In 30 seconds:
- Social media health campaigns can be tricky to get right; you need to master the perfect balance of tone and content.
- But, just like any successful social media campaign, there are steps and strategies you can use to make sure your message gets heard.
- And with an award under our belt, we’re sharing health awareness campaign ideas you can use to inspire real change.
‘Social media health campaigns’ might sound strange, but young people have been turning to social media for healthcare information for a long time.
There are thriving communities of health-conscious social media users already following a range of healthcare professionals – from dieticians to mental health campaigners – so, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, they weren’t unprepared for the slew of new health-related content and information being shared online.
But, for a social media health campaign to inspire real behaviour change, it has to actively engage with social media users in a way they both understand and enjoy.
So, how do you use a social media platform to spread health messages in the right way? We’re diving into the strategies that really work, with examples to inspire your next social media health campaign.
How can social media be used for health promotion?
A public health campaign has a responsibility to spread verified information to the largest possible cohort of people, often as quickly as possible. That’s why social media is the perfect vehicle – when a campaign performs well, it can gather a huge volume of impressions in very little time.
Tailoring your campaign to a certain platform and demographic also has a huge effect on its overall effectiveness – which is something that social networks allow you to do very well. For example, the annual Movember campaign always generates a positive and widespread response from men online, who use the associated hashtag to spread information about men’s health issues.
And, even though health communications like those from the CDC or department of health have historically taken place offline, during the pandemic they turned to social media to make sure they reached the generations of young people who frequently use these apps.
You don’t just have to take our word for it. Fanbytes by Brainlabs was recently awarded Best Crisis Communication/Response Campaign at the EU Agency Awards for our work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our campaign encouraged young people to attend their vaccination appointments, follow testing guidelines, and shared important health-related information throughout the lockdowns.
Using social media in health campaigns: 5 ways to get it right
Social media users are used to being bombarded with information – so how can you ensure that your health campaign stands out for all the right reasons?
Here are five strategies to help make sure your campaign makes an impact:
1. Be flexible and reactive
It can take a long time to plan a fully-fledged health campaign – but when you’re dealing with a fast-moving problem (like Coronavirus), or platform (like social media) you need to be able to respond at speed.
It’s one of the key benefits of a social media campaign: the ability to adapt to real-time updates. But it can also be a challenge. Make sure that you’re prepared to change tactics, brief creators, or issue updates as and when they come in.
And, of course, to pay attention to what is performing well online. If a new social media trend suddenly arises, think of ways to incorporate health messaging into it, so you can make the most of the increased attention.
How we did it:
When coronavirus hit, health interventions had to happen on a large-scale and at speed. When fighting an infectious disease, it was vital that people were informed as quickly as possible of any guidance changes.
We used an influencer-first campaign to spread two key messages throughout the pandemic: the importance of regular testing, and the importance of vaccinations. We created specific messaging for specific cohorts, addressing hesitancies and motivators, as well as developing a feedback loop with key influencers to inform the strategy as the campaign progressed from stage one (tests), to stage two (vaccines).
2. Go native to the platform
A good social media campaign should sit easily within the chosen platform. That’s because, in order for users to find it trustworthy, the content has to appear authentic. Pew research found that Gen Z are trusting information from social media at record levels – and that’s partly a matter of context.
To capitalise on this, health organisations should do their best to assimilate to the platform they’re launching their campaign on. The more a campaign creative blends into the native experience, the more likely it is to benefit from increased engagement, watch times, and social shares.
How we did it:
We made TikTok and Snapchat our hero platforms, because that’s where we knew we’d find the majority engagement from Gen Z – our target audience. Once we’d decided on the platforms, we turned to the Fanbytes Data Studio (part of our in-house social listening tool, Bytesights), to find out what trends were emerging – including what popular sounds, hashtags, and creators were popular.
This allowed us to tailor our campaign in a way that was perfectly native to each platform, meaning that it sat alongside already-ongoing conversations, and didn’t immediately stand-out – therefore becoming victim to the dreaded scroll.
@tamzintaber Stay safe and get yourself a test! #gettested #staysafe #Ad ♬ seriously just stop - somegirlnamedanna
For example, as lip-sync videos are so popular, we partnered with Lava Music, using Some Girl Named Anna’s song, ‘Seriously Just Stop’ as a soundtrack for influencers to use when dispelling myths around Covid tests.
