Integrating influencers into the marketing mix is a powerful way for health care brands to reach new audiences, build trust and credibility and drive patient engagement.
Below are five compelling reasons for using influencers as part of your marketing strategy:
1. Enhance patient engagement through authentic messaging
Effective influencers engage their followers by being their true selves.
Influencers who genuinely speak about specific health issues or wellness topics can foster deep, meaningful engagement with their audiences. According to a recent study, health care content from influencers has a 45% higher engagement rate than content from health care organizations. [1]
By sharing their personal experiences, challenges and successes in managing or treating health conditions, influencers create relatable content that resonates with audiences. This authenticity builds trust and can inspire patients to take active roles in their health and wellness journeys. Tapping into the emotional connection influencers establish with their audiences is a powerful way to drive patient engagement
2. Amplify awareness and differentiate through human connection
The health care space is notoriously crowded, making it challenging for brands to differentiate. Influencers can serve as an effective resource for cutting through the clutter.
Influencers help health care organizations differentiate by building a genuine human connection between the brand and the audiences they serve through authentic storytelling. It’s been well-documented that today’s consumers are much more influenced by their peers than by advertising.
Influencers are often seen daily by their audiences via social channels, and some share personal content along with intimate glimpses into their lives. These feelings of familiarity and attachment build connections and create powerful marketing opportunities.
By leveraging an influencer’s reach and credibility, health care brands can build an approachable, human-centric brand that stands out in a crowded marketplace.
3. Improve patient acquisition and retention rates
Influencers can play a critical role in driving patient acquisition and retention strategies. A recent study found that 31% of social media users prefer to find out about new products and services through an influencer they follow as opposed to any other format or channel. [2]
By endorsing health care services or sharing their positive wellness experiences, influencers can help shape consumers’ perceptions of your health system in a positive way.
When you consider that in a recent study, 57% of respondents said they prefer to visit a hospital or health system’s social media presence when deciding where to go for service, an influencer strategy can play an important role in moving patients down the marketing funnel. [3]
Influencer marketing can also play a role in improving retention rates. Influencer posts are a way to keep consumers engaged with your health system after their initial visit. An influencer video sharing a positive experience after a procedure or a post reminding consumers of important wellness screenings are all great ways for influencers to keep the brand top of mind, while giving patients reasons to come back. By leveraging the power of influencers, you can create long-lasting and meaningful connections with your patients that drive repeat visits and foster loyalty.
4. Elevate your brand through thought leadership
Bringing your experts forward as influencers through engaging, thought-provoking patient education can elevate your brand in the mind of consumers. There are many places online consumers can visit to learn about health conditions, treatment options and general wellness advice. However, when it comes to health education, advice from a valued health care professional ranks high in terms of trustworthiness and engagement.
By having your clinicians and experts share health and wellness education and advice, you humanize your brand and position your organization as a leading authority on health and wellness in your community.
5. Boost your SEO Strategy with contextually relevant backlinks
Working with influencers to bring your brand forward on their blog through trusted backlinks to your site can improve your SEO. The key to success, however, is ensuring that your influencer is an authority and that the content on their site is relevant to what you are promoting. When it comes to health care content, Google pays special attention to ensure that backlinks are relevant. To improve your search ranking, ensure you are engaging with influencers who offer experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness on the topics you are promoting.
Having trustworthy backlinks to your site on an influencer’s page is a surefire way to improve your ranking in search.
These are just a few examples of how influencers can become a powerful tool for achieving growth, elevating brand awareness and fostering deeper patient engagement.
Interested in exploring influencers for your health care marketing strategy? JPL Health can help. Reach out at [email protected].
Resources:
[1] https://media.market.us/social-media-in-healthcare-statistics/
