Coming up with new and unique healthcare marketing ideas for social media can be a challenge especially when you have to consider HIPAA regulations for social media and of course there's that little issue called the all-too-familiar creative block.
.. not to mention the constant lack of time.
Luckily, we're obsessed with finding new content marketing ideas for healthcare brands to creatively market themselves online. Hopefully, this blog post on healthcare marketing ideas for social media will help save you the time of trying to figure it out on your own.
A few things to consider before we dive in are your audience, your message, and your industry. I'll briefly explain why each is super important to think about before even creating your content.
Think about your Audience
Each person will respond to your content differently especially if they're at different stages of your buyer's cycle. A huge assumption healthcare businesses make is assuming everyone on the internet will be interested in what they have to offer and market their content to a very broad audience. This has been proven to be very ineffective.
It's important to cast a small net on a smaller, more strategic group of people who are more likely to engage with your healthcare content. This will help you maximize your impact and get better results from your healthcare content marketing strategy.
Think about your Message
Your content should have a clear purpose -- without a well-defined goal, you're pretty much just clicking publish and hoping for the best.
Create a message that successfully reflects your brand and how you want your audience to respond to your content. Whether that is to encourage them to believe in your ability to deliver exceptional results or connect with a patient's story about a relatable experience.
Understanding your message and defining the objective of your content will help you think more creatively and strategically about the type of content you'd like to share online.
Think about your Industry
Your industry is important for two things: competitive research and identifying what's trending in healthcare. We have clients in the aesthetics, medical, non-profit, and even software industries and each of them has significantly different content that's trending based on their industry.
A great way to find content that's trending in your specific industry is to do a quick platform search. This depends on the type of content or platform that you're planning to use, for instance, Google, YouTube, Linked In, Instagram or Facebook; but simply do a quick search using a relevant keyword or hashtag and see what comes up as the most popular content for that search.
Ps. It's never a good idea to copy content unless it's something like a trending social media challenge (which by the way is a fun way to go viral), but my point is... use your research to help guide your creativity.
Healthcare Marketing Idea #1 - Share Patient Reviews
One of the first things online users search for before booking an appointment with a healthcare provider is to see what their reviews are saying, and in some cases, they'll even search to see how you respond to them as well.
Patient reviews are effective and a great way to promote brand credibility and encourage new potential patients to schedule appointments with you. You can share reviews from your patients on top healthcare business listing sites like Google my Business, Yelp, or social media platforms like Facebook to collect and share reviews online.
It goes without saying but I'll mention it anyway. The more positive the review, the better.
If you have negative reviews you should respond to them politely and reach out to the patient to see how you can help correct the situation. You can also try asking the patient to remove the negative response as well.
Healthcare Marketing Idea #2 - Ask Patients to Post & Tag
Word of mouth marketing in healthcare is very important especially if you're a newer brand trying to grow your initial patient base. Thankfully, social media has made it significantly easier and a lot less expensive for healthcare brands to reach out and attract new patients online.
Simply ask your patients to repost your content or share their own user-generated content and tag your brand. This strategy works like a charm for anyone who's trying to gain more social media followers or just reach a wider audience online by increasing brand awareness.
Here are a few examples:
A dermatologist or dentist could ask their patients to tag them in their selfies for a chance to win (blank), using the hashtag (blank)
A weight loss clinic could ask their patients to share their stories online and tag them for a chance to be entered into a time-sensitive raffle to receive (blank).
Healthcare Marketing Idea #3 - Influencer Collaborations
Influencers are on the rise and a lot more brands are switching to quality influencers instead of online advertising. Even though quality influencer campaigns can be pricey and in some cases may cost more than advertising; online users continue to trust influencer recommendations because they're usually customers who are using the product or service that they recommend.
Of course, this isn't the case for every influencer and if you aren't careful you may end up with an influencer that does your brand more harm than good. A few things to look out for when selecting a quality influencer are:
Their audience - is it similar to yours?
Their engagement - likes, comments, shares?
Their personal brand - positive? professional? credible?
Their impact on customer purchase decisions - wouldn't hurt to ask them for case studies
If you're new to influencer marketing or interested in working with them to grow your brand, begin by first understanding the largest group of them all: micro-influencers.
Micro-influencers are social media content creators with 10k-100k followers. They're known for their expertise on specific topics or industries. Micro-influencers typically have experience working with small to large brands. Not to be confused with nano influencers, these creators are more established among their followers and recognizable in their industry.
Healthcare Marketing Idea #4 - Short Engaging Videos
Tik Tok has changed the game for short viral healthcare videos. This doesn't necessarily mean you need to join the social media platform to be successful, but there are a few smart tips we can learn from the people who've become successful (or went viral) on it fast.
Key takeaway: People connect with videos that are simple, short, and engaging.
Yes, this varies per platform, for instance, YouTube and LinkedIn users may search for longer-form content but the ability to hold your audience's attention and keep them engaged is the key.
The shorter, the better but if you would prefer to do longer-form videos then definitely consider creating engaging content that will encourage your audience to watch the entire length of the video right through until the end.
Healthcare Marketing Idea #5 - Participate in LIVE Videos
Video continues to dominate the world of content marketing and in the healthcare industry, it isn't that different. Online users crave video content from brands especially when they're in the different buying stages.
Healthcare providers that participate in LIVE video interviews and online discussions create a perception of authenticity and credibility. Your audience can gain insight into your personality by watching your video content and can connect with you better by seeing your perspective on different topics.
LIVE video participation is a great way to expand your reach, increase online engagement by encouraging discussions and ultimately boost your credibility as a healthcare industry expert.
Of course, we could go on and on about different healthcare marketing ideas that you can implement at your specific business but these 5 actionable strategies should give you a good starting point.
Do you need help putting these tips into action?
Our team of content strategists, content creators, and creative marketers would love to help. Book your free virtual consultation with us at any time.