Convenience is an expectation that spans across all industries, including healthcare. Over the past few years, we have seen a rapid increase in telehealth and mobile health application products to accommodate these expectations. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth experienced a significant surge in growth.
With such a crowded and continuously growing space, how can you make sure your health app cuts above the noise while simultaneously hitting your desired audience – especially during the pandemic?
The key is strategic marketing, which leverages best practices to amplify your voice and raise awareness among your target audience. Read below for key tactics to keep in mind when marketing your healthcare app.
Know Your Audience
First, it’s important to identify who you want to reach. This allows you to know the best place to reach them. For example, if you are marketing to millennials, you may consider sharing a boosted post or ad about your app on Instagram, as this is a channel where this demographic specifically goes to consume updates and even product recommendations.
Once you’ve specified who you’re looking to target, identify what is most important to them. Different audiences will have different priorities such as cost, convenience, health needs and values. Research is vital to ensure you emphasize messaging that addresses the unique concerns of who you are looking to target.
Leverage Social Media
In today’s world, social media is one of the best ways to reach potential consumers, and there are a plethora of platforms to choose from – the key is understanding who is on each channel and how they are using it.
Statistics show that 82% of people in North America use social media, and the average social media user has accounts on eight different platforms. These channels include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Youtube. Each channel has a unique audience, with older generations tending to gravitate towards Facebook, and the younger generations on channels like Instagram and the newly introduced TikTok. Even the channels themselves are built for different purposes, with LinkedIn serving as a professional platform and Twitter serving as an instant source for news and information, for example. Therefore, it is important to tailor your message to the platform you are using.
Deploying a mix of organic (free) and paid (ads or boosted posts) social content is a valuable way to share news and communicate with your audience. With social media, you have full control over the messaging, from your wording, the links included, the exact time that the message is released, and if you add a paid component, the followers you want to target.
Secure Third-Party Validation
A positive review from a credible source is a great way to boost excitement and confidence in your product. When it comes to products, such as mobile applications, third-party validation is paramount. Successful tactics to secure third-party validation include, 1) media reviews, 2) client testimonials and 3) paid partnerships.
Media Reviews: Specific publications and/or reporters are known for product reviews. In fact, 70% of consumers prefer to find out about a business via articles, rather than advertisements. It is important to weigh the pros and cons of going this route:
- Pro: Credibility and trust around your app
- Pro: Typically submitting a product for review is at no cost
- Con: It can be tough to get earned media coverage, especially in a crowded space
- Con: There is no control over the review content, running the chance of negative coverage
An experienced PR team can provide deep insights to increase your chances of a successful review and help navigate the process.
Client Testimonials: Requesting client testimonials and reviews to share on your website or app is another way to capture authentic commentary that those considering your product are actively seeking. 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. While it may seem intimidating to gain reliable and positive evaluations from your customers, when surveyed, 68% of customers confirmed that they were willing to provide feedback when asked. The first and most important step is to simply ask.
Paid partnerships: There are many ways to activate a paid partnership. One way is through social media influencers, who act as ambassadors to a brand or product, or in this case, an app. This paid partnership is doubly effective as you are able to reach a greater number of people and also have third-party validation through the influencer. In fact, 71% of marketers rate the quality of customers and traffic from influencer marketing as better than other marketing sources. The most important step in the process is finding one who authentically aligns with your brand and has access to your target audience.
Want to learn more about the best way to promote your healthcare application? Connect with our public relations and marketing experts today to discuss a personalized approach for you and your product.