Brands are always trying to find new and exciting ways to engage consumers in a world that is increasingly distracted with more things to do and less time to do them. This isn’t new. However, for those communicating in the healthcare industry, the landscape is ever-changing and our marketing efforts need to be responsive. From hospitals to healthcare systems, medical institutions to  pharmaceutical companies, they all recognize that the population is becoming more tech savvy and more social while consuming more media than ever before. Marketing trends are being applied in the healthcare arena; specifically, original content is garnering a lot of notice. Let’s explore a few different viral content marketing efforts that are making waves in the healthcare industry.

Between Two Ferns …

So, there was President Obama sitting across Zach Galifianakis engaged in hot debate. Both unwavering as they bantered back and forth hurling one-liners at each other. Of course, I’m not referencing an improbable “The Campaign Two” movie trailer, but more accurately – and perhaps even more unlikely- President Obama’s guest appearance on Galifianakis’s “Between Two Ferns” @FunnyOrDie.com.

The Problem: Healthcare.gov wasn’t exactly selling like Razor scooters among younger Americans. The Objective: Engage a younger population to start a conversation about health insurance and ultimately sign up for it. The Solution: If health insurance was a tough pill to swallow, Healthcare.gov needed a chewable version. Millennials, who are generally ad-literate, are easily turned off when they feel they’re being sold to. They needed something cool. Even though “Between Two Ferns” was a blatant plug, it felt like more of a soft sell. The result was a success. Millennials and beyond shared it across the social sphere, spreading it faster than mono at summer camp.

In the first day, Healthcare.gov drew more than 575,00 unique visitors to the site and increased registrations, eventually citing FunnyOrDie.com as the #1 source of referrals. The message, coupled with the media choice, helped reach and engage a younger generation to digest what was a complicated subject. It understood its target and introduced a new, fun way to market healthcare coverage.

Blood Art-ery

A content marketing success that had a vastly different target and objective was NHS Blood and Transplant’s PR campaign, “Blood Art-ery.”  The Problem: With the influx of people coming to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics, there would be an increased need for blood donations across varying blood types. The Objective: Increase blood donations by 30% in time for the Olympics. The Solution: A video that followed eight volunteers who were branded with their respective blood type and painted with major arteries exposed, casually strolling through populated areas in London.

The video combined art, science and experience to capture public attention in a new and engaging way. The video sent 30,000 unique visitors to blood.co.uk, increased prospective donor calls by 29% and produced more than 264 pieces of mainstream media coverage in the first day. Showing a deep understanding of the market and constructing a creative approach to better reach people, NHS Blood and Transplant were able to achieve their goals and raise awareness for an already over-familiar topic using viral content marketing.

Our healthcare practice here at Switch recently employed a content marketing strategy for a major consumer brand. Our client, TLC Laser Eye Centers, who specialize in lasik procedures, came to us with a problem and objective. Design a campaign that would increase eye consultations in concert with their 20-year anniversary celebration. The Solution: Create a microsite to house user-generated content including testimonials and videos talking about their experience with lasik and how it was a “Truly Life Changing (TLC) Moment.” This initiative was based on the insight that those who had received Laser Eye Surgery experienced an unforgettable moment when first opening their eyelids to clear, vibrant vision. Using this foundation, we encouraged people to tell us their stories. The result was fantastic as people came forward with their experiences and life-changing moments.

The microsite was successful in engaging the target, increasing traffic to the TLC webpage and helped grow visits for free eye consultations.

Although these three examples had different objectives, different targets and marketed different services, they all abided by a similar formula that isn’t dissimilar to the marketing we see in other industries. Keeping this in mind, here are 4 observations.

Knowing your audience will inform your insight.

Don’t assume you know. Research. Research. Research. Understanding your audience is the first step to developing strategic insights and concepts. If your target is younger, tech-savvy and social, understand where they are in the digital space and how they are consuming information. Meet them there and speak their language.

Modify your message.

Along with understanding your audience, knowing to whom you’re speaking will change the way you relay the message. If there are multiple audiences, there should be multiple messages that speak to their unique needs.

The heart is still the most important organ.

Healthcare marketing needs to resonate with consumers on an emotional level. Whether it’s heavy-hearted, humorous, uplifting or empowering, the emotions should not overpower the message and should leave consumers with a positive feeling about your brand or mission.

Modern medicine needs modern marketing.

When 33% of people use social media to research healthcare information, 41% of people say social media affects their choice of healthcare providers and 25% of people have shared health information on social media, the resources are there. We can utilize these interactions to drive better insights, better engagement and better ways to meet the needs of consumers where they are across digital touch points.

To learn how to make your next healthcare campaign go viral, contact Mary Ellen Unnerstall at mellen@theswitch.us.