Social media has become a significant form of consumer interaction and marketing resource over the past decade—and recent NRC Health Market Insight data suggests that it’s here to stay. Healthcare organizations have been slower to integrate social media into marketing, but its use and affinity have still grown among consumers. Data shows that both trust in and interactions with social media have increased in the last six years.

NRC Health data, which surveys 300,000 consumers nationally, demonstrates that trust in social media as a source of health information has increased by 9%. Those who have interacted with a hospital or healthcare provider via social media have more than doubled. This data reinforces the idea that there are many opportunities to provide information and build trust in a brand through social media.

“This is encouraging news for healthcare marketers that social media has staying power, and its ability to build trust with consumers will likely continue to grow in the future,” says Helen Hrdy, Chief Growth Officer at NRC Health.

When consumers were polled on what types of activities they were engaging in through a healthcare organization’s social media, they most responded that they wanted to search for health information, ask for health advice, find or ask for doctor/hospital recommendations, and seek support from others.

Growing Trust in Social Media Throughout the Years

On a scale of 1 to 5, consumers were asked how they would rate their level of trust and confidence in health information they’d received through social media from hospitals and healthcare providers. Below is the year-to-date data:

“While adoption of new channels may be one more thing to manage, the trends show that investing in this type of marketing can help drive growth and loyalty,” Hrdy says.

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