Since its launch in 2010, Instagram’s extremely visually appealing layout has taken the social media market by storm. Instagram has not only changed how people communicate and exchange information online, but it has also become one of the most important venues for product promotion and customer involvement.
Instagram Marketing and Healthcare
Social media has become a vital part of our lives in the digital age, providing enormous opportunities for businesses in a variety of industries, including healthcare practices. Instagram marketing for doctors is one of the best methods to organically engage with potential patients and begin to develop a trusting relationship and foster meaningful communication. It has risen to prominence in recent years and is currently the primary source of social media participation.
Instagram has prioritized video content recently which is great for healthcare organizations that want to vary their content and increase patient involvement. Did you know? Healthcare advertising firms rely on video marketing in order to boost leads by approximately 66% each year.
What are the Benefits of Instagram Marketing for Healthcare Practices?
1) Expanding Reach and Brand Awareness:
With over one billion active monthly users, Instagram is a great platform for healthcare practices to expand their reach. By building a strong Instagram presence, healthcare providers can increase brand awareness, reach a larger audience, and gain exposure to potential patients who aren’t actively looking for healthcare services.
2) Humanizing the Practice:
Instagram gives healthcare practices a unique opportunity to show off their human side and engage with patients on a more intimate level. Practices can demonstrate their empathy, knowledge, and dedication to patient care through captivating visual content such as behind-the-scenes videos, patient success stories, and staff profiles.
3) Empowering Patients:
Given the nature of Instagram’s platform, it enables healthcare providers to communicate useful information and educate people on a variety of health issues. Practices can help patients make informed decisions about their health by generating instructional content in the form of info graphics, short videos, or carousel articles, encouraging them to take an active role in their well-being.
4) Enhancing Patient Engagement:
Instagram gives healthcare practices a direct conduit for patient engagement and communication. Practices can gather feedback, address frequently asked questions, and develop meaningful interactions with their followers by using interactive features such as polls, quizzes, and question stickers. This involvement fosters patient trust, loyalty, and a sense of community. Further, the direct messaging feature allows patients another method to communicate and voice their concerns.
5) Showcasing Services and Facilities:
Because Instagram is a visual medium, it is great for healthcare practices to promote their services, facilities, and technologies. Through compelling photographs and videos, practices can highlight their cutting-edge equipment, inviting surroundings, and wide range of services, assisting potential patients in making educated judgments.
Tips for Patient Engagement on Instagram:
- Share Authentic and Engaging Content:
To effectively engage patients, healthcare practices should prioritize the creation of genuine and visually appealing material. Use high-quality photographs and films that reflect the values, culture, and competence of the practice. Incorporate narrative tactics to elicit emotions and connect on a human level with the audience.
- Leverage User-Generated Content:
Encourage patients to use specific hashtags to share their experiences and testimonials on Instagram. Repost and share this user-generated content to provide social proof and build a community for your healthcare practice. This method has the potential to increase patient participation while also providing valuable social affirmation to future patients.
- Emphasize Education and Wellness:
Social media marketing is a great way of promoting healthcare information. Create educational content that tackles common health concerns, promotes preventative care, and gives practical advice on how to be healthy in general. Create a content calendar that covers a wide range of health issues while providing a healthy balance of instructive, motivating, and entertaining material.
- Utilize Instagram Stories and Live Videos:
Instagram Stories and live videos allow for real-time interaction and are wonderful tools for interacting with patients. Use these features to show off behind-the-scenes footage, have Q&A sessions, arrange live events or webinars, and highlight patient success stories. This interactive method promotes openness and accessibility.
- Foster Patient-Provider Interaction:
Respond to comments, messages, and inquiries from patients on Instagram as soon as possible. Personalize responses, provide correct information, and refer patients to suitable channels for additional help. Engage in active conversation, ask probing questions, and encourage patients to share their views and concerns.
Importance of Instagram Marketing
- Patients increasingly rely on social media sites to acquire information, seek suggestions, and interact with healthcare practitioners. Healthcare practices can align with patient preferences and meet them where they are by establishing an Instagram presence, fostering deeper patient-provider interactions.
- The healthcare market is growing more competitive, with practices competing for the attention of patients. Through appealing visual storytelling, Instagram marketing provides a competitive advantage by helping practices to differentiate themselves, develop thought leadership, and build trust.
- A strong Instagram presence can help healthcare practices build a great online reputation. Patient testimonials, reviews, and engagement with followers can boost the practice’s credibility, build trust in future patients, and impact their decision-making process.
Strategies to Get Noticed on Instagram:
1) Hashtag Strategy: Look up and use relevant hashtags for healthcare, specific medical conditions, and local communities. Using a mix of common and specialist hashtags will help you gain visibility and attract individuals interested in healthcare subjects and services.
2) Influencer Partnerships: Work with healthcare influencers, local businesses, and community organizations to cross-promote content and broaden your reach. Collaboration with influencers who share your practice’s beliefs and target audience can help raise exposure and credibility.
3) Paid Advertising: Use Instagram’s advertising features to attract a larger audience. Targeted advertisements can be used to reach certain demographics, geographic areas, or people with specific interests. To increase interaction, try out several ad styles such as photo advertisements, video ads, and carousel ads.
4) Consistent Branding:Keep your brand identity consistent across your Instagram page, including the bio, profile photo, and color palette. To guarantee aesthetic consistency, use branded templates, filters, and typefaces. This helps to develop a consistent and recognizable presence, which promotes brand loyalty.
5) Cross-Promotion: Increase traffic to your Instagram page by leveraging your presence on other social media platforms and healthcare website. In order to encourage patients to connect with you on Instagram, include Instagram icons and handles in your email newsletters, blog articles, and website.
In the digital context, Instagram marketing provides a significant opportunity for healthcare practices to communicate with patients. Healthcare practices can successfully navigate the world of Instagram marketing by leveraging the benefits of Instagram and implementing patient engagement strategies. North Rose Healthcare helps healthcare professionals navigate this terrain and develop custom, result-driven social media strategies.
