With platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, influencers are everywhere. The title “influencer” is no longer reserved for larger-than-life celebrities doing product placements in formal ads. Influencers are now everyday people who are authentic about their daily, relatable experiences. The foundation of influencer marketing is endorsements and mentions in various forms of media from influential people—individuals who have a dedicated following, or are viewed as experts within a certain topic.
There’s a reason why influencer marketing is the latest buzzword in advertising. On average, businesses generate $6.50 in revenue for every $1 invested in influencer marketing. Despite all the success businesses of all industries have seen in this rapidly developing marketing strategy, many healthcare practices believe influencer marketing is a huge expense that wouldn’t work for them, especially if they have an older audience. Let’s breakdown the most common myths about influencer marketing and explore how it can actually be a huge benefit for your practice:
Myth #1: Influencer Marketing Only Works For Retail
Influencer marketing isn’t just for pushing products in retail. The results of influencer marketing campaigns come from the confidence influencers build up within their audience. Opinions and recommendations from influencers are social proof anyone can improve their lifestyle if they follow the same mantras and make the same choices. In fact, 68% of internet users trust influencer recommendations while only 31% of internet users trust content directly from brands. Credibility, authority and trust are among the most important principles of healthcare marketing. If the product or service is authentic to the sales message, influencer marketing will work no matter the industry or audience demographics.
It doesn’t take a product to spark a conversation, but an authentic life-changing story about a specific experience. Sparking a conversation will increase engagement, which in turn gains more impressions and lengthens the lifespan of your influencer content. Understanding your target audience’s demographics and behavior will determine which platforms and media types your practice should be using regularly to effectively reach and engage with your target audience.
Myth #2: My Practice Can’t Afford Influencers
In a time where anyone can become an official influencer virtually overnight, it’s hard to gauge which influencers and trends are the right choice. A common misconception about influencers is that they all cost too much for small practice to afford. Within the digital landscape, there are two types of influencers:
- Macro-influencers: a step down from traditional celebrities who have prominent online presence from 100,000 to 1 million followers who have a range of interests.
- Micro-influencers: a step down from macro-influencers who have a niche audience between 1,000 to 100,000 followers who share the same specific interests.
Healthcare is one of the first industries to use “influencer marketing” – we just used a different term for it. Patient testimonials are, in fact, a form of influencer marketing. Your practice may or may not already have some source material to work with. If not, video patient testimonials are a great place to start. Reformatting these testimonials to feel less produced and more authentic will help build the trust and credibility of the patient’s recommendation. It won’t matter if these patients don’t have a large social media following. The success of an influencer marketing campaign doesn’t come from the number of followers the influencers have, but the engagement, brand awareness and conversation they create. Micro-influencers actually generate up to 60% more engagement than macro-influencers which is why most brands actually choose to work with micro-influencers.
Myth #3: Influencer Marketing Requires Expensive Equipment
Influencer marketing requires video; isn’t that expensive? It certainly can be but the fanciest equipment will not make or break your practice’s influencer marketing campaign. Most influencers are using their smartphone, a travel-friendly tripod and maybe some extra lighting to produce their content. Less equipment actually makes the filming environment less intimidating for patients who are not commonly found in front of the camera. The trend in video marketing content continues to be about authenticity and trust, especially for essential industries such as healthcare. Both of these qualities become harder to believe when video content is over-produced and heavily branded – feeling more like an advertisement than an honest review, recommendation or story. When it comes to a successful influencer marketing campaign, focus on the story and message, not the equipment.
Contact Points Group to learn more about why influencer and video marketing matters, and subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of future trends. Our services include social media marketing, website development, email marketing, and much more!
