24 Jun The 4 biggest benefits of healthcare influencer marketing

Part 1 of a 2-Part Blog on Influencer Marketing

In part 1 of this 2-part blog, we explore why influencer marketing may be an important option to consider for your brand.

Potentially numerous benefits can result from influencers’ involvement in healthcare marketing. Their involvement can help:

1. Make scary topics more inviting

Illnesses and treatments can be terrifying. A knowledgeable, compassionate influencer can help tremendously in making complicated subjects understandable and uncomfortable subjects comfortable, letting people know what to expect in their healthcare journey, as well as how to overcome challenges.

2. Correct misinformation

This works both ways. An influencer can be a negative source of misinformation. People pushing quack medicine have been around for millennia, right up to today. But an informed, trusted source can be the front line in correcting misinformation – by disseminating correct information first in addition to rebutting information that’s not.

3. Motivate positive behavior

An influencer can inspire and motivate people to take action – to consider a new health-related behavior, start one, increase it, adhere to it… or simply understand it better. At their best, influencers do more than contribute to the sales of healthcare products and services; they contribute to truly better health of their devoted followers.

4. Humanize brands

Too often, healthcare companies and institutions can seem cold and impersonal. Influencers can help humanize healthcare brands and give them a face and personality. They can make a brand more likable and approachable, more humble and human.

The influence of influencers is powerful

•  A majority – 63% – of healthcare consumers trust the health information that influencers share.

•  A vast majority – 82% – of patients are likely to follow health advice given by healthcare influencers.

•  55% of healthcare professionals believe influencer marketing can positively impact public health awareness.

•  Healthcare-related content from individual influencers generates 45% greater engagement than content from healthcare organizations.

For these reasons and more, 70% of healthcare marketers now use influencer marketing as part of their overall strategy.

Are you already using one or more forms of influencer marketing?

For years – decades – many healthcare marketers have included influencer marketing in their plans. Informally, we may have called them influencers, but the more commonly used term was “key opinion leaders.” KOLs are one type of influencer, and anyone who’s marketed pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or other healthcare-related products and services to professionals can attest to the potential value KOLs bring to the marketing mix. They are often regarded as true experts and sources of truth for their peers.

KOL influencers can bring immediate recognition and credibility to new companies and brands. They can add prestige and esteem. They can be the “ambassador” of new concepts and technologies for their peers.

But these days, especially with the advent of social media, traditional expert KOLs are far from the only kind of influencers. And in some contexts, the new influencers may have the most influence of all.

The celebrity who becomes an influencer

Celebrity endorsements really hit their stride when direct-to-consumer television advertising of pharmaceuticals began.

Today, they’re everywhere: Lady Gaga promoting Pfizer’s migraine drug Nurtec® (previously endorsed in a campaign featuring Khloe Kardashian, whose sister Kim endorsed Diclegis®, the morning sickness drug); Travis Kelce promoting Pfizer’s vaccines.

We even saw JLo, Robert DeNiro, Lady Gaga, and “Black Panther” star Michael B. Jordan in a campaign endorsing the WELL Health-Safety Rating, a move to make buildings and spaces safer and healthier – launched in January 2021. When asked why she joined, JLo said, “I love the whole idea of being safe.”

Remember Jon Bon Jovi for Advil? Lynda Carter/Wonder Woman talking about IBS for Novartis? Former presidential candidate Bob Dole talking about erectile dysfunction for Pfizer? Or Dorothy Hamill or Bruce Jenner for Vioxx, which was later withdrawn from the market? How about Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers talking about diabetes for Bayer and Dexcomm? Or Barry Manilow talking about Afib for Sanofi?

There’s a long list of many more. That’s because celebrity endorsements can work.

But they also can bring challenges. In part 2 of this blog, we will explore the potential risks of using celebrity influencers.

We can have a positive influence on your influencer marketing strategy

Healthcare influencer marketing can be an important component of your brand promotions – delivering a potentially significant upside, but also bringing potential challenges.

The team members at Bryant Brown are specialists in healthcare marketing, with experience everywhere in healthcare: pharmaceutical and biotechnology, medical devices, health information technology, hospitals and health systems, and patient and professional advocacy.

Ready to achieve the benefits of healthcare influencer marketing? Let’s talk!