Healthcare Trends
Healthcare marketing developments PR trends and content forecasts in the healthcare market
There is more demand than ever for healthcare expertise. While a number of new and digital PR initiatives were set up during the pandemic era, the industry used the time to get the ball rolling with new trends: from the use of AI such as ChatGPT to data-driven PR as well as healthcare professionals (HCPs) acting as influencers and maintaining a social media presence. When it comes to agenda setting, content planning is increasingly being replaced by more flexible content surfing – and comprehensive content about whole fields of topics and indications is being concentrated into content hubs in order to point HCPs and health seekers towards the desired path to knowledge and create loyalty to the provider of the content hub.
Germany has been forced to undergo a long-overdue digitalisation drive in recent years. In a 2022 survey, 60 per cent of more than 1,000 respondents indicated that digital technologies had helped their company to overcome the pandemic.[1] Yet while the topic of coronavirus may seem largely put to bed at the moment, the transformation processes that started are still ongoing and nowhere near completed. Particularly when it comes to PR, classic tools such as press folders, round-table discussions, press conferences and editorial meetings are being reimagined and made digital or hybrid. This is straightforward and saves time and money. However, there is now a growing return to personal events and meetings, and they should still be seen as very high quality. The relationship with key opinion leaders (KOLs), HCP panels and health editorial teams is, in ideal situations, based on trusting, reciprocal connections in both worlds.
AI and chatbot technologies on the advance
It is now inconceivable for workplaces to go without collaboration tools. These days, AI, chatbots and data-driven monitors are already setting the coming trends, including in healthcare communication. Artificial intelligence is already frequently used in PR to make day-to-day work generally easier, for example, in the form of speech recognition software for transcribing interviews and programs enabling custom illustrations based on a module principle.AI can also support the collection of ideas, deliver impetus for the generation of content and help with research. There is currently major media attention being directed to chatbots such as ChatGPT which can hold conversation and, in special cases, write entire texts by using AI. However, even though these technologies have made a rapid leap in development, there is still a genuine need for medical and pharmaceutical expertise when creating content for healthcare communications. This is because there are still very much limits to AI when it comes to preparing content about complex effect mechanisms, pathological contexts and complicated terminology for specific target audiences, backing it up with valid sources and incorporating the latest scientific findings.
Inspired by data: evidence-based content creation
When people talk about evidence-based content creation in healthcare these days, however, that does not necessarily always mean good scientific studies. Rather, the increasingly extensive and detailed volumes of data are signalling the era of evidence-based content creation in PR, too. Insights from KOL panels, influencer networks and data pools can connect marketers with an incredibly wide variety of groups in the health sector – for an exact understanding of the problems and solutions made for peers. For this reason, PR these days should not only beam with content and creativity, but also be underlaid with hard facts on why the recommended strategy is the best.
Agenda surfing, social listening and HCP influencers
Many of the recommended PR strategies and content plans for a long time included agenda setting. However, with the flood of information that is steadily rising and waves of topics flaring up and out more and more quickly, agenda setting is increasingly being replaced by agenda surfing, that is, surfing the topic wave that is rolling in at the given time. This requires close observation of current topics, especially through social listening. If there are relevant, potential links to your own topics or messages, in-depth background information such as KOL statements or study results can help deepen reporting in the desired direction. Social media is playing a more and more important role in healthcare PR. It can pay dividends for a company to engage HCPs as influencers for itself. This needs to be well considered strategically and planned carefully, though. The content ideas should suit the respective expertise and the content as well as the scope of the collaboration should be defined jointly with the agency.