7 Goals for Social Media Marketing in 2021
Social media is an invaluable tool for healthcare marketing, but with a variety of regulations to navigate and often complex information to present, it can be difficult to keep social media content fresh and engaging for your audience.
As you plan for 2021, here are seven ideas to keep in mind that will keep your social media presence relevant and highlight your organization’s expertise to the public:
Goal #1: Make yourself known as the ones who raise awareness.
One of the most powerful ways the healthcare industry can use social media is to show that they are involved in their communities by raising awareness about health-related issues. By providing education and connecting general information to actionable steps your audience can take to address the issues, you both demonstrate engagement and care as well as expertise and ability to offer real solutions.
What are the most pressing health concerns being addressed by your organization, your specialties, or your community? What ways are you already working—even behind the scenes—to address or educate about these issues? Design posts that raise awareness around real-world issues that you’re already working to address.
Goal #2: Be a connection point.
Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, clear lines of communication can feel harder to find—and your social media should become a place that solves that problem for viewers. You can certainly use your platform to highlight national sources—like the CDC or NHS—but remember to help your audience connect with state, county, and local resources too. Help them understand where to go to look for information, how to contact organizations they may need to, and that they can always rely on your facility to point them in the right direction.
Goal #3: Celebrate your workforce.
You know your team does great work—but does your audience? One way to boost team morale and increase audience engagement is to highlight accomplishments, initiatives, and just the day-to-day work of your staff. While you should certainly plan to post about accomplishments, awards, and new initiative launches, you might also consider posts that just help your audience get to know your staff—and thus feel more connected to your facility.
Goal #4: Show that you’re listening.
This one can be harder, but it’s incredibly effective if you can do it well: find ways to show you’re listening to your community. Are you launching a new initiative that responds to requests from the community or partners with other organizations? Find ways to showcase their voice—and don’t forget to tag them in your posts!
Relatedly, when your audience posts about your organization, consider sharing where appropriate. While this can take a little more work, it also shows that you’re having a conversation with your audience, not just talking at them.
Goal #5: Make sure your posts have a call to action.
Whether you’re inviting your audience to comment, asking them to share, or driving them to a webpage, make sure every social media post has a clear goal. You don’t want your posts to be something your audience scrolls by, so you have to be intentional about what you want them to do for each post they read from you.
Goal #6: Help your audience navigate (mis)information.
Information about healthcare can be hard to navigate—and misinformation is rampant. When specific pieces of misinformation are already circulating, use your social media platform to address them directly, correct them, and point to reputable sources.
But don’t just correct misinformation; also share posts that are just reliable information about preventative care, potential health concerns, and related topics. By correcting misinformation but also being proactive about sharing correct information from reputable sources, you will develop your credibility with your audience and help them look to you as healthcare experts.
Goal #7: Respond to crises.
Whether you’re responding to a public health crisis by providing current, easily digestible information as it becomes available or you’re sharing data related to ongoing public health concerns like COVID-19, your audience should know that they can always come to your page for up-to-date, concise, and reliable information related to public health crises and concerns. Many people already struggle to sift through emotion-driven social media content; your organization can and should provide a clear break from that, providing reliable data with the same calm professionalism your audience would experience in your organization.
Developing a robust, responsive, and engaging social media plan can take time and effort, but the impact on your brand can be substantial. ArchKATect offers specialized social media marketing services that employs all these principles—and industry best practices—to helping you better connect on social media. We’d love to talk with you today about how we can help your brand stand out online.
