Over the last 5 years, more and more healthcare businesses have taken to social media to engage with their customers and to gain new ones. By looking at some of the most successful social media trends from 2018, we see a few best practices every healthcare marketer should pay attention to in 2019.
Social media is one of the most effective ways to promote your brand and attract new customers. Instagram is a leading media to attract customers, you can go for some of the best Instagram growth services to make the process easier. As healthcare providers are constantly looking for ways to remain competitive and engage potential patients through digital channels, the use of new digital marketing strategies is important to maximize a company’s marketing spend and to generate higher rates of return.
Social Media in Healthcare
Social media can have a positive impact on the world, especially in the healthcare industry. People all around the globe use social media to share share opinions, find information, and share stories about their experiences. For example, according to Iolanda Bulgaru at Healthcareweekly, many doctors and family practitioners use social media as an avenue to deliver better healthcare to their patients. And a recent survey reveals that over 90% of all physicians have some sort of social media presence.
Social media has a profound impact on digital users who are searching for medical advice online. For many, social media is a place that they can go to to find advice from peers who may be experiencing similar health related concerns, to get a second opinion or to share their thoughts on a specific treatment plan. There are many opportunities that arise from using social media in the healthcare industry. The sudden rise in the use of social media opens up healthcare companies to more business opportunities, marketing and general public awareness.
Patients, on the other hand, can also rely on social media for financial and moral support. They are able to access information related to their health problems and can learn from others’ experiences. This allows effective communication between patients and healthcare providers. By using certain marketing techniques with the use of social media, healthcare marketers are able to improve this process by reaching out to more people.
Healthcare Marketers and Social Media
On the other hand, social media provides an online community in which healthcare professionals can share information, debate health care policies, discuss health-related issues around the globe, interact with the public, and overall educate and promote with individuals. It is a powerful tool that can be used to potentially improve health outcomes and increase awareness about health-related issues happening around the globe.
Here are the top 5 tips that all healthcare marketers should know about social media in 2019
- Generate educational content
Social media is one of the most unique ways to spread the word about issues happening all over the globe, especially public health related issues.
By positively impacting patients and the public, organizations can get rid of misinformation that is presented in social media and only focus on getting the real facts out.
In addition, according to DAP, posting how-to-videos on social media is one of the most effective healthcare marketing strategies to build trust and increase their customer base. With approximately 80% of all users watching videos on social media each day, we can clearly see how video content is critical to a healthcare marketer’s success in 2019.
1. Invest in content marketing:
By investing in content marketing, companies and organizations are more likely to attract new patients and customers in 2019. People are going online to search both symptoms and treatment plans for specific conditions. So preemptively creating content which aligns your services with what patients are looking for online is a surefire way to both stay relevant in the 21st century and for acquiring new customers. This increases your sales because people who are interested in the product or service you are offering are more likely to buy it.
2. Make use of data analytics and artificial intelligence
Every healthcare marketer should be aware of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence techniques in their marketing plans in 2019. Healthcare is progressing every day as new technologies are introduced into the industry. With artificial intelligence- (AI) assisted robotic surgery and virtual assistants can all aid in helping doctors make better decisions. If healthcare companies are able to use this technology, along with social media, they can reach to a greater range of populations.
Is AI too much to handle right now in your healthcare marketing efforts? Then you can start with baby steps such as increasing your brand by using simple tools such as Google Search Console. This tool allows you to improve your performance in google search and reports the traffic that is coming organically to your healthcare site. By looking at user heat-maps, search terms, and user activity, companies and organizations are able to observe their customers behaviors and usage patterns which can be leveraged to optimize your digital platform’s user experience.
- Invest in targeted marketing strategies
As patients are now more tech-savvy, so should medical marketers be. As information related to a patient’s health becomes more accessible, patients are able to take charge of their own journeys. Medical providers should therefore have a strong digital presence in order to connect with these patients to give them the correct information. By investing in targeted marketing strategies, medical providers can improve their digital presence and offer data-driven marketing solutions to increase patient appointments and to grow the overall business.
The Bottom Line
This article focused on the 4 things healthcare marketers should know about social media in 2019. These are some of the most powerful healthcare marketing techniques that should be implemented this year.
The healthcare industry is changing drastically as patients’ needs and expectations are constantly shifting. By using social media to their advantage, healthcare marketers can grow their businesses by generating new and informative information, investing in content marketing, making use of data analytics and artificial intelligence, investing in targeted marketing strategies, and using video content to attract new patients and customers.
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