Social Media & Healthcare Marketing
You can't really escape social media today. Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ are some of the most popular social media sites that help connect the masses. Many people use these sites to look for promotional deals, discount coupons, and freebies. Despite the fact that not a lot of people would want to "buy one surgical procedure and get one free", the medical marketing industry too can use social media to its advantage. When it comes to creating awareness about diseases and offering helpful tips to patients, social media is the ideal way to go.
How Social Media Can Aid Medical Marketing
Social media makes marketing a little easier. Companies can use the wide reach of the Internet to promote the availability of discounted health insurance plans and assisted senior living services. Hospitals located all over the world can use social media to promote their healthcare services overseas. A large number of people travel to the prime medical tourism destinations such as India, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Thailand to avail cheaper healthcare. These value-for-money health tourism destinations can take the advantage of social media sites to promote themselves.
Patients in first world countries who want to travel overseas for affordable medical care are likely to first research the Internet to find out more about hospitals and doctors available abroad. Healthcare organizations in India or Thailand can therefore use social media to promote discounted cosmetic surgery packages, or low cost dental procedures. Similarly, low cost gastric plication in Mexico or eye surgery in India be marketed online effectively through the social media websites.
Social Media – a Promotional Tool
Healthcare institutions can use this site to mention breaking news which is likely to draw the client's attention.
Many people use social media to express their negative or positive feedback about different treatments and hospitals. So, hospitals and clinics can track the number of times they've been talked about online and can get essential feedback about the services they provide.
Healthcare institutions can also use social media to find out what customers really want. They can be forewarned about changing trends and can alter the services they offer to better match the needs of the population at large.
With the advent of the Internet, marketing techniques have changed. The medical industry can take advantage of this and use social media to get the exposure it wants.
Opinion by Deepika
Ozg Healthcare Project Consultant
Email: healthcare.consultant@ozg.co.in
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