Healthcare content marketing can seem like a complicated minefield to work through. Not only do you have to pique the attention of your audience, you also have to be timely with the information you put out and follow healthcare industry regulations. More than 40% of healthcare consumers use social media to find relevant information online. While most of these consumers are between the ages of 18-24, up to 90% of older web users have used social media to find and share health info.
But when you’re stuck on how to use social media for your practice, what’s a provider to do? Here are a few tips to take into consideration.
#1: Consider your purpose for social media marketing
Generally, the goal of social media is to bring awareness and build trust with your target audience. What information are you providing to reach that aim? Depending on your brand, you may want to use your platform to:
- Raise awareness about general health
- Position your practice as the go-to for certain health conditions
- Address misinformation
- Communicate about health crises
#2: Use jargon appropriately
If you are marketing to the average person who does not work in healthcare, they will probably not be familiar with the medical terminology you use in your work day. While you want to appear knowledgeable, you also need to be approachable. Remember to use everyday analogies and examples that your audience will easily understand.
#3: Push out evergreen content
Evergreen healthcare content marketing is content that doesn’t go stale — it’s relevant in the long term, regardless of how long ago you published it. While you can definitely speak on trending topics, provide valuable information on a regular basis (even if it doesn’t concern a hot topic). For your brand, that could mean providing health tips that your audience might not know about.
#4: Follow HIPAA and FDA regulations
As a healthcare professional, you are likely very familiar with HIPAA regulations. In your usual social media postings, you might choose to share certain patient stories — but be cautious about revealing personal information and be sure to apply HIPAA rules to your social media. If you are not as well-versed in FDA ad regulations, stay up to date on those rules too. For example, if you plan to release ads for prescription drugs, the FDA requires you to disclose:
- At minimum, one approved use for the drug
- The generic drug name
- All the risks of using the medication
#5: Engage with your followers
Engagement is a huge part of gaining traction online. Social media users actually expect brands to engage with their comments and posts, and they will be more active on your pages if they know to expect a reply. Keep a close eye on your comments as they can create FDA or HIPAA compliance issues as well, even if you did not post them.
Healthcare Content Marketing Made Simple
The number of users who log onto social media for reputable health information is high — and we predict this number will only go up. Want to be a part of this wave but find little time in your schedule? Talk to our group of healthcare content marketing experts today.