Have you noticed the growing influence of social media marketing in healthcare industry lately? It is quite fascinating because everyone had thought that the healthcare sector had its own boundaries, like ethical limitations in embracing the dynamics of tech trends. But the truth is, it is equally or even more deeply influenced by digital trends. For instance, patient engagement through digital platforms. This blog will give you a clear understanding of what health care social media marketing is all about.
Patient Engagement Strategies Have Evolved Over Time
With the coming of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, a lot of changes have happened in the patient engagement tactics. Digital healthcare marketing is everywhere. How hospitals use social media has shifted from health awareness campaigns to attracting and engaging patients. Healthcare providers on social media use these platforms for:
- Running targeted ads for local outreach
- Improving patient care with social media
- Sharing health tips through daily posts
- Promoting services with video success stories
- Answering patient queries via live chats
Major Benefits of Social Media Marketing in Healthcare
Social media marketing in healthcare industry offers several advantages to the stakeholders. From sharing user-generated content (UGC) for improving trust among people to running public health awareness campaigns. Let’s review some of the top benefits below.
Patients can receive real-time updates/alerts:
Patients who visit a certain healthcare facility can subscribe to their social media handles - Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp channels – and receive real-time updates.
- Appointment confirmation alert for the next health check-up
- Availability of any visiting specialist physicians (cardiologists, gynaecologists, etc.)
- Periodical healthcare tips through the hospital’s health literacy initiatives.
Educating patients helps build lasting trust:
The success of a healthcare facility is closely linked to how trustworthy it has made itself to the patients. One easiest way for hospitals to build public trust is to educate them, for which social media plays an important role.
- Social media for patient education is the most affordable and direct tool.
- Social media speeds up healthcare communication and transparency about treatment procedures.
Open channels allow feedback and questions:
Unlike traditional marketing channels like TV ads, which were one-way, social media channels are two-way. Along with announcing something, it also lets the audience raise questions.
- The public can comment on the health posts hospitals share
- They can ask questions instantly about any concerns they have
- The public can share their personal experiences about the healthcare facility they visited.
Tailored campaigns improve patient connection:
Healthcare marketing strategies on social media evolve. Personalised hospital social media campaigns are very common these days. The idea is to understand each patient’s pain points and address them digitally.
- When posting content, hospitals can see to it that the content resonates with the audience
- Patient preferences can be taken into consideration when designing campaigns
- Healthcare content marketing can be optimised for addressing specific health concerns
Stories and reviews boost patient confidence:
Patients or public who look for healthcare services are very much conscious about choosing service providers that have a good reputation. Therefore, when using social media marketing in healthcare industry, the providers can:
- Encourage Patient testimonials from their past customers and share them to win trust.
- Use influencer marketing in healthcare to build credibility and maximise reach
- Incorporate digital engagement tools for patients to interact with and get faster responses
Key Challenges Associated with Health Care Social Media Marketing
With the myriad of benefits of social media marketing in healthcare industry comes a few challenges too. But the good part is that they act as a good deterrent to the misuse and ensure proper social media compliance in healthcare
Data Privacy Challenges:
When using social media platforms for various activities like social listening or infographic marketing, healthcare facilities need to be very careful about the information they make publicly available. Whatever is made public once cannot be revoked.
Risk of the Spread of Misinformation:
While social media marketing in healthcare industry is highly useful, there is a huge risk of misinformation. When a hospital shares a healthcare tip, people value it, but what if the same info is proven to be wrong later? Hence, hospitals need to be extremely careful about the information shared under their brand name through hashtag marketing.
Strict HIPAA Compliance Requirement:
In countries like the USA, healthcare facilities are required by law to comply with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), which may restrict their use of digital tools.
Ethical Consideration:
Social media can never be an alternative to actual treatment, although practices like Telemedicine are acceptable in exceptional scenarios. Organisations in the healthcare industry should always act responsibly in this regard.
Content Control:
Keeping a good balance of the healthcare content with relevance, trend and patient sensitivity can be a real challenge for healthcare facilities trying to stay competitive via social media. Frequent, proactive market study and research are essential to achieve this content control.
Conclusion
With the changing times and trends, it is essential for every industry to adapt to what is relevant and can work for them rather than sticking to conventional practices.
One has to look at social media marketing in healthcare industry in that respect.
Did you find this blog helpful, or are you looking for more social media tips for hospitals and clinics? Let us know in the comments.
3c Brand Hub is an all-in-one digital marketing service where we collaborate with business across sectors. With our strategic and result-driven insights and interventions, hundreds of hospitals and clinics have started to benefit from health care social media marketing. We are a company servicing clients in 80+ countries across the world. In India, we are located in Kochi, Kerala. We avail our services to businesses in all fourteen districts – Calicut, Kottayam, Thrissur and Trivandrum, among other districts.
FAQ
What makes social media marketing in healthcare industry essential today?
People, who consist of patients who are the beneficiaries of the healthcare sector, use social media. Hence, it is impossible for the healthcare sector to remain unaffected by the changes and trends shaping the digital world and social media.
What platforms are ideal for health care social media marketing?
While we can see examples of social media in healthcare across all platforms, surveys show that it has more impact on popular platforms or those used by the common people, like Facebook and Instagram.
Is social media marketing in the healthcare industry safe and law-abiding?
Vigilant and responsible use of social media for healthcare marketing is both safe and compliant. In countries like the USA, healthcare providers must verify their compliance with HIPAA and social media before using them for marketing and promotional activities.
How to verify the success of a social media campaign for a healthcare service?
Most social media platforms allow users to track the performance of their campaigns by showing metrics like how many people the campaigns reached, how many were engaged, took the next step, etc.
