Predicting social media’s future for hospital marketing
CEOs ask where do we go from here?
Over the last five years, organizations in virtually every industry have jumped into social networking, attempting to engage customers on platforms ranging from YouTube to Twitter and Facebook. But as they outline future budgets and resource commitments, hospital leaders and physician practice marketers are wondering, “Where will social media go from here?”
Here are our predictions about the future of social media marketing:
Social media marketing 2012
The big news in 2012 will be that social media marketing will finally receive the financial support it deserves. Hospital leadership will approach social media with more realistic expectations and realize that their brands can’t be social without delivering valuable, relevant content. Marketers will budget to create tools and resources that consumers and physicians will use and share, and video content that people will actually watch. Their plans will integrate social campaigns into overarching communication strategies, with attainable goals and systems in place to track their return on investment.
Social media marketing 2014
As social media becomes more ubiquitous, marketing delivered through social channels will become more interruptive and annoying to the user. In response, consumers will find ways to filter out marketing-heavy messages and ignore brands that aren’t sensitive to their desire for a social experience. Loud, noisy brands will be shunned, while those that leverage the social power of communities, movements and well-defined brands will successfully engage their audiences.
Social media marketing 2021
In ten years, social media will become passive and automatic. As we move through our day, we’ll be notified of people, places and experiences around us. Most healthcare marketers will still be mystified about how to use this social platform as a selling medium, but some will find success creating entertainment- and content-driven messages. Unfortunately, like today’s traditional advertising, the vast majority of social marketing will be interruptive and ineffective.
Where will social media take your organization? Do you have a plan to embrace and leverage this new communications channel? Leave a comment and let us know what social media strategies and best practices are working for you.