Medical Marketing Case Study: Facebook

17 Dec Medical Marketing Case Study: Facebook

Whether you’re taking your medical marketing plans to Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, one of the foundations of a successful social media presence is this: personality. What this means for medical practices is that your posts, updates, tweets, and comments on the Internet should reflect what you want patients to feel when they walk through your doors, interact with your staff, and benefit from your services. We’re going to use St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as an example of best practices on Facebook — and we’ll discuss how you can apply these techniques to your own social media plan.

What does St. Jude’s Facebook do well?

As of the posting of this article, St. Jude’s current Facebook profile displays a few eye-catching medical marketing elements that immediately present their brand. First, their profile picture displays a beautiful portrait of a St. Jude patient, Samantha, who is identified as 13 years old and suffering from Ewing sarcoma. Her photo is black and white, and a call to action for donations balances the photo; chartreuse green text reads “Give,” and this color is echoed in the hospital’s profile picture.

Aside from presenting the strong image of a patient, St. Jude has effectively informed us of a few key things: it has humanized its patients, clearly indicated what services the hospital offers, and presents visitors with a call to action that leads visitors to a donation link when the cover photo is clicked. On an aesthetic level, St. Jude demonstrates that you do not need flashy images or cluttered text in your medical marketing plan; rather, minimalist presentations that simply and effectively convey your practice’s scope can be far more effective.

The hospital’s website is clearly displayed in the “About” section under a brief welcome message. The timeline is what really distinguishes St. Jude’s Facebook from other hospitals; a photo of children, volunteers, staff, and/or other related images accompanies every post. For example, the hospital posted a photo of a patient named Mary, who fashioned her hair into a mohawk as it grows back after finishing treatment in May. The caption suits the good cheer of Mary’s smiling photo: “For Mary Browder, today is Mohawk Monday!”

Additionally, St. Jude follows solid medical marketing etiquette by posting at least once every weekday; there are rarely more than 3 posts made in the same day, and the captions accompanying each high-quality photo are concise paragraphs with calls to action when appropriate.

What can we learn from this?

With all of these elements in mind, what can we learn from St. Jude’s medical marketing plan? Well, the hospital has clearly displayed the power of pairing services with the images of patients; now, when we think of St. Jude, we can remember Samantha’s face or Mary’s awesome mohawk. The brand is also captured through a simple image that emphasizes its commitment to children — the silhouette of a child is iconic and easily recognizable, which are elements that consistently contribute to strong brand images.

Not only that, but St. Jude’s posting schedule is enough to provide new visitors with a wealth of information — without overloading current subscribers. Generally, you should avoid posting more than a few times on Facebook per day; a platform like Twitter is better suited for frequent updates. By pairing each update with a photo, we receive a representative for the message St. Jude is trying to convey — and, notably, these photos are all clear and high quality. Additionally, St. Jude’s medical marketing plan continues throughout their profile; the “Photos” tab is packed with beautiful images of events, patients, donors, and community happenings that have impacted their patients. We receive a clear idea of St. Jude’s personality from their Facebook — and that’s what makes it successful.

For more information about medical marketing on Facebook, contact the staff at Healthcare Marketing Group today!