Maximizing Your Reach: Strategies for Optimized Social Media Content in Healthcare Content Marketing

The healthcare industry is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of optimized social media content in content marketing—and for a good reason. Social media platforms are essential for healthcare organizations to reach potential patients, educate the public about health issues, and stay connected with their existing patients. Social media marketing offers healthcare organizations an effective way to promote their products and services, build relationships with their target audiences, and create meaningful conversations between healthcare professionals, industry experts, and patients. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the importance of social media marketing in healthcare content marketing and explore some of the best practices for leveraging social media marketing to achieve success.

Importance of Social Media in Healthcare

To understand the importance of using optimized social media content in healthcare content marketing, you must first know what social media marketing is. Social media marketing, also known as digital media marketing, occurs when you use various social media websites and platforms to introduce and advertise your health-related services and products. Some platforms available for use are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok.

Here are some ways you can use these platforms:

• Write a blog.
• Create a video.
• Post pictures.
• Set up podcasts.
• Create an ongoing online health news community.

You can share information about your services and pictures of how they benefit your consumers. These platforms bring your healthcare business to your clients visibly.

Social media marketing allows you to use targeted advertising, interactive chats, and communication to make your clients’ experiences personal. In addition, you can monitor the growth of your healthcare business. You can simultaneously place your healthcare business on multiple platforms.

Using social media marketing to promote your healthcare business helps with the challenge of advertising costs. Clients can find your business faster. They can explore the services you offer and how they can benefit. This information is always available for customers, even during off hours. Your social media marketing connected to your healthcare content marketing continues to work for you.

Key Differences Between Optimized Social Media Content and Content That’s Not Optimized

Optimized social media content refers to posts that are specifically crafted to reach a broader audience and trigger more engagement. These posts are optimized or crafted, with specific SEO keywords, relevant hashtags, compelling captions, and engaging images or videos. Optimized social media content is usually planned according to target audience interests and optimal posting times, often using various analytical tools to boost visibility. Whereas, content that’s not optimized lacks these strategic elements. Non-optimized posts created without taking SEO practices and audience engagement into consideration. This will decrease their potential impact and reach on social media platforms. The consequences can often lead to poor visibility, reduced engagement, and ultimately, lost opportunities in marketing and communication strategies.

Six Best Practices to Create a Healthcare Social Media Marketing Plan

Here are some of the best practices for creating optimized social media content for an effective healthcare social media marketing plan.

1. Share Relevant Health News

You can research the news and include current information about your products and services. Highlight brief news reports of how your chosen healthcare service or product is helping clients. Be sure your information is accurate and up to date as you must maintain your credibility. Remember to include an engaging factor to keep the search engine happy!

2. Take the Opportunity to Educate Your Audience While Engaging with Them

Social media may contain misinformation about the validity and credibility of your healthcare service or product. Take the opportunity to educate your potential customers. Many times, the intent of a search is based on questions. Create content based on that to increase your brand awareness. You can attach a small educational video demonstrating the proper use and benefit of your healthcare product or service. You may also use a Question-and-Answer segment to engage with your potential customers and create a relationship of trust with your clients.

3. Promote Awareness of Current Events and Innovative Treatments

Including current events in connection with your product and services on social media can put you in a unique position. Clients become aware of the relevance of your healthcare organization and ways you can help them. Be sure to demonstrate how you use innovative treatments to help the community. Describe how your business strategy enables you to uphold current state healthcare regulations.

4. Show Your Brand’s Authenticity in Your Mission

A good business owner knows that there will be competition. Therefore, educate yourself about your competitors. Visit their websites and social media pages, and please know that they will be doing the same as you are. This expectation means that your brand must be authentic. Ensure that your business mission aligns with what you advertise. Your advertised promises must match what you deliver. The value of this promise will appear in your customers’ reviews and testimonials. You gain more business when you remain trustworthy and sincere.

5. Highlight Healthcare Staff Accomplishments

You can highlight your healthcare staff’s accomplishments. Your public recognition of your staff’s professional growth will add to your organization’s credibility. Those seeking your service on the internet via social media will see that you and your team are interested in improving yourselves, which means they can expect improved service from you.

6. Utilize User-generated Content

You can remain on top of the market by utilizing user-generated content. How can you do this? This action will boost your credibility by linking positive reviews and personal posts, such as pictures and podcasts about your service and products, to your healthcare webpage. Be sure that you maintain HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act) guidelines as you do this. These guidelines protect client privacy. 

You must obtain written consent before using your patients’ information associated with your social media marketing. Most satisfied clients are happy to assist in this area. They are willing to report to the world how your service made them feel better and how they were treated kindly by your stellar staff. These communications, especially those with videos, will prove to be informative and free advertising for your healthcare business.

A new healthcare business can still utilize user-generated content. You can hire a UGC (User-generated content) creator. You will have your product or service showcased; however, this is paid advertising.  It will look authentic and believable. You need to understand why you should invest in social media and its effective techniques for creating optimized social media content to improve your healthcare marketing content strategy.

Why Healthcare Organizations Should Invest for Their Social Media Marketing in Healthcare Content Marketing

Today’s culture focuses on the use of social media. People rely on social media for almost everything. In addition, the fear of contracting the coronavirus makes it crucial that your healthcare business plan to utilize social media marketing. Gone are the days when someone comes into an office or place of business without first checking it out on social media platforms. Over 77% of people use internet search engines daily to find healthcare services and products.

Social media visibility allows you to reach large audiences with your information instantly. You can manage issues with time and scope since you don’t have to produce print posters and find time to stick them up all over town. Instead, untold amounts of people can instantly see social media marketing. Be sure to represent your healthcare business with a new, user-friendly, easy-to-find-and-follow presentation.

But, let it be known that you can’t go in without a plan for optimized social media content. Without a plan in hand, your audience will get confused.

As a healthcare professional, you are talented, knowledgeable, and skilled in your healthcare career. It would be helpful if you were also skilled in social media marketing as part of your digital marketing strategy. If this is not the case, all is not lost. Investing in someone efficient and skilled in infographics and digital marketing is wise. This investment will provide you with valuable leverage as you face the challenge of competitors.

References

Barnhart. B (2020) Social media and healthcare: how to prioritize what patients need.

Sproutsocial.com Retrieved 1/5/2023 from

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-in-healthcare/

Beveridge. C (2021) What is user-generated content? And why is it important?

Hootsuite.com   Retrieved 1/5/2023 from https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-health-care/

Digitalis Medical (2022) Healthcare marketing statistics to highlight on your 2022 . Retrieved 1/2/2023 from https://digitalismedical.com/blog/healthcare-marketing-statistics/