Marketing to the physician community has seen a dramatic shift over the past decade, with social media playing an ever-important role.
In the past, healthcare companies had to rely on trade shows and sales reps equipped with brochures to reach their audience.
But, with roughly 20% of physicians no longer see sales reps, this limits one of the traditional marketing channels.
Now, with over two-thirds of doctors using social media for professional purposes, healthcare companies have new opportunities to engage with them.
However, many companies have poor results because they do not post the right type of content that is going to truly drive engagement.
Establish what you want to get out of your social media
For a social media strategy to be successful, the content must align with the goals of your firm. Ideally, your social media accounts should be used for:
Increasing brand awareness
Amazingly, 55% of consumers now learn about new brands on social media. In fact, 43% of people increased their use of social media to learn about new brands. Social media is a must to maximize your brand awareness.
Reinforce your brand values
Social platforms allow you to provide insight into your business, share your core values and mission as a company, build relationships with new clients, and strengthen relationships with existing clients in a more casual way.
Establish credibility
In medicine, people want to know your organization is a trustworthy authority. You still want to put the patient first, but be mindful to focus some attention on how experienced your company is.
Create bottom-up demand
Many healthcare brands are following the lead of the pharmaceutical industry by marketing directly to patients, thereby creating a bottom-up demand.
Increase customer reviews
Reviews are increasingly becoming the lifeblood of many businesses. In fact, 82% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. Social media provides more opportunities to get positive company reviews.
Boost your website traffic
Sharing relevant posts on social media is an effective way to send people over to your website, which is ultimately where you want people to end up.
What type of content should you post?
There are several factors to consider when creating your content strategy, most importantly who your specific target audience is, and which platform are you posting on.
As a rule, at least 75-80% of your posts should focus on informative content, with the remainder used for promotion. You might consider sharing tips or resources that your target audience might find useful, or stories of others who have benefited.
The key is “shareability” - give your audience a reason to follow you. Your content should educate, inform, or entertain if you want to capture someone’s attention.
Consider creating a post series. This can be done in the form a video, carousel, or single post. For instance, an audiology company created a series called “Have You Heard?”, which gives an interesting tip about hearing health each week in the form of a short video. Not only does this educate the audience, but it gives them a reason to subscribe so they don’t miss the next tip.
Your organic social media posts will only get you so far, which is why a successful social media plan will eventually include paid advertising. Paid social media posts can reach well beyond your current following. Unlike traditional advertising channels, social media allows you to target and focus your advertising in a much more efficient way.
Need help getting started?
If you need help with your social media strategy, Gnosis is here to help.
Let our experts help you devise a winning social media strategy, maximizing your reach and showcasing your company the way you want to be seen.
Contact us today to receive a customized proposal, 858-925-3119, or email mike@gnosis.team
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