Healthcare digital marketing needs to be dynamic because of the intense competition posed by hospitals, physician clinics, nursing homes and alternative health therapy institutions. A patient is spoilt for choice in deciding the treatment option to go for, and the hospital or practice to seek treatment from. Health content marketing should significantly involve social media optimization since that can build relationships with your target patient base and touch them on a personal level. Here are six areas of focus that can help make your social media strategy more effective.
Video Content
Video content is already a key element of social media posts, but in 2018 that’s only set to keep growing.
People are not on the social networks to read paragraphs of content, but to be entertained. That entertainment only comes with great videos. Short, thought-provoking and exciting videos can convey more than a message. They can even alter the attitude of the person viewing them in an instant. The potential impact is huge, and that’s what you can capitalize on.
The massive advantages of videos in drawing greater engagement among users in terms of likes, comments, shares and re-tweets are unmistakable. The sheer demand for video content has made it a valuable format for the social media.
And there are new options such as live streaming too, giving you more avenues to explore.
- You can post a live video of a medical procedure you are performing (but not before getting the consent of the patient and ensuring HIPAA compliance).
- You can also post interesting whiteboard videos of diseases or any health advice.
Instagram Stories is a great platform as is Snapchat, apart from Facebook and even WhatsApp Status. More than 200 million people actively use Instagram Stories every month, and it’s only been over a year since it was launched. Creating video content continually also helps you to connect it to your content marketing strategy involving blogs, articles, web pages, case studies, eBooks, etc.
More Personalized Content
It is important to know that 84% of the millennial generation does not have any faith in conventional, sales-oriented advertising as per Brookings data. Then there is also the Gen Z market to target, which is the post-millennial generation.
If you post a general sales-oriented video, it won’t be read or shared. On the other hand, if it is related to the reader’s interests it has a greater chance of being read and understood. The key to this is to study your target audience and then create a persona of the targeted customer. You need information such as the age of the typical individual in your target audience, their gender, income, interests and passions, geographic location and even level of education.
- Adopting a storytelling approach in your social media posts could be a great option.
Let every post narrate an exciting story according to the manner and interests of your target audience. That builds engagement and affinity towards your posts. People of your target audience who read and enjoy them would share it with others, increasing the readership of your posts among your target audience and potentially those outside it too. - Ensure value in the content you post.Get into the shoes of your customer persona, and think whether the content you post will give them value. That could help you give them the answers they’re looking for across the various social media platforms. You’ll also be able to figure out the social networks your potential patient’s age group or demographic frequents.
More and More Mobile
People are increasingly visiting the social networks on their mobile phones alone. There is a good reason for that.
- The social networks favored by the youth, Snapchat and Instagram are solely available on mobile platforms. And that’s where people hang out.
- WhatsApp can’t be used without the mobile phone too, and though the interface can be accessed on the laptop or desktop, it works on the mobile’s Internet connectivity and not the desktop’s. So you’ll find your target audience on the mobile phones all the time.
While the most globally popular Facebook still has a strong desktop presence, research by Contently predicts that 59% of Facebook’s users in the US will use the social network solely through their mobile phones by 2020. And Facebook will, if it already hasn’t, do all it can to make its mobile users happy, though its platform was designed originally for the desktop.
Its Messenger chat service is a means of attracting mobile users who were gravitating towards WhatsApp. Besides, research indicates that 80%of Facebook’s advertising revenue is solely from mobile ads. That’s a clear indication to Facebook that mobile is the future. Though Facebook has a mobile app, it could be doing more to maintain its massive user base and attract new ones. So it would be wise to set apart the bulk of your social media engagement efforts for targeting mobile users.
Now It’s Here, Now It’s Gone
Ephemeral content has already been popularized by Snapchat – photos and videos that users post and their friends see and enjoy but disappear after 24 hours. Snapchat captures the pulse of the younger generation – young millennials as well as the Gen Z. That shows in the figures. Snapchat has 10 billion video views every day. With Snapchat enjoying so many views, you can’t ignore the opportunities it provides for engaging with your target audience. Marketers are already developing strategies for it, and they form part of ephemeral content marketing.
- Ephemeral content may be short lived, but such kind of content is considered more genuine since it just presents something interesting to the audience without staying on and pushing customers to make any purchases or sign up for any offers.
- The fact that it’s here now but gone tomorrow manages to grab audience attention. If your posts – videos, pictures or infograph – are thought-provoking enough – such as information about a blood pressure checkup you offer, tips about avoiding migraine, or health measures that can improve workplace performance –they can get the audience to take notice as the fear of missing out (FOMO) kicks in. FOMO has become a vital marketing factor.
Chatbots for Customer Service
The chatbot software application can actually simulate conversations resembling human talk. It can be used as a customer service representative. And don’t think they sound too automated and machine-like. They can really be personable. It’s hard for your clinic or hospital to be there 24/7 to answer people’s queries, but chatbots can be made to do that round-the-clock and thereby build strong relationships. Chatbots can be used along with Facebook Messenger to interact with your patients and your target audience.
There are around 100,000 bots that are active each month on Facebook messenger. No matter how many patients or social media followers you have, chatbots can interact in a personalized, one-to-one manner and immediately respond to questions in a polite way. It’s time to use them for your social media customer interaction strategy. They’re easier, require hardly any effort from your part, and can ensure good engagement with your audience.
Targeting Generation Z
Generation Z is the demographic description of post-millennials, the generation after the millennials. In other words, they are teens living in this era of smartphones, social networks, gaming, voice assistants and conversational search. They are highly receptive to new technologies. They are generally risk-averse, having witnessed the Great Recession being faced by their parents, and expecting quick purchasing and swift customer service.
Gen Z makes up over a fourth of the American population, and a 2015 Goldman Sachs study states that organizations value Generation Z more than millennials. Gen Z loves Instagram and Snapchat, and they’re just entering the stage where they’re able to earn their own income, and so it’s an important demographic you need to target.
Make your healthcare digital marketing strategy more effective and result-generating by improving social media engagement through these strategies. An experienced healthcare digital marketing agency can help you out here.