We could see that some smaller TikTok users were just beginning to use part of this song to soundtrack discussions about putting a stop to unhealthy behaviours. We acted fast to get licensing for the track and worked with key influencers to shift the discussion to meet our requirements.
Creators lip-synced the lyrics whilst the text around them added key information – and the result was perfect for TikTok.
3. Use trusted influencer voices
The majority of influencers are not healthcare professionals – but that doesn’t mean they can’t be a useful voice during a public health campaign.
One survey found that influencers were viewed as more accessible than health professionals by many consumers – which makes sense, given that influencers tend to be more trusted by consumers when it comes to other advice, like product purchasing.
They are also perfect for spreading messaging on a large-scale: almost 75% of Gen Z and millennials follow influencers on social media – making them the clearest route to the largest cohort of young target audiences.
How we did it:
We ran several influencer-focused campaigns over the course of the pandemic. One, a ‘waiting time challenge’ included having influencers complete different activities in the 30 minutes they were waiting for their lateral flow tests to finish developing.
Another, the TikTok hashtag challenge ‘#TestReadyChic’, encouraged users to transition into a glow-up look to visit the Covid testing centre.
@charleyjenni Very nice experience 10/10 recommend @sanrio.elle #fyp #duet #TestReadyChic #JDAirMaxYourWay #covidtest #covidtestresults #covidtestresultsreveal ♬ Mariners Apartment Complex - Lana Del Rey
@_ehiz #AD Take part in the #TestReadyChic ♬ Everybody Dance - Chic
When vaccinations became available, we worked with trusted medical influencers to debunk vaccination myths, as well as comedy and lifestyle influencers who produced a range of relatable content around the topic.
In doing so, we created a ‘bubble’ of voices all pushing the same overarching messaging, which ultimately informed audiences in making the choice to get vaccinated.
4. Encourage UGC
UGC – that’s user-generated content – is a key component to creating lasting behaviour change.
Organic videos or posts from users who have been influenced by your ongoing campaign serve to show the impact and popularity of your messaging, contributing to a snowball effect as more users want to get involved.
And, of course, the more people get involved, the further the reach of the overall campaign – which means great things for overall health and health behaviors… and also for budgets, since, whether you’re a nonprofit or the department of health, there’s no getting around the fact that public health messaging can be expensive.
How we did it:
After our influencers had started sharing their challenges, their followers began to join in – creating content of their own.
We saw an impressive uptake, with over 300 pieces of organic UGC, racking in hundreds of thousands of views.
The key was to create a challenge which would be easy for users to try themselves. A TikTok sound which could easily be shared, a challenge which was adaptable, and – above all – fun.
This content helped to push the overall impressions of the campaign even higher – which had already outperformed against all benchmarks.
5. Leverage paid ads
Paid ads have a vital role to play in the success of any social marketing campaign – and ones for public health are no different.
Paid ads allow for more control over the segmentation and targeting of audiences, which means you can direct your health campaign towards the communities who need it the most.
Initiatives like these have in the past included mental health campaigns like that from JanSport, whose #LightenTheLoad campaign included curated films directed at Gen Z audiences, who were encouraged to speak openly about their mental health in short videos and weekly Instagram Live sessions with experts and influencers.
On a platform like TikTok, there are a variety of paid ads options that each operate in slightly different ways – and have slightly different results. Read our guide on everything you need to know about the TikTok ad formats.
How we did it:
The influencer content from our Covid-19 testing information campaign took place over two stages. By analysing the data from our first stage, we were able to retarget users and amplify the influencer content into paid ads, which gave us better data and the ability to direct the content to specific demographics during the launch of stage 2.
This was particularly effective: TikTok reported that the content had outperformed against all benchmarks, with the hashtag challenge delivering 300% over the forecasted results in the UK, and 1,000% globally.
From digital health to physical health
No-one can predict the future. But, with a solid plan of action for how to run an effective social media health campaign, you can be prepared to spread important messaging as and when required.
In many ways, pushing health information via social media is much like pushing any normal marketing campaign. The key is to identify and collaborate with trustworthy voices, amplify high-performing content, and get audiences involved in spreading the word.
The case study we’ve shared here should prove a good example of exactly what can be achieved by a social media health campaign: a better-protected, informed, and engaged community, both on and offline.
If you’d like to discuss how to spread your health message on social media, get in touch. We’re passionate about marketing to young people in ways they love and respond to – and sharing messages that are meaningful and genuinely helpful.
Social media can help you to reach a variety of users, and spread important health messaging. Read on for more insights on nailing a social media health campaign:
