Health Plans and Influencer Marketing: Things to Consider

In today’s digital-first marketing landscape, influencers are leveraged as trusted messengers offering powerful and authentic bridges between brands and the communities they aim to serve. This raises an intriguing question: can healthcare brands harness this untapped potential? By using the ability to humanize complex medical topics through storytelling, myth-busting, and personal experience, influencers can build trust and engagement in ways traditional advertising often cannot.

Before launching your next campaign, it’s essential to understand the layers of strategy, compliance, and credibility that come with partnering with influencers in the health space. Read on for some key considerations when working with influencers.

Compliance Review

Content needs to be reviewed by a compliance team.
Talking points must be approved before being shared with an influencer.
Content shouldn’t be overly scripted to avoid losing authenticity.

FTC Compliance

Influencers need to disclose that their content is sponsored.
Influencers may lose credibility once viewers see they are being paid for their content.
Health companies need to think through the best way to present the content.

Credibility

Health companies need to vet these influencers before reaching out.
- Do they have medical credentials?
- Where did they get their medical degree, etc.?

Reach and Trust

Influencers impact millions of followers—an ideal way to amplify health campaigns and reminders.
- Educate & connect: Their mix of storytelling, myth-busting, and professional authority builds patient trust and engagement.
- Multi-platform impact: From YouTube to TikTok, their presence across channels aligns with your multi-touch strategies.
Choose an influencer to align with your campaign goals.
- A healthcare provider brings credibility and expertise, while a patient can create a relatable connection with your audience.

Payment and Negotiations

Keep in mind the financial incentive for an influencer to participate in a panel, video, etc.
- Rates vary based on their follower counts, popularity, and the number of posts they can produce.
- Influencers will want to be paid for posting and repurposing their content in a paid ad campaign (if applicable) as well as for any additional usage rights.

Influencer Utility

Determine how you will you utilize an influencer’s talents.
- Invite them to star in member educational videos, guest appear in webinars, participate in Q&A panels, or serve as content collaborators to drive awareness and credibility.
- Use them for product placement/sponsored storytelling—partner on campaigns around flu shots, screenings, or wellness programs.

$5.20 – $6.50 for every $1 spent is the average influencer ROI, across industries, with top performers reaching up to $18 for $1.

Up to 11x returns in comparison to traditional digital ads.

61–62% of consumers trust influencer product recommendations more than traditional advertising.
Around 35% of consumers are persuaded to try new products after seeing them via influencers.