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Tag: Trust

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Generational Trust in Healthcare Agencies

As healthcare marketers, it is our job to promote healthy choices and lifestyles that are backed by sound evidence and policy. Traditionally, the CDC and other federal agencies have been the source of health information for communities. While this is still true for many, more people are starting to distrust these agencies and are opting for alternative answers.

In the past, people had less access to information and relied on public organizations which had significant reach to guide them. It was generally assumed that agencies like the CDC and the FDA were reliable sources of health information.

With the increased reach of the internet, people have access to a much wider range of opinions and perspectives. While this democratization of information is positive in some cases, it has also undercut trust in those traditional sources of health information. “Wellness” companies and health influences have largely stepped into this gap to become more regular sources of advice for the millions who no longer trust government organizations.

The goal then for community organization must be to re-establish trust and loyalty in their brands. We cannot do this without engaging directly in the communities we seek to serve and addressing their local needs through real and immediate action. Only through this kind of readily observable change will people begin to feel more loyalty to organizations. It’s not a change that can happen overnight, but it is necessary if we want to ensure that there is reliable guidance for future public policy.

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Authentic Engagement in Public Health Marketing

Authenticity in public health marketing is an important aspect in becoming a trusted source of information and retaining that status. Too often agencies and organizations will tell the public what they should be doing instead of showing up and engaging with audiences. Authentically engaging with audiences is critical in creating and maintaining audience buy-in.

Authentic Engagement

Organizations can save time and build trust by answering questions and concerns that people have at the onset of a program. This kind of upfront care reassures people and helps to answer questions before concerns spiral out of control. It also helps organizations understand and speak to individual experiences. Early engagement can help you find out what motivates your audience and avoid clichés to connect on a personal level.

Inauthentic Program Outcomes

Inauthentic engagement and programing can have negative consequences for your brand. The DARE program is a stunning example of ineffective and inauthentic programming. The DARE program ambassadors, consisting of uniformed police officers, lacked an authentic connection with their audience of elementary and middle school children. DARE programming also focused on the external punitive consequences of substance use. A more effective approach would be to focus on the personal and emotional consequences that children could relate to.

Authentic Program Outcomes

Authentic engagement and programing will positively impact your brand and motivate audiences. Keepin’ it REAL is a substance prevention curriculum that connects with its audience on a personal level. Keepin’ it REAL contextualizes information and provides it in multiple formats (Rural, Spanish, Multicultural) to address the unique experiences of their audiences. The program also includes real stories of adolescents and encourages collaboration to engage youth.

Authenticity in marketing is an important factor in growing and maintaining audience buy-in. Ensuring that all programming is relevant to the audience builds more real connections. Creating an authentic brand can improve the public’s perception of and trust in your organization.

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Data Collection and Modern Marketing

For marketing professionals, metadata is one of the best things that happened in the past decade. For example, data such as click-through rates allow us to run A/B tests to inform design and content. Having clear data helps us make informed decisions to optimize performance and achieve metrics. Using small pieces of data like cookies can also improve performance by personalizing ads to fit individual users.

But as this sector of marketing has grown more prevalent, people are becoming concerned about how their personal data being collected and used. Frankly this concern is justified. There have been numerous companies over the years that have broken the trust of their consumers. Part of our new job as marketers is now to regain that trust. We can help rebuild trust by being more transparent with the consumers and only asking for information necessary for any given transaction. Part of this transparency is also admitting fault when mistakes have been made and quickly developing more effective practices.