Role Of Social Media In Health CSR

Role Of Social Media In Health CSR

In today’s age, the customers have a plethora of choices. There are multiple players in the market and a consumer makes his/ her choice based on the persona, reputation and messaging conveyed by the brand or service. Corporate Social responsibility or CSR   is the new mantra for establishing a sustainable customer-connect.

CSR activities can convey your corporate values and vision to the masses who are your potential customers. A corporate that invests time, efforts and manpower to make a difference in the community gets brownie points and gains acceptance by customers, associates and also internal workforce. CSR helps to your corporate identity. It helps your brand to connect with your customer by appealing to their emotions and their belief systems.

The most fulfilling type of CSR is Health CSR as it directly touches the lives of thousands of people. This is especially true in a country like India with its limited medical resources and unlimited population.

There are various types of Health CSR activities that a corporate can invest in

• Health camps

Camps where detection of health conditions is done through free check-ups, bloodwork, physical workups, mental health evaluation etc.  This can help the underprivileged masses gain access to timely diagnosis and treatment.

• Funding research

Funding research to discover novel techniques to detect, manage, treat, and cure illnesses is a popular CSR activity that can pay rich dividends to the company in terms of corporate equity as well as help humanity.

• Scholarships

Endowing grants and offering scholarships to bright young people for their medical or paramedical education is also a very good CSR initiative.

• Awareness Drives

Using your marketing campaign to spread a health-related message is a medical CSR activity that can help you to connect your brand with a sensitive topic that matters to your potential customer namely his/her wellness.

• Health-boosting events

Corporates can officially sponsor healthy living activities like marathons, runs, matches and meditation camps etc. to raise awareness about health issues. People participate in these events; especially if they are for a good cause.

Thus, a wide assortment of ideas is available for Health-related CSR.

To strike a chord in your customers’ hearts, you have to effectively communicate about your company’s Health-related CSR activities through social media strategies.

In today’s times, when stories sell more than products…taking resort to the social media platform is essential for you to gain a foothold on the ascent to success.

Social Media can accentuate your Health CSR efforts and make your initiative visible and noticeable.

Some key points to remember while harnessing the power of social media in Health CSR

1. Get your customers involved

Do not only inform your customers about the health CSR initiative that your company has undertaken. Get them involved in spreading the message by asking them to like and share and tag your posts. This will build a sense of commitment and involvement in your potential end-users. This will raise awareness about your CSR activity, drive participation and shape the course of public opinion about your company or brand.

e.g., If a company has a Healthcare CSR campaign involving heart health awareness, a short video about heart care can be made and posted just before Valentine’s Day and the social media users can be asked to share it and make it viral.

2. Curate good content

Rather than information, positive visuals make impact on people’s minds. Content that is inspiring, touching or uplifting will be remembered by end-users, and this can culminate in improved company perception.

Weave stories of the human element in your CSR activity and how it has bettered lives. Support this content through touching visuals and inspiring videos. If conveyed well, this can magnify the altruistic and humane persona of your brand and help you forge a legacy of trust.

E.g., A company that is involved in eradicating malnourishment of children can share inspiring stories of children achieving academic and athletic milestones. Social media platforms can ask users to share the messaging with their domestic help, drivers and other socially underprivileged helpers so that their children can get access to better nutrition. This call to action can highlight your company and brand vision and help you garner an amazing corporate identity and following.

3. Be consistent but not repetitive

Educate your potential customers about your Health CSR initiative through social media using posts, stories, podcasts and videos. But ensure that the content does not get monotonous and repetitive. Instead, use interactive content like quizzes, contests to guarantee that the users stay involved for a longer time. Your Health CSR promotion should not only be informative, but it should also be engaging and interesting.

e.g.

If your Health CSR activity involves spreading awareness about iron deficiency anaemia among women in India, your social media platform can invite people to tag strong women “Iron women” in their network.

4. Stay within legal boundaries

One of the biggest challenges to harnessing social media in healthcare is staying within stipulated boundaries. Healthcare social media accounts are subjected to intense scrutiny because Healthcare involves ethical marketing only through prescriptions of registered physicians and doctors. While posting stories about your Health CCSR activities, you should make sure that brand names of drugs or medicines are not highlighted as this can land you in legal trouble.

5. Respond to comments and queries

If your Healthcare CSR posts have garnered comments, be sure to respond to them speedily. Social media users appreciate responses to their comments and are likely to engage more with your brand.

To summarize, the use of social media offers incredible opportunities for your organization to create awareness about your Health CSR initiatives and create a lasting bond with your existing customers and attract new clientele by presenting your company’s humane and socially responsible face. If you need any help in devising your organization’s social media strategy, do not hesitate to contact Oshmedic Health Consultancy.