Mass media public service announcement (PSA) campaigns on print, billboard, and linear TV have been the status quo for years. But we can do better. Digital media is transforming what’s possible for public health marketing, allowing brands to raise awareness in a much more efficient, measurable way.
Here are five actionable digital tactics you can use to engage audiences and elicit the behavioral changes needed to support important public health initiatives.
#1 – Tell a Story Through Video
To change the hearts and minds of consumers, you need to communicate a compelling benefit which people can expect in return. Video is the ideal medium to tell a story that provides context, conveys passion, and sparks empathy. Sharing stories and testimonials via video will almost always create a stronger emotional response than any other format.
Producing a high-quality video does require some upfront costs. However, you can ensure you are making the most out of that initial investment by repurposing clips across multiple channels, from connected TV (CTV) to social to cable. When you have a need for more targeted outreach, digital offers opportunities to reach niche communities through data and context.
#2 – Inspire Action on Social Media
Social communities are critical to influencing behavioral change and, therefore, public health outcomes. We form opinions using the context of our individual environments—family, social circles, cultural identity, media consumption, and so on. To understand your audience, practice social listening and put yourself into your consumers’ shoes. Explore Facebook groups, TikTok hashtags, subreddits, and Twitter threads, to name a few, to find inspiration and gain a deeper audience understanding. This will help you understand how they speak and interact, as well as what topics and values are most important to them.
On the logistical side, social media marketing is also a cost-efficient and measurable tactic to inform audiences about public health issues. Lean into innovative ad formats and dynamic creative optimization to drive incremental conversions such as button clicks, website visits, downloads, and even donations. For more tips, check out the CDC’s social media best practices guide for public health marketers.
#3 – Establish Authentic Credibility with Influencers
Social influencers can amplify public health campaigns using the trusting relationships they have with their audiences. For instance, Moderna partnered with country music idol Dolly Parton to promote COVID-19 vaccines. In another case, The Texas Department of State Health Services tapped Texas-native professional athletes for their #HealthyTexas campaign.
But it doesn’t always have to be Grammy-winning artists and professional athletes. In 2018, The Public Good Projects’ “Stop Flu” campaign was one of the first public health initiatives to use micro influencers. This strategy was highly successful in promoting the flu vaccine among African-American and Hispanic populations who were at a statistically higher risk of contracting particular strains of influenza.
So, even if you don’t have a celebrity influencer budget, an influencer with a loyal, like-minded following can have a major impact on your public health message. Consider the importance of using relatable figures, especially for culturally sensitive interventions. Always ensure the person delivering your message resonates with your audience. Whether you partner with local activists, micro-influencers, or celebrities, find authentic voices to spread your message and gain credibility within vulnerable communities.
#4 – Extend Reach by Amplifying Proprietary Content
Content amplification is a great method to share more in-depth public health information. It can distribute your educational resources to a broader audience than you can achieve organically. This could mean partnering with healthcare publication sites such as WebMD, or adjacently relevant sites, such as Women’s Health, to create and/or amplify sponsored content.
These reputable publishers can help transform your most valuable content into engaging assets that appear native on their site. For example, a publisher could create an infographic or video using information from a proprietary public health research survey or white paper. It can also highlight success stories on how your institution has improved lives in relevant communities. This helps more clearly and simply communicate your most important public health information to the publication’s readership.
#5 – Mirror Traditional Tactics with Digital Media
Finally, it’s important to realize the population’s attention is divided between digital and traditional media consumption. This means you need both forms in your strategy. Traditional mediums are still effective, especially in terms of establishing high-level awareness. However, digital paid media will provide your public health campaigns with more addressable and measurable inventory that audiences can interact with.
To begin incorporating digital media tactics, simply mirror what you already do on traditional. This allows you to repurpose what you’re already using and minimizes the learning curve. Here are some examples:
- If you’re currently running on linear TV, look into CTV and digital video as mentioned above.
- If you’re running ads on the Discovery Channel, do a direct CTV buy with Max.
- If you’ve had success with FM or Sirius XM radio, try out programmatic audio placements.
This mirroring strategy will help you test the effectiveness of digital tactics versus their traditional equivalents so you can allocate your marketing budget more efficiently. It will also extend your audience reach and most likely do so in a more engaging way.
Regardless of how important the message may be, your public health marketing campaign will require a buildup of frequency over time to gain awareness and initiate action. These five digital media tactics can help propel that process. You don’t need to overwhelm yourself by trying to implement all five at once. The key thing to remember is: you need a multichannel, digitally driven public health marketing strategy to break through in today’s environment.
