Over the past decade, influencer marketing has become a popular tool for brands looking to reach audiences that increasingly rely on social and digital tools for information, connection and support. Though slightly behind, the healthcare industry has begun adopting the approach in recent years as people become more socially engaged as it relates to their health experiences, making it more difficult to reach people through traditional media & marketing channels.
As influencer marketing has become more widespread across industries, criticism has also abounded. Often one-dimensionalized by the lifestyle and celebrity influencers who have cemented the world’s understanding of the approach, influencer marketing is often derided as vapid, risky and leaning too much into a trend. It’s often seen as an attempt to gain influence over a desired – potentially vulnerable – audience while the influencers cash out.
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When it comes to healthcare, however, when done right, influencer marketing should be about making a difference. When patient leaders – people with health conditions who share their experiences and engage with others within their condition community – are involved, influencer marketing is about education, information and impact. Due to the layers of trust and respect patient leaders have garnered with the people who engage with them through social health – the dynamic, real-time action people take to find meaningful connections and share information that impact their health journey – these individuals are focused on making a positive difference within their communities.
Of course, that doesn’t stop influencer marketing misconceptions from pervading throughout the healthcare space. Below are five misconceptions, permeated by years of lifestyle and celebrity influencer marketing. For each misconception, there are multiple reasons why influencer marketing with patient leaders is not just markedly different, but a valuable, foundational approach – for all sides – to reach and engage with the right people.
Misconception 1: Influencer marketing with patient leaders is the same as lifestyle influencer marketing
The entire concept of influencer marketing is overtaken by the perception that has evolved from celebrity and lifestyle influencers. As a result, it can be a challenge for the healthcare industry to understand how vastly different influencer marketing with patient leaders can be.
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Julie Croner Julie Croner is vice president of community development at Health Union, where, among many responsibilities, she oversees the company’s Social Health Network of patient leaders living with nearly every chronic or complex health condition.
Celebrity and lifestyle influencers have large followings, but their followers and content are broader in nature. Patient leaders focus their content on the people whom it impacts the most: the patients (and caregivers) navigating the conditions they share. Specifically, these patient and caregiver leaders have shared their experiences and established themselves as individuals who are truly focused on making a difference.
Misconception 2: Influencer marketing is untrustworthy
Influencer marketing, especially when leveraging celebrity or lifestyle influencers, has occasionally been plagued with controversies, including lack of disclosures and the perception of being a cash grab. As a result, the approach often gets labeled as untrustworthy or sleazy – a dangerous perception within any industry, let alone healthcare.
However, due to the relationships and connections they’ve made through social health – posting about their perspectives and experiences on blogs or social media – patient leaders have established a significant level of trust with their followers. Through their shared experiences, people rely on them for information, validation and connection.
Misconception 3: Influencer marketing is not worth the investment
Influencer marketing campaigns with patient leaders are vastly different from traditional media advertising campaigns in many ways. Measuring their success requires a mindset that’s more focused on social content and engagement; spreadsheets don’t tell the whole story.
As a socially driven solution that connects with a patient leader’s following, influencer marketing naturally reaches the right people through the right channels and drives high engagement, including incremental reach through sharing. Because of the trust and relationships patient leaders garner within their condition communities, companies would be hard-pressed to find people who are more actively engaged. Patient leaders can also garner potential earned media opportunities.
Importantly, influencer marketing campaigns can help healthcare companies understand the value of establishing and maintaining authentic relationships with patient leaders, as well as how that can help generate a positive reputation. The experience can be even more valuable and beneficial – for both sides – if patient leaders are brought in as trusted partners in the process and encouraged to provide ideas. As the healthcare industry proactively seeks a more patient-centric approach, influencer marketing campaigns can build trust in patient communities by providing a “seat at the table.”
Misconception 4: Influencer programs are too risky for the healthcare industry
A common misconception is that influencer marketing partnerships with patient leaders are not regulated by the FDA like other content a healthcare company might put out, or that it’s the “wild west” of direct-to-consumer marketing. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Regardless of whether a partnership is specific to a brand or broadly about a condition, all programs go through the same rigorous review process. Importantly, they’re held to the same standards as any other promotional content created by the marketing team.
A related challenge is balancing the messaging and content requirements of healthcare companies with the patient leader’s authentic voice and tone, which is important for the campaign to be successful. The best way to overcome this concern is to partner closely with the patient leader, whether directly or through a trusted vendor, to understand how a company’s objectives and requirements interplay with the individual’s preferences.
Misconception 5: Healthcare industry regulations make influencer marketing impossible to execute
Tied to the idea of being too risky, there’s a misunderstanding that influencer marketing with patient leaders entails too many impossible-to-execute components. Fortunately, vendors attuned to leading these campaigns understand the healthcare industry’s regulatory review process and can work hand-in-hand with companies throughout the process.
If healthcare companies partner with vendors who have established relationships with patient leaders and understand their health journeys, audiences and preferred channels, the process becomes seamless. Furthermore, if vendors offer various opportunities to engage with patient leaders based on desired goals, it provides companies with more options.
For companies that are reticent or just looking to dip their toes into the influencer marketing waters, it’s important to know there are options that can help meet their business objectives in ways that are meaningful, fit their comfort levels and are beneficial to both their business and the people they serve.
For example, pharmaceutical companies looking to leverage influencer marketing can consider an unbranded campaign with a patient leader. They can also scale a campaign’s reach through a patient leader’s socially active, engaged followers. They can even partner with patient leaders on dynamic content opportunities that engage with people living with specific conditions.
With influencer marketing campaigns with patient leaders, everything must start with the desire to truly make a difference, for all parties involved. From there, cultivating a true partnership between healthcare companies and patient leaders – clearly communicating corporate expectations, making patients part of the process and truly leveraging the authentic patient voice – represents an important building block for a successful campaign and breaking free from the popular, unnuanced conception of influencer marketing.
Photo: studiostockart, Getty Images
Julie Croner is vice president of community development at Health Union, where, among many responsibilities, she oversees the company’s Social Health Network of patient leaders living with nearly every chronic or complex health condition.
