Two recent reports by Hootsuite and Hubspot made bold predictions about how businesses will be using social media in 2022. While some predictions are questionable for Health IT B2B companies, the opinions and data supporting those predictions contain valuable information. It makes me optimistic.
A Difference of Opinion
Last week my colleague and friend John Lynn took a curmudgeon view of both these reports. You can read his opinion in this article: A Curmudgeon View of Larger Social Media and Marketing Trends
Although I can see John’s point that most of the predictions were more applicable for B2C companies, I have to disagree with his curmudgeon stance. I found the reports intriguing, hopeful, and full of valuable information that B2B marketers should take heed of.
Trend 1: TikTok will take over social media, leaving other platforms to adapt
I find the reaction people have to TikTok is similar to the reaction to Twitter when it first became popular. Back then, people were scoffing at why businesses would bother jumping onto a platform that was best known for pictures of what celebrities ate for lunch.
Over time, however, B2B did find ways to leverage Twitter and today it is part of many marketing plans. It took years for companies to realize that Twitter was not another ad platform or even a broadcast medium. Twitter ended up being a great way to demonstrate thought leadership and connect with like-minded individuals which indirectly can lead to revenue.
I believe the same will be true for TikTok. Today it’s laughable to think of marketing Health IT solutions via TikTok, but I don’t think that is what we will end up using it for. Instead, I look to the clue that was in the example in the Hubspot report: BiGDUG a B2B shelving supplier teamed up with a home improvement TikTok’er to feature their products in his posts. The millions of views he generated increased their brand recognition and over time had a meaningful impact on sales.
I can totally see this model working one day for a payer trying to get more people to use an app to keep their members healthy or to adopt healthier recipes at home. I can also see Health IT companies leveraging TikTok for training users. Who says training can’t be fun (and less than 2 min?)
I’m very excited by the innovation in video creation that TikTok has brought, and I think it will soon become part of B2B marketing strategies, just like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Trend 2: Social selling will simplify the customer journey
Again, John and I differ on our take with this trend. I actually believe social media has already changed the customer journey for B2B buyers. In the days before Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, etc, the only way to build trust with an audience was through traditional media, at conferences, or via in-person events.
I still remember early in my marketing career organizing a road-show for our subject-matter experts so they could meet with prospects and customers. 10 cities in 12 days. I don’t miss that strategy one bit.
Nowadays, you can move prospects along the Know You à Like You à Trust You continuum much faster through social media. You can write and post information to social media and if you do it with regularity, people will begin to trust you. That trust then becomes the foundation for a relationship which is a pre-requisite for turning prospects into customers.
In that way, social selling has already simplified a buyer’s journey and will continue to do so. I think Samantha Bartel, CEO and Managing Partner, Instinctif Partners MENA put it best in her quote in the Hubspot report:
“A key goal is to increase social trust around your brand. In a more crowded digital landscape, it is harder to capture insights and information that position data-informed creative as the ultimate currency to build that confidence. The decrease in offline experiences also creates an opportunity to complement data-driven content.”
John is right, however, don’t expect impulse buying in healthcare just because an influencer happens to use the product on an Instagram Reel.
Trend 3: Brands will lead in social media decentralization
While I agree that it is highly unlikely that private social media run by companies will usurp public social media platforms, I do think there will be more fragmentation of the social media landscape in the years ahead.
Not only will there be new social platforms that become trendy, brands will also leverage private or semi-private platforms to engage customers. I already see many companies using Slack, for example, to engage their user communities in private social media-like conversations. It isn’t a 100% replacement for something like LinkedIn, but for many companies and their customers, it is a “good-enough” alternative that they will continue to engage with.
I also see more companies building in a social component into their products – allowing users to directly engage and connect with each other, by-passing traditional social media. Think Peloton. In the years ahead, I would not be surprised to see users of specific types of medical devices, being able to connect and share information with each other through a common platform provided by the device maker (provided the privacy and security concerns are addressed).
Like John, I would not recommend companies try to create their own social media platform. Not everyone can be Figure1.
Trend 4: Communities will develop, and take control
Like trend #2, I think this is already happening in Health IT. It just isn’t as visible as it is in the B2C world.
There are some very active user communities that have been cultivated and nurtured by Health IT companies. EPIC users, for example, are a strong and vocal community that gather in large numbers, in normal times, to share strategies and put pressure on the EHR vendor for specific product improvements. Similarly the Kyruus and DirectTrust user communities are quite strong and both organizations use the feedback from those communities to guide their future direction.
Hootsuite put it succinctly in their report:
A lot of small and midsized businesses make the mistake of thinking that all they need to do when it comes to online community building is get people to follow them. Assuming that a passive following is equal to an engaged, thriving, and loyal community does the power of social media a disservice. And it can cloud your judgment of your product’s real value. Instead, seek out online communities that are active and engaged around interests relevant to your product category.
Trend 5: Social quietly matures out of the marketing department
I think John was mostly right in his assessment of this trend for Health IT. I think the marketing department will continue to be leading the way when it comes to social media for B2B Health IT companies.
Having said that, I do think more and more people outside of marketing will become active users of social media. Why? Because newly minted graduates already have social media presence and are already used to engaging with peers using that channel. As these graduates join companies they will bring social media into sales and client service departments.
Ironically, Hootsuite highlighted Ochsner Health in their report as an organization that has successfully used social media beyond the marketing department. They pointed to Ochsner’s brand ambassador program which engaged a volunteer group outside their organization. Hootsuite also highlighted Ochsner’s use of Talkwalker to build a list of approved responses to common, negative feedback so that people on the front lines can reply immediately rather than waiting for Marketing.
Trend 6: Social marketers rescue their brands from the customer service apocalypse
While it is true that today, not many Health IT companies interact with their customers via social media platforms, I believe this will change in the coming years. Companies should take heed of what is happening in the consumer world.
It wasn’t that long ago, that customers would regularly be ignored when making complaints on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. But then companies woke up to how badly those unanswered posts were hurting their brand.
As consumers continue to get near-immediate responses from restaurants, retailers, and airlines to complaints on social media, this expectation will undoubtedly make its way over to the B2B world. Just ask hospitals how their social media has had to adapt to this growing trend.
Summary
I would encourage every marketer to read both social media reports and look beyond the headlines to the data and examples underneath each one. I think you will find that there are warnings and opportunities that B2B Health IT companies should be aware of.
PS: I only think John was being a curmudgeon because he hadn’t had his weekly dose of ice cream yet.
Add Comment