Why Context Matters in Healthcare Marketing
While engaging content is a central component of any digital marketing strategy, it doesn’t do much good if it isn’t reaching the people who need to see it and reaching them in a way that works for them.
And that’s what context is all about.
Social media platforms like Facebook are constantly collecting data about their users to make it easy for you to narrow down who will see your paid marketing campaigns. This gives you the opportunity to segment your target audience and speak directly to different groups with different needs.
So, what does this mean for healthcare marketers?
It means you need to adjust your marketing strategies accordingly in order to take full advantage of different marketing channels by putting your content in best context possible. Here are a few tips for doing just that:
1. Make Videos and Infographics Part of Your Marketing Strategy
People who search for health information online don’t always stick to the general search results. Many times, they’ll take a quick look at the videos and image tabs to see if anything catches their attention. And, people have different learning styles too. By adding visual content, you can dramatically increase the odds they will engage with your brand.
2. Strategically Create Custom Social Media Audiences
When you create a marketing campaign on a social media platform like Facebook, you can narrow down your target audience by more than just age and location. Because Facebook has access to people’s web browser history, it lets you create campaigns based on sites people have recently visited. And you don’t have to stick with your own website either – creating campaigns for people based on their visits to pages from your competitors’ websites or nationally-recognized organizations can help you reach more high-value leads.
3. Take Innovative Approaches to Finding Receptive Audiences
Writing health blogs and making social media posts will certainly help your marketing efforts. But there are many other opportunities to reach high-value audiences if you dig deeper and get creative. Does the community you serve have a Facebook group you can post in? Maybe there are local parent forums that would appreciate pediatric content, or a weight loss support group that would respond well to information on bariatrics.
4. Learn How to Use Hashtags
Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest are untapped markets for many healthcare providers. Infographics and short videos are great for engaging audiences on these platforms, and the right hashtags will help people searching for health topics find your content.
5. Create Context with National Awareness Campaigns
National awareness campaigns for breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, and more can provide built-in context and make your content more relevant to specific audiences. Similarly, basing your content around seasonal concerns like the flu, back-to-school, and travel during the holidays can add context and increase engagement.
6. Build Relationships with Local Publishers and Help Them Develop Content
Pitching stories to publications that cover health topics of interest to the local community is a great way to engage readers, raise awareness, introduce health professionals to the community, and position yourself as a trusted authority. You can even develop the content yourself as an advertorial and pay for space in the publication. This is a more subtle and often more effective way to increase brand affinity and loyalty than overt advertising.
Get the Most Out of Your Context Marketing Strategy
Whether you’re a large health system or a small private practice, the context marketing experts at LIGHTSTREAM can help you come up with a strategy that’s right for your organization. From developing engaging content to reaching the right audience with the right content and presenting it in the most effective way, we can help you maximize the impact of your marketing efforts. Think of it as an investment in growing your business.
