Adapting to the COVID-19 Environment
Like most industries around the world, healthcare has felt the impact of COVID-19. Essential workers like doctors and nurses have been pushed to the limit with hands-on caregiving at an unprecedented scale. Conversely, non-essential healthcare workers – those in medical devices and pharmaceuticals – have been forced to navigate traditionally in-person work roles without face-to-face meetings.
In-person conferences and demonstrations, where non-essential healthcare professionals thrive, have been postponed or even canceled due to lockdown regulations. As necessity mandates, many reps and organizations are adapting inventive new approaches to get the job done. This, in turn, has forced healthcare professionals to transition from in-person to virtual.
The transition comes with its pros and cons, but overall it presents an opportunity to build your brand in the digital space. One way that healthcare professionals can do this is through social media. If you don’t already have a strong social media presence, consider this pandemic as an entry point to start building it.
How Healthcare Professionals Can Leverage Social Media
Whether for socializing or getting information, people have spent significantly more time on social media during this pandemic. With the ever-changing nature of COVID-19, the public is looking for reliable sources on social media that provide up to date, useful information. And as healthcare professionals with insight, you could be that source of information.
No matter what health-related field you’re in, transition your business online through social media. It may be a small step to fully creating your online presence, but social media platforms connect you with your clients in a new and unique way. We’ve unpacked a few of the ways social media can help you transition effectively from in-person engagement to quality online interactions.
Get Your Messaging Right
The way your message comes across on social media is of utmost importance. During any healthcare crisis, it is essential that your messaging always reflects the current situation without being self-serving. This does not only apply to social media but to your messaging throughout your brand. Provide your audience with fresh, relevant, and insightful content in a way that is authentic to your brand. To do so, you need to do the following:
- Listen & Respond – Stay engaged with your audience by listening and responding to them. Go through the comments below your posts, and provide your customers with valuable and timely insight.
- Be Consistent – Ensure that your brand’s voice is the same on every piece of communication, including social media. You can’t be formal one day and extremely casual the next, as it will leave a negative impression.
- Focus On Your Audience – Give your audience exactly what they want. Look at what pieces of content and formats get the best engagement and give your audience more of those. If a question is being asked multiple times on social media, you might want to write a blog post or share a video answering the question.
Show Up On Social Media
Showing up on social media means allowing your audience to see you. This can be done in the following ways:
- Post Consistently – By consistently posting relevant, useful information on social media, you allow your audience to see you. Posting once a week is not enough as your posts will get lost in a newsfeed. Your audience needs to see you pop up on their timeline every few days with posts and links that they want to click on. Ask your audience questions to get conversations going on your page and allow them to engage with each other.
- Putting A Face To Your Brand – As a healthcare professional, it is essential that you put a face to your brand. Put a face to the work you’re doing by putting yourself in posts through videos and photos. Showing up and sharing content that is helpful, educational, and compassionate will connect with your audience and keep them engaged.
The process of showing up for your audience may take some trial and error. Try different formats to see what works for your brand. As a healthcare professional, social media networks are great platforms to inform your audience of the following:
- Useful COVID-19 related information
- Breaking news regarding the pandemic
- Promoting relevant products and services
- Informing other healthcare professionals about demos and conferences
- Performing live demos on Instagram Live and Facebook Live
Transitioning from in-person interactions to online can be tough. By doing the above, you can ensure that your online audience will be as engaged as they are in-person.
Put Elevated’s Digital Expertise to work for your organization. Contact us today for a free marketing assessment.
