post.
- It lets the users share the post easily.
- A correct hashtag can attract the masses if used effectively and naturally.
You are not bound to a specific type of tag. It means you can use any hashtags relevant to your organization or any medicine etc.
5. Run Regular Social Media AuditsÂ
You should run social media audits for a healthcare website regularly. These audits reveal more things than mere compliance with laws such as:
- Current areas strengths and improvement in your marketing strategy
- Your growth across social media platforms
- How to outperform your competitors
- What your competitors are up to
- Your most successful content
6. Stick to a Few Platforms
About 82% of organizations complain about their time management on various social media platforms. They are worried about not investing enough time in every app.
But who said this to you? Who suggests you dedicate time to all social media platforms for healthcare marketing?
It is not a thoughtful act if you are following this strategy. Its reason is that you don’t need to be available on all platforms just because every common man uses it. Instead, you need to choose one or a maximum of three platforms.
You will ultimately start seeing the results if you stick to a few platforms and share valuable content.
7. Measure your Healthcare Marketing ROI
It can be tough to measure how well your best healthcare advertising campaigns are working. We have seen many healthcare organizations worried about their return on investment (ROI).
However, the good news is that you can improve your site’s ROI. But how?
You can follow these quick yet effective steps to increase the ROI:
- Create enjoyable and useful content.
- Focus on content that creates awareness and increases engagement.
- Create content that educates and entertains to meet your goals.
Then decide these categories according to your marketing goals. For instance, if you want leads then focus on problem-solving content and sharing your success stories. But go for informative content if you want to create public awareness.
HIPAA Compliance and Ethical Considerations
The healthcare industry has to strictly follow some rules while doing social media marketing. It means your organization must comply with the given rules and regulations:
- HIPAA (Healthcare Industry Probability and Accountability Act). It means to protect the personal information of a patient from use, disclosure, demolition, etc. You as a healthcare organization, clinic, hospital, or doctor have to store the data in a private and safe place.
- You can use fake names or just initials instead of real names due to privacy concerns.
- Share only the patient\’s information needed for the post.
- Get permission from patients before sharing their details.
- Blur patient’s faces in pictures.
Social Media Platforms for Healthcare MarketingÂ
The role of social media in healthcare is undeniably big. For instance, social media for healthcare professionals helps doctors, nurses, and other staff to share knowledge, and stay updated on various trends.
This is how social media can be used in healthcare. You can leverage the given platforms for social media healthcare marketing:
- Facebook. It is best for reaching a wide audience with posts, ads, and videos.
- Instagram. It is great for showcasing visual content like behind-the-scenes, patient stories and health tips.
- LinkedIn. It is ideal for networking with healthcare professionals.
Need Help With Healthcare Social Media Marketing?
Don’t let your competition outrank you online! Getting ahead of your competitors is now easy if you hire a professional healthcare social media agency. They will take care of everything to attract more patients and build a strong online presence. It is more profitable to invest in expert help than to repent later on the results without investing.
One such expert agency for social media healthcare marketing is Wowbix. It is a one-stop shop for your marketing needs. We understand the healthcare industry and thus we will create a custom plan to fit your budget. With Wowbix, you will get a beautiful website, top search engine ranking, PPC, reputation management, engaging social media presence, and more to attract a steady stream of patients. So why not take your medical practice to the next level with Wowbix?
FAQs About Healthcare Social Media Marketing
1. What is the definition of marketing in healthcare?
Marketing in the healthcare industry means using social media to promote your healthcare services. Its objective is ultimately to connect with more patients. For this purpose, you can share helpful health tips, and updates and engage in conversations to build trust with your targeted audience.
2. How often should healthcare providers post on social media?
You can post about 2-3 times a week. But important is your consistency and preferring quality over quantity. Therefore try to show up daily irrespective of the conditions to keep your audience engaged and informed.
3. What is the role of social media marketing in health promotion?
Social media plays an important role in the online marketing of healthcare services. Healthcare providers like you can leverage various social media platforms to create awareness about health issues and then suggest their solutions. It can be done by sharing educational and informational infographics, content, and videos.
4. Which social media platform is best for healthcare?
There are plenty of useful social media platforms to use for healthcare marketing. But the most famous ones of all time are https:/www.doximity.com/, https:/www.studentdoctor.net/, LinkedIn, Among Doctors Instagram, etc.
5. How do you start social media marketing for healthcare?
You can start social media marketing for healthcare organizations by first creating a profile on any of the popular platforms. Then start creating and sharing content with your audience (patients). You need to interact with them in a friendly and informal way to build their trust in you.
6. What is social theory in healthcare?
Social theory in healthcare focuses on innovative ideas from medicine and social services. Doing so helps us understand and then improve healthcare today. It tells us how we can manage the rising costs and changes in population to make healthcare better for everyone.
7. What are the five approaches to health promotion?
You can benefit from the 5 most strategic approaches for health promotion. These 5 approaches include social, educational, medical, empowerment, and behavioral frameworks.
8. What are the three strategies used to promote health?
The three common strategies used to promote health nowadays are education about health, communicating health conditions, and PSEs (Policy System and Environment Changes). It is mandatory to follow these 3 approaches if you want to succeed in the emerging healthcare field.
9. What are the 6 pillars of health promotion?
You must know that there are some essential components of promoting your healthcare brand. These 6 pillars of health promotion include overall health, diet and exercise, healthy sleep habits, emotional well-being, sexual wellness, reducing harm and managing substance use
10. How can I measure the ROI of healthcare social media marketing?
You need to see how many leads or patients you get from social media to measure the ROI of healthcare social media marketing. Then compare it to how much you spent on your social media efforts. This comparison will help you see if your investment is worth it or not.
11. How can I engage with patients on healthcare social media?
Respond to their comments, and messages and think about arranging some quality polls and discussions. These things help in building a connection and show that you value input from your audience.
