Why Healthcare Organizations Should Be on Social Media

In your senior year of high school, you’re supposed to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. When I was that age, I had a lot of interests, but the one I was most passionate about was healthcare. Through my few years in a healthcare-related college, I have had the opportunity to create content for a wide variety of companies, including a nonprofit that focuses on raising awareness for autoimmune diseases. As I am entering my senior year in college, I have been able to combine my two main interests: the sciences and social media marketing.

It’s reassuring to know that you can actually combine two completely different things and make it what you want to do with your life. This summer, I have been involved in creating content for two different health-related companies, which has been extremely fun and exciting. As the world is shifting in marketing techniques any business, including ones in healthcare, must be using social media. With my experiences in the core sciences, I know the terminology and can take the confusing medical jargon and make it understandable to the average person. These are transferable skills that can work for a lot of different interests and fields.

Communication is so important because it’s how we exchange information. Communication has changed in the last decade with the rise of technology, specifically social media. There are a whopping 3.96 billion users who use social media, which is just about half of the world’s population. So why not use this to your advantage?

In terms of the relationship between social media and healthcare, how many nurses, doctors, physician assistants, and public health professionals have you seen on Instagram or TikTok? I know several that pop up on my For You Page all the time. Some bring comedic relief to relatable situations, others raise awareness for health issues, or even give medical advice. All are extremely valuable, especially when Nurse John is giving us all a laugh.

Other organizations that should utilize social media marketing include hospitals, medical device companies, pharmaceutical companies, and health advocacy organizations. They could all reach audiences on social media who need their services and care. For example, if a medical advocacy organization makes a video about their services and the video lands on a patient’s page, then they might have found their next patient. The same thing goes for a hospital; if a user is scrolling and sees a rare treatment option that they need on a hospital’s page, then maybe that patient will get the help they need. This is a win-win for everyone involved, which is why it is so crucial for the field of medicine and healthcare to be engaged with social media.

It’s essential for marketing to be with the times. People’s attention spans are so short, meaning that creating short, informative posts will be helpful to get your audience’s attention. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and even Twitter are perfect for this because they are popular, with the times, and easy to create content for. Social media is an impactful way for healthcare organizations to reach the audiences they serve.

I enjoy combining these two passions of mine, healthcare and social media, because the need for social media marketing in the healthcare industry won’t stop any time soon. There is so much more to learn this summer, and I am excited to see how I can continue combining my passions for healthcare and social media marketing.