Social Media Advertising: The Key to Improving Your Medical Marketing Strategy

As a healthcare professional, your digital presence is crucial. Here, we share a practical guide to optimize your medical marketing.

"More than 80% of people search for healthcare services online and on social media"

An organic content strategy and a paid strategy (advertising) are two sides of the same coin, even in medical marketing. Organic content tends to be more spontaneous, without a direct sales call to action, and usually seeks to empathize and connect with the audience to create a community. In healthcare, this type of content tends to be well received, as it addresses a common interest across different age groups, offering the opportunity for both empathetic and highly technical perspectives.

When creating organic content, it is always recommended to use keywords, as they can be discovered through user searches online. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a practice that should be applied to both blog and website content as well as social media content. The key to success with this strategy is to position the terms that users are actually searching for, using the exact words and expressions they employ.

An example applied to the medical field: users search for the term “kidney cancer” 275% more often per month than “renal cancer.” This indicates that if you are a healthcare professional creating informative or preventive content for social media or your website, it is preferable to use the first term, as it aligns better with how people actually seek information.

The World of Paid Advertising in Medical Marketing

While organic strategies are necessary for brand positioning, it is a process that takes time. However, sometimes quick results and concrete conversions are needed, especially in medical marketing. The reality is that we want to see that what is published on social media translates into potential clients—people sending direct messages or requesting more information. This is when social media advertising becomes essential.

Some statistics that support this fact show that the three main social media platforms in the United States, based on their potential ad reach, are:

• Facebook, with 188,050,000 users

• Instagram, with 161,700,000 users

• TikTok, with over 150,000,000 users

Moreover, DataReportal highlights that more people discover new brands, products, and services each year through social media ads than through word of mouth, brand websites, or consumer review sites.

In other words, social media is the ideal showcase for promoting products and services, including those in the healthcare field.

Optimization: The Key to Successful Paid Social Media Campaigns

To discuss how to optimize a campaign on Meta (specifically on Facebook and Instagram), it’s helpful to cite an example: If you created content about how a chemical peel can benefit women with melasma, and you used the offer of this service as a final “hook,” it’s crucial to define your goal: Are you seeking engagement or potential client acquisition? Tailor your message accordingly.

Also, define your Call to Action (CTA): Do you want them to send you a direct message? Do you prefer they fill out a form for you to contact them later? Or do you want them to visit your website directly? Again, message personalization is key.

Audience segmentation is another advantage that paid social media campaigns offer. Returning to the example, who should you target with this message? The answer can be simple: women with a medium/high income level, darker skin tone (segmented by race), located in the city where you offer your services, and interested in dermocosmetic products. Remember, poor optimization of promoted content leads to poor investment of your marketing budget.

An additional tip is to use reviews on social media and websites in both organic and paid posts, since nearly 90% of patients use them to evaluate doctors, and 71% consider them the first resource when looking for a new healthcare professional, according to a patient survey conducted by SoftwareAdvice. It’s always a good idea to include before-and-after photos of procedures, especially aesthetic ones, as they provide trust through real results.

Conclusion

The key to successful medical marketing lies in intelligently integrating both organic and paid strategies. Personalized messages and fast, clear responses to those who show interest are essential to converting your digital presence into tangible results.

Sources

• Organic Marketing vs. Paid Marketing | Semrush, 2024

• Digital 2023 July Global Statshot Report | DataReportal, 2023

• The Social Media Platforms Dominating Advertising Revenue | La República, 2024

• Most Effective Ad Campaigns | Meta, 2024

• How Patients Use Online Reviews | Software Advice, 2020