How social media is changing healthcare marketing
6 ways social can help boost your marketing reach
June 21, 2021The Coffey Team
Social media has changed marketing and communications across industries—and healthcare is no exception. Social can be an invaluable tool for healthcare marketers looking to reach new consumers, respond directly to health questions and build a strong online brand. Here are 6 ways to use social to engage with your audience and improve community health.
- Highlight social media in all your marketing efforts. It seems simple, but it’s worth remembering: If you want to grow your social audience, you have to tell people about your social media accounts. Include links on your website that direct patients to Twitter, Facebook or any other platform you use. When running print or digital marketing campaigns, add social media callouts. This will ensure that you capture as big a social audience as possible.
- Share health-related content that connects. Compelling content is the key to engagement. Target your posts for the platform and audience you need to reach. But also be sure the content is short, is easy to understand and includes a call to action. Connecting with potential new patients online also helps them see you as an expert in your field. And those patients may turn to you when choosing a new provider.
- Post regularly and track engagement. Social media marketing works better when organizations share content regularly. What counts as “regular”? You probably don’t need a new update every hour, or even every day. However, healthcare consumers don’t want to follow an account that is dormant for weeks or months on end. Make a social media strategy, schedule your posts and track how well they perform.
- Join the social conversation in your field. Following other organizations and influencers in your industry can boost your visibility. You will also become part of the social media conversation. Consider expanding your scope to include organizations outside healthcare, such as local non-profits. But remember to take a close look at any account before engaging with their content.
- Become a skilled “social listener.” Social listening means monitoring what patients, other organizations and your community are saying about you and your competitors. Look for trends—topics that come up frequently or that are particularly important to your audience. Then, adapt your social media strategy to address those trends.
- Respond to complaints—and compliments. Good social listeners respond more effectively to complaints. The key thing to remember is that you do need to respond. Only delete a comment if it’s outright offensive. A helpful response to an unhappy patient shows your other followers that you care. Make sure to respond to the positive comments too.
Whether you are a current Coffey client or not, our team can help you take on your day-to-day communications challenges. If you’d like to find out more about Coffey Social, our custom social media tool that collects all your social metrics in one place, call 888.805.9101 or email us—we’re here to help.
