Healthcare Industry Could be the Latest Trend of Influencer Marketing
Is it possible to implement influencer marketing outside retail industry?
When you got sick, it’s almost natural to turn to doctors to seek for medical consultations and treatment. Of course, why wouldn’t you? After all, doctors are trained in their professions. They are equipped with the necessary knowledge to give medical advice to public. But with the transformation of business in this digital age and influencers getting more powerful, it is almost inevitable for influencer marketing to make their ways into healthcare and wellness industries as alternative method to reach out to wider range of audiences.
But here’s the catch. Not all influencers are doctors and certainly, not all of them are equipped with the knowledge to share any legitimate medical advice let alone selling drugs to public. So, how does influencer marketing work in healthcare business? Here are what healthcare brands can consider before implementing influencer marketing.
The “Right” Influencers
Most brands, almost naturally, will put influencers who have bigger followers and mature community as their priority. Obviously, bigger community has its merits as these influencers have wider target audiences, however, the same strategy simply won’t work for healthcare brands.
Influencers should be picked based on their relevance. But unlike fashion and beauty industries, healthcare brands need to choose influencers that actually have direct experience with the brands to give personal and relatable testimony. That’s why along with the increased application of influencer marketing in health industry, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical practitioners, proven they have valid credentials, also rise in their social media roles.
Obviously, public wants to interact with influencers whom they can trust and have the necessary background and medical skills. So who’s better to play the role than those involved directly in medical communities? These influencers can share their practical experiences, providing people with indispensable information via engaging interaction.
To Share not To Sell
Do remember that the goal of influencer marketing in healthcare business should not to promote a certain product or drug, but rather to share the experience regarding the said-product. This way, influencers and brands could avoid unwanted issues with government in the future.
A clever example in integrating influencers’ voices to educate the customers is to use them to teach public how to use a new digital healthcare system or to provide advice of dealing and living with chronic pain. Such strategy helps healthcare brands to position themselves as trustworthy resources in public’s eyes, therefore, establishing a genuine connection rather than risking lash back from trying to make arguable sales.
A clear example of influencer marketing done correctly in health industry is a campaign by WEGO Health back in 2016 that called for health activists writers’ contribution to share their medical experiences online. Through this campaign, WEGO Health successfully increased their brand awareness by posting these health influencers’ experiences on their websites and announcing winners of different categories, from “Most Entertaining”, “Best Reflections”, to “Most Aspiring” among others, as well as encouraging these influencers to share their stories on their own social media channels.
The Rise of Patient Influencers
Have you noticed that there are some posts in Instagram by users that share their personal experience upfront when dealing with certain medical situations? These users, also known as patient influencers, are often most valuable advocates for medical brands because they have first-hand experience with the medical treatment offered by the brands.
In a sense, these medical brands are reforming the lucrative business of healthcare by bringing in people who actually live with the medical conditions. An example from Global Cardio Care shows how valuable assets these patient influencers are in their marketing campaigns. The company specializes in providing EECP therapy and influencers who work for the brand are patients who visit the facility and afterwards share their experiences on social media. This way, these patient influencers successfully generate engagement and increase awareness by triggering people’s curiosity of this company and its medical procedure.
Another example came from Jeri Butchell, a patient influencer who participated in a clinical trial for treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and shared her first-hand experience on her blog. Today, thanks to that, Jeri has become an active health-advocate to improve experience for patients that have been involved in clinical studies.
Key Consideration
The majority of social media users rely heavily on the opinions of their peers, in this case KOLs, to make their purchases, which is the main reason why brands seek leverage from influencers in the first place. But in healthcare industry, earning and maintaining customers’ trust is the most fundamental element to drive sales, hence, influencers and brands should always proceed with caution.
While it is true that influencer marketings have valuable benefits to healthcare industry, such as affecting public’s medical choices, increasing awareness of healthy lifestyle, and nurturing a ‘health-conscious’ community, but at the same time, influencers need to educate themselves of the industry regulations. Only after that, brands and influencers could formulate a strategy to deliver authentic brand message and earn consumers’ trust.
