Since the beginning of the pandemic people have been actively seeking out, and inundated with information on prevention, symptoms, testing, and treatment of COVID-19. From social media to the daily news cycle, it’s difficult to escape it.
It has never been more important for healthcare marketers to know how to cut through the noise and deliver their message to the right customer.
One of the best ways to achieve this cut through is with an effective digital marketing strategy.
In this blog post we’ll walk you through a few simple steps that could revolutionise your digital marketing strategy.
Effective communication is the key to success and will continue to play a vital role in how to engage customers as we pivot the ever-changing communications landscape.
Continue to practice transparent, trustworthy and human-centred communications, it is essential during these unsettling times. If you don’t think your external communication meets that basic brief, then there is no time like the present to take another look at how you can improve.
Take your favourite brands for example, how do they engage your interest and what is it that entices you to keep coming back to their content?
Sometimes it can be as simple as the language and tone used in their marketing emails, a method that is no mistake.
It’s important that the content you create as part of your digital marketing speaks with authority. Your company is the subject matter expert, and it is vital that current customers and prospects know that. This rule is applicable to any piece of external communications, from a social media post to a company blog.
If you’re a diagnostics company that specialises in pathology, why not partner with a consumer healthcare organisation to strengthen your position and raise awareness of a disease you test for. Helpful, user-friendly content can raise awareness for concerning conditions such as diabetes, cervical cancer and kidney disease.
This content could come in the form of a short animation video explaining the best ways a consumer could reduce their risk of a certain disease, a podcast featuring key people from your team so consumers can get to know the people behind the laboratory doors, or an interactive webinar for consumers on the area of health your company specialises in.
Watch the latest awareness video series we created for a diagnostic client here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY_Dq7BchaM&feature=youtu.be
Now, this might sound crazy, but drawing inspiration from other brands in completely different industries is a great way to broaden your scope of ideas for your digital marketing strategy.
Throughout 2020 there was an undeniable trend in communications campaigns. International brands and organisations from every discipline were recognising the impacts of the pandemic and how it might affect their audiences. They were also recognising ways of getting their company name into the conversation in a natural way that fit the company identity.
One of the most notable campaigns was the United Nations’ ‘Pause’ campaign. The UN joined the coronavirus conversation by shedding light on the massively negative effect of sharing misinformation. They urged people to fact-check everything they read online in order to stop the spread of fake news and conspiracy theories about the virus.
This is something your company could take inspiration from if you think there are some myths that need to be busted in your area of expertise.
Another campaign which got everyone talking in November 2020 was the Getty Museum’s social media challenge. The #GettyMuseumChallenge was filled with creativity and fun for fans of the famous museum. They challenged their followers to recreate famous works of art using items they had lying around at home. The results were sensational!
Does this idea spark some inspiration? Think about your favourite brands and draw inspiration from their latest campaigns and see how that might transfer over into the world of healthcare. You’ll be surprised by what you come up with.
We don’t need to tell you how important social media is in your digital marketing strategy. It’s a no-brainer.
The best way to approach a social media strategy is to first identify your main customers and create ‘Buyer Personas’. You should be thinking about who you want to reach, what their attributes are and how they consume content. We recommend five customer personas relating to your brand and HubSpot’s “Make My Persona Tool’ is a great place to start.
Once you understand who you’re targeting and what their likes and dislikes are you can begin creating content that speaks to them. Content is king but there is no point creating content that your current and future customers won’t see. Take time to do the research and understand what works best.
Sponsored social media campaigns are an effective way to target a specific demographic. By tailoring your sponsored posts, you can reach people of a certain age, location and even list their specific interests.
