Look For These Healthcare Marketing Trends
Technology is changing the marketing game, and it’s no less true in healthcare.
Healthcare companies in the US upped their marketing spend by 4.6 million on average last year. The innovations of big data and the payoff of Web 2.0 both continue to bring new marketing opportunities.
Moving into 2022, healthcare marketing will focus on a few key trends.
Below, we’re looking at those trends and how they’re shaping healthcare.
Demographic Targeting
Why advertise to everyone when you have someone specific in mind?
Big data allows the healthcare industry to put together accurate pictures of public health trends. Providers can target areas with high obesity, substance abuse, or addiction with increased precision.
Instead of advertising en masse, marketers will use this data to target marketing to specific areas or demographics. Revenue wasted on non-receptive customers will dramatically decrease.
Native Content
One burgeoning industry on social media, and for good reason, is native content.
Native content describes advertising that appears to blend seamlessly into the user environment. Facebook ads adopt this format, as they look nearly identical to links and shares from friends. The same is true of promoted content on Twitter or Reddit.
Healthcare marketers know that people are looking for more answers online than ever. By blending healthcare with the near-universal experience of using social media, they can reach larger audiences than ever before.
Video Content
Video content is starting to win big online, especially in social media spaces.
This is a great opportunity for healthcare marketing to turn toward video content. Videos now drive more engagement than traditional text ads. They can deliver more visceral, personal advice in an attention-grabbing way.
Engagement is one of the chief concerns facing the healthcare industry. Healthcare isn’t a sexy subject, so videos can help to drum up interest.
App Uptake
Name any aspect of your life. Guess what? There’s an app to help with it.
Healthcare marketing is jumping on board this train. Apps allow users to span the gap between online services and offline visits to practitioners.
The holy grail for the healthcare industry is to spur people into taking more individual charge of their health. Apps allow users to track and monitor their health in real-time, as well as seek advice and appointments with minimal disruption to their lives.
Public Awareness Campaigns
Have you noticed the rise of news articles shaming unhealthy brands?
Healthcare marketers are using public platforms to point fingers at the big names who contribute to the global obesity epidemic.
The industry has experience in this arena: anti-tobacco ads and information campaigns achieved huge success over the last couple of decades. Now they’re adapting these tactics toward fighting food and drink that present a time bomb for public health.
Expect to see more of this ad-based warfare, as public awareness campaigns clash with “Big Food” in the same way they clashed with Big Tobacco.
The Future of Healthcare Marketing
Marketing is fickle, and it’s hard to predict too far into the future. But the trends of this year and the next give us some idea.
The future of healthcare marketing is sure to focus on large-scale data collection combined with increased focus on individual engagement.
By staying on top of these trends, you can ensure you’re at the leading edge of the marketing game.
Need more digital marketing advice? Be sure to follow our blog!
