Social networks have become one of the most common ways to exchange and keep up to date for many sectors, and the medical field is no exception to the rule.
Indeed, if you are in the health sector, being present on social networks opens a plethora of possibilities to increase your awareness, inform, exchange, or share about you and your activities.
The key is to build a communication strategy on social networks that is in line with both what you have to offer and what your audience is looking for, whether professional (B2B) or private (B2C).
How to create a community? How to get them interested in what you have to say? How do you create an interesting and rewarding exchange?
Let’s explore all these questions in our new article.
Why should healthcare professionals be on social networks ?
When used properly, social networks offer a multitude of possibilities to the health sector. It is an opportunity for the practitioner to inform about current events in the field of health, exchange news on his field with other professionals in the industry, or with a community of private customers.
Social networks are also used as a base to relay one’s own publications, register for congresses, publicize conferences or events to encourage users to register, publish videos, to ask direct questions to audiences thanks to the survey functionality available free of charge on digital platforms, to exchange with other practitioners on the latest advances in the medical field, etc.
Being present on social networks is not only a way to be known by the public; it is also a way for you to become a reference and for your name to be quoted by others. You thus become “Digital Opinion Leaders”.
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Which social networks to publish on in the medical sector?
Several social networks are interesting for the medical sector. Let’s take a look at a case study of the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), which demonstrates its success on every platform where this institution is present.
YouTube is an interesting social network for the health sector as it allows it to stay connected with its audience thanks to longer videos in which health professionals have the time to present their subjects.
The HUG have been present on YouTube since 2010 and now counts 198’000 subscribers. They operate with a very interesting modus operandi. Indeed, health professionals take turns managing the public institution’s account. Thus, the dialogue with Internet users is ensured by health professionals, each specialized in a particular field, who respond directly to comments and questions from Internet users. They regularly publish videos on current events, new developments, or the care provided in their institution.
They also publish interviews and conferences with key people in the health field. And it works! The most successful video has accumulated 2.8MM views! In this video, the HUG present, in a little less than 15 minutes, a subject intended to answer the doubts and questions that can arise from a surgical intervention on a child. The video tells the story of a little girl who is going to undergo surgery and all the steps that precede and follow the operation. We see the little girl visiting different health professionals and explaining to her friend in her own words how her operation will proceed. The video follows her until she leaves the hospital.
The transparent, human, and sometimes straightforward approach chosen by the HUG means that each video published is making records of views.
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Facebook and Instagram are also great platforms for the medical industry. If we continue to analyze the case of HUG, they have almost 91’000 and 19’000 followers respectively. There too, health professionals answer the questions of Internet users. One can find posts on everything related to health, current events, but also more “intimate” posts, such as the post-career stories of former HUG employees.
Facebook and Instagram allow you to increase your notoriety and be closer to your patients by creating a dialogue through comments. By the way, HUG treats each of them with a personalized response.
On LinkedIn, the professional social network par excellence, there are posts on job openings of course, but also prevention campaigns to manage the heat wave for example.
LinkedIn is interesting for the health sector because it allows you to highlight your experiences and publications, and to get in touch with other professionals in the medical sector thanks to:
- Specialized groups;
- Hashtags;
- Keywords cleverly inserted in the posts.
Finally, don’t forget that social networks help you increase traffic to your medical website. The more active you are on social networks, the more you increase your visibility.
Don’t forget to add your website URL to your company page bio. Members interested in your posts will be more likely to visit your website. Note that a lot of traffic on your website is a great asset to improve your search engine optimization.
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Medical sector: How to succeed on social networks?
All digital initiatives on social platforms must respect a certain number of rules. Our experts share with you their best advice for a successful social media project in the health sector:
- Identify your personas, which are fictional characters representative of your target audience.
- Listen to the needs and expectations of your target audience.
- Monitor the competition to help you better understand the trends in the health sector and differentiate yourself from your competitors.
- Be constantly on the lookout for the latest news and innovations in the medical sector.
- Define a clear objective and set up Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This way, you can measure the results on the different digital platforms and make the necessary adjustments.
- Learn the art of storytelling: Create suspense with action verbs, use graphic metaphors, and find your own tone of voice.
- If you are comfortable, use humor to share your messages. They will be better remembered and more likely to be shared.
- Adapt your posts to be in line with the latest technology offered by the different platforms.
- Show your human side in your communications so that your community identifies with your message.
Do you want to manage your marketing strategy in a targeted manner and achieve your business objectives effectively?
Social media trends for healthcare professionals
Our experts now introduce you to the latest trends on social networks:
Influencer marketing
Some messages can be better received if they are communicated through an influencer who shares your values. Some diseases, which can sometimes be considered shameful or taboo, will be better accepted if they are communicated by someone who has already built a community that trusts him.
Choosing influencer marketing is also a way to get your content to go viral.
You will gain visibility and your message will be perceived as more authentic because it will be conveyed by someone the community trusts.
Do you want to implement a successful e-influence strategy and achieve your business goals?
Your employees are at the heart of your social media strategy
Who is better than your employees and managers to talk about your company? There is a growing trend toward authentic videos, in which employees and managers speak out.
On all social networks, post videos showing your medical company’s leaders sharing your company’s values, commitments, company news, and industry news.
As for the employees, they can play a central role, becoming ambassadors for your company. They can defend your actions and commitments with conviction and transparency on social networks.
To conclude
We hope that you now have more tools to get started on social networks or make changes to your current strategy to increase your visibility and stand out from your competitors.
Eminence is always on the lookout for the latest trends in terms of digital platforms and strategies. We will certainly keep you informed on the evolution of social media strategies in the medical sector.