For most millennials and older generations, it’s still easy to remember how the world looked before social media, but to imagine today’s life without it can be a hard thing to do. This clearly shows how crucial social media has become in our everyday routines.
Being that important, it’s no surprise it plays a big role in healthcare. The fact that people frequently check for doctors and interact with them through social media has made many healthcare providers recognize its marketing potential and benefits. But, to stay in this game, it’s necessary to go along with healthcare social media trends.
As beneficial as following healthcare social media trends can be, don’t neglect to ensure compliance with data privacy laws and remain up-to-date with regulatory changes. Aligning your social media strategies with these regulations protects your patients’ sensitive information. This important adjustment allows you to maintain an active online presence while fully complying with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), reducing the risk of compromising patient data.
Healthcare Social Media Trends To Keep You In The Game
Every healthcare provider should grasp the latest trends to meet patient needs and keep pace with the digital age. Adopting these trends sends a message of confidence and reliability. Patients want to see that their doctors are approachable, relatable, and up-to-date with modern standards.
Many social media trends may come and go, but some are here to stay. Whether they are at the beginning of their power growth or already proven, following them will bring you closer to your patients.
Here are five healthcare social media trends that you can always count on.
#1 Social Media SEO – Another Way To Stay on The Radar
The importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has long been recognized, but last year’s survey shows that over 40% of internet users aged between 16 and 64 years rely on social media for their searches. While this doesn’t surpass Google’s search power, it does signal a shift in the behavior of internet users and shows that social media platforms are no longer just spaces to connect and share content—consumers now turn to them more frequently for health information and decisions. For healthcare organizations, this shift underlines the necessity of integrating social media strategies within their broader SEO efforts to remain visible and accessible.
If you want to follow healthcare social media trends, optimizing content for patients’ search habits is a necessary step. The solution is to use keywords—words or phrases your patients type to find the information they want. Analyze and identify your patient’s preferred terms and incorporate them in your social media content pieces. However, using the same keyword over and over again can sound unnatural. Also, any forced keyword push, known as keyword stuffing, will be recognized by the algorithm and your post will be flagged.
And don’t forget about good old hashtags. Their power still endures and it helps your content to be quickly found. If you’re a psychology specialist, a simple hashtag like #MentalHealthTips when sharing advice for mental well-being will attract those patients actively seeking this kind of information, thereby increasing awareness of your service.
#2 Short Videos Are More Popular Than Ever
In 2024, short videos remain one of the main tools to connect on social media and there’s no sign their popularity will decrease. From year to year, short videos help spread the message and implement marketing strategies. About 90% of people say video influences their purchasing decisions, so it’s essential for healthcare providers to include video in their strategies for better patient engagement.
The more direct approach and the ability to convey information quickly are some of the reasons for including short videos in healthcare social media trends. They allow you to appear
natural, directly improving your public image. Speaking in your own voice and showing authority without hiding behind generic content makes patients more confident in your services.
TikTok is an excellent example of how short videos impact the world. With over 1.7 billion users worldwide, it’s one of the fastest-growing platforms. While it’s mainly popular among young people, healthcare providers can still find their place there by sharing educational content that influences healthier habits and prevents various health problems and diseases.
#3 AI Shapes The Future Of Social Media
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the healthcare social media trends that will certainly go far in the future. It brings many convenient tools that can revolutionize social media engagement for medical care professionals and will shape the future of healthcare marketing.
From the ability of fast content creation, data tracking possibilities, and cost savings, to chatbots that do a pre-diagnostic check of your patients, AI comes as a powerful sidekick for your social media presence. It’s already becoming an integral part of the biggest social media platforms. For example, Facebook has introduced generative AI-powered features that allow fast design of content based on your inputs.
However, no matter how useful it is, AI has some downsides. Its functionalities still miss the creative and communication characteristics typical to humans. As one of the fast-growing healthcare social media trends, AI needs to be under your watchful eye, to ensure the quality of the results. In the area of healthcare, mistakes may cost a lot and responsibility isn’t on AI but on you. Actively managing AI results ensures that the information you provide is accurate, reliable, and ethical. With that, you keep your patient’s confidence, upholding the core healthcare values like trustworthiness and integrity.
#4 Personalization Builds And Keeps Trust
Has poor digital content ever caused you to refuse to place an order? If so, you understand the importance of trusting the service provider as the first step in your consumer journey. Additionally, the most effective social media content is the one that provides precisely what you need. That’s why personalization, as one of the healthcare social media trends, is becoming increasingly important.
You only get one chance to make a first impression captures the importance of personalization on social media. Users aren’t satisfied with just the plain response anymore, and 70% of them want personalized experiences to meet their needs. In a sea of generic content and sales-driven messages, a personal touch can make them choose your care over others. To achieve that, make your content and interactions based on your patient’s preferences, interests, and behaviors.
However, you can’t personalize your content for each individual. But, with social media ads, where personalization shows its purpose more than anywhere, you can deliver content that targets a narrow group of patients who deal with the same health issues and seek the same treatments. Social media platforms now offer advanced targeting and customization options, meaning you can display the most relevant ads to the right people at the right times.
#5 A Constant Need For Authenticity On Social Media
In the present-day digital arena, where offers and demands are growing bigger and bigger, authenticity is one of the healthcare social media trends that can make that key difference needed to stand out.
Today’s social media users are bored with generic and strictly commercial content—they want more. Authenticity makes stronger bonds with audiences, building a community of trust. The same goes for healthcare—for many of many of your patients, all white coats look the same. That’s why you need to prioritize authenticity as one of the main elements of your digital presence.
The big question is how to be authentic in the vastness of other content and offers. The answer lies in pinpointing what makes your practice stand out and defining your desire to help others. Every healthcare provider has this potential, but only a few know how to make use of it. Craft your voice by making original content that addresses important topics.
For example, there are a dozen dentists in the town, but the one who shares interesting insights, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and educational pieces in a distinctive visual style will surely draw more attention. Every patient thinks their problems are unique. Tailor your approach to
recognize and address their experiences and make sure that your care is as distinctive as they feel their problems are.
Follow The Healthcare Social Media Trends For Better Performance Of Your Practice
Each of the healthcare social media trends gives different opportunities and drives you toward better visibility and engagement with the patients. But the right choice is to combine them into a single funnel by creating cohesive content that resonates through various channels while maintaining a consistent style and message across platforms. This allows you to benefit from every one of them at the same time. It may sound difficult, but in the era where the majority of patients seek care on social media, you can’t afford to miss this chance.
To benefit from each of these trends equally, use SocialClimb’s comprehensive marketing platform. It offers automated solutions to distribute content, implement targeted marketing and campaigns, and analyze data for better performance. Also, it allows you to manage patient reviews efficiently, generate marketing performance reports, and manage urgent issues without delay. This way, you stay in line with proven and latest social media trends, ensuring that your online presence stays in line with HIPAA regulations.
