Use of Social media to promote vaccines

(P.C. – Unsplash, @schluditsch)

With the Covid 19 pandemic hitting people across the globe and leaving them paralyzed even for basic day-to-day movement, a cure had to be found out and what better than vaccines for the same, which will have a universal reach as well as be economical for everyone and most importantly give an all-rounded protection against such a complex virus. Developing a vaccine in a short span of time for people across the globe is not only time-taking because of such a huge genetic diversity which but naturally involves lot of R&D which entails humongous cost due to work happening on war-footing. But, now various companies across the globe are coming up with Vaccines as a defense against the Virus and shall start distributing the same, very soon to countries across the globe, major companies like Pfizer, Serum Institute, Amgen, Altimmune, CytoDyn etc. are all involved in bringing these vaccines to the market.

For the vaccine to be successful, it has to be proven effective with proper clinical trials in place, once convinced of the results, it has to be marketed effectively, such that people are genuinely convinced of the results and this shall involve direct and targeted marketing, so we at Zivanta Analytics will enlist some ways to tell how you can use Social Media effectively to target your target customers.

But why did Social Media gain so much of importance?

The reason being, its ease of access and ease of use; with various social media platforms easily available on your smart-phones, there is too much of information at the disposal of the users, some might be wrong and some false; with many articles being shared again and again, many deceptive sources actively work to undermine the ability of pharmaceutical and scientific communities’ to actively work towards immunization.

So how do pharmaceutical companies counter this?

It’s easy; the same way fake information is being spread, thereby, using the same online portals to disseminate actual information and focus on re-imagining and re-invigorating their brand. By placing a calculated and a well-thought of strategy in place, the vaccine manufacturers can spread positive and factual information to the elders as well as the youngsters, and this can be great especially in unprecedented times like these, where there’s lack of clarity on how to counter this virus, which has proved deadly. Therefore, sensitizing people and making them aware of the ill-consequences of not being safe against virus can act as a propeller to go ahead with immunization and be safe.

Impact of Social Media-

1. Interacting with your audience – virtually- Post building trust and authenticity, it’s imperative that companies re-work on the damage that’s been done and work towards improving unfounded fears of the people where there is easy access i.e., digital forum. Millennials being the most active generation on social media, marketing strategies must be so framed, that they are unique and attractive in their approach to consumer interaction.
2. Being Genuine in your interaction – Consumer trust forms the basis of any medical company’s marketing strategy because any such sensitive issue needs to be dealt with caution and trust at all times. With consumers now focusing on authenticity, the duty now lies on the shoulders of the vaccine manufacturers to build on creating transparency by using open communication channels and reputation management strategies to help control the narratives regarding the company’s products and services. In such circumstances, working with known and trusted industry experts shall enhance your credibility and allay people’s fears. The most important aspect here is to work with a skilled digital marketing agency, who can convey the humanitarian aspect of your business to the consumers in a convincing manner and this is where Zivanta Analytics can help you in conveying your complex ideas in a simple and a stratified manner to the target audience and convince them of your values and ideas.
3. Expanding your reach – Sometimes it so happens, that despite your best efforts you are still unable to convey your message to the audience the way it should be and lot of your resources go waste. The best way to reach out to people is via your own platforms and that helps in maximizing your reach to the audience. There are various ways to convey your message to the audience, one such way is to engage celebrities and social media influencers to help spread awareness about your campaign. For long now, this strategy has been used by the anti-vaxxers group where they use celebrities to speak out against vaccines. The other way can be exploring partnerships with popular state officials, established hospitals, healthcare clinics, news agencies, and trustworthy community establishments that will aid in popularizing and personalize immunization campaigns Not only does this deepen the consumer-manufacturer trust whilst boosting reach, resulting in increased sales.

There can be various ways to make your campaigns interesting and effective, some are;

1. Making it funny– This can involve use of cartoons, caricatures, sarcasm or a comic strip to convey the message in a funny yet subtle manner, this is not only effective but also lessens the stress level associated with such a cause.
2. Making it Personal– Quoting personal incidents or bringing successful recovery stories to the fore; will not only convey the understated message but also motivate the target audience and remain optimistic.
3. Talking about the Coronavirus and not the vaccine – It’s always better to talk about the disease and not the vaccine, that way not only does it sound more convincing and appealing but also makes the consumer aware of the seriousness of the situation.
4. Launching a coordinated social media campaign- The one way to bring in mass consciousness is through social media, and this is effective because there is open access of information to people of all cultures, classes and nations, thus, spreading the information on a huge scale. A well-coordinated social media campaign will generate not only generate curiosity but also create awareness amongst the people.
5. Hitting the segmented audience – The main contribution towards the success of any campaign is when you hit the right audience, in this case it shall be the adults who are the main family heads, so that they will be able to convince the children as well as the elderly, this shall be a holistic combination to ensure that everyone is sensitized about the virus and its implications, also are open to vaccination to protect themselves in future.

 Hitting the right chords is the most important thing when it comes to ensuring success of such a sensitive marketing campaign, one that has to be well thought of and equally well-presented so that not only does it come across as sensitive but also a well-meaning campaign, focused on the betterment of the masses.