How To: Master Native Wellness and Healthcare Advertising in the COVID Era

From dental to vision to supplements, healthcare and wellness companies have a long history of using native advertisements to raise awareness and drive sales. Everyone has health concerns that they’re looking to address, and people tend to naturally gravitate toward content that promises an easy, affordable solution. While this is just as true today as it was years ago, there is one key difference in 2021: the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 has had a profound impact on our lives. Not only are more people stuck at home browsing the web, but they’re also more health-conscious than ever before. With telehealth on the rise and in-person visits to the doctor’s office waning in popularity, many consumers find themselves living with health conditions that they otherwise would have treated. To add to the mix, COVID-19 is causing more people to experience social isolation and mental distress than any other time in recent history.

For native advertisers, increased amounts of time spent online provides more opportunity to reach potential customers. Further, 70% of people surveyed by the Content Marketing Institute noted that they prefer to learn about a new product or service by reading content instead of by viewing traditional advertisements – signaling that native ads are the perfect vehicle to reach these customers.

Because healthcare products are a unique vertical, there are some important things to keep in mind before you start running ads. Here are some key considerations to think about when putting together your next campaign:

• The FOMO effect. Given current affairs with many people isolated at home due to COVID-19, online advertising is quickly becoming the new normal for healthcare products and services. Companies that don’t utilize online promotion channels risk missing out on a huge consumer base. These consumers will seek out other services that they find while browsing the web – so don’t sleep on the opportunity!

• Empathy is everything. Selling products/services online does pose an extra challenge when trying to create an emotional connection with your customers. This is particularly important with health-related products, since our health is closely intertwined with our emotions. When drafting your sales copy, keep empathy and emotional connection top of mind; this is essential to building trust in your brand.

• Use testimonials. It’s a proven fact that consumers respond better to testimonials, and the healthcare and wellness industry is no exception. As much as possible, try to include testimonials from your current and previous customers in your sales copy. This will help build trust and assuage any concerns that your new potential customers may have.

• Keep it compliant. Healthcare is a highly sensitive subject. Not only are there safety concerns, but truth in advertising is also extremely important. This is why many publishers enforce a specific set of policy rules for ads in the healthcare vertical. Before running your ads, it’s important to understand the rules and adhere to them – not only to ensure compliance with the publisher, but also to maintain transparent communication with your customers and foster trust.

We hope that you found these guidelines helpful as you plan out your next campaign. For more advice on native ad strategy, remember to check back in on the MediaGo blog.