Insights
Hyper segmentation: Reach HCPs with Twitter’s unique database
Like LinkedIn, Twitter is a powerful social media channel for reaching healthcare professionals. The fact that HCPs are well represented on both channels is perhaps the only similarity between Twitter and LinkedIn. Twitter is characterized as a short, concise and fast channel, while it is very common on LinkedIn to share extensive content. Twitter differs from other channels because of its real-time character. When something happens in the world, a lot of people check Twitter first, before other media. Twitter is therefore a perfect medium for companies to respond to current events or to bring out company news, for example.
Why Twitter advertising?
Twitter is a very interactive social media channel. In addition to reading and sending information, users on Twitter often engage in conversations with each other. For example, some HCPs share or comment on tweets from key opinion leaders or ask questions to colleagues. Tweets spread quickly to the target audience if you have a large audience. Unfortunately, it often takes a long time to build a large community and to have HCPs see you as an authority. Therefore, use advertising and immediately reach a large audience. Essentially, there are three ways in which you can expand your follower count or generate greater reach through Twitter advertising.
1: promoted accounts
Use the advertising format promoted accounts to generate new followers. These ads provide suggestions to Twitter users to follow new, interesting accounts. If you choose this form of advertising, your account (in combination with a short description) will appear in the timeline of your target group.
Image 1: Example promoted accounts. Source: Twitter.
Because this advertising format is specifically aimed at gaining new followers, Twitter uses a cost-per-follower (CPF) principle. In other words: you only pay when someone from your target group starts following your account.
2: promoted Tweets
Like promoted accounts, promoted Tweets are displayed in a user’s timeline. As the name suggests, these are advertisements similar to regular Tweets. It is an advertising format that is ideal for increasing the reach of your Tweets or stimulating interaction with your target group.
Figure 2: Example promoted trend (Twitter poll). Source: Twitter.
Promoted Tweets often also generate new followers, because the content is seen by many people from your target group. When creating a Promoted Tweet, you can choose from different objectives, for example:
Reach
Your Tweet will be shown to as many people as possible from your target audience.
Video views
Maximizes the number of video views.
Website clicks
Provides more traffic to your website.
Engagement
Provides more likes, retweets and replies on your Tweet.
App installations
Make more people install your app.
Twitter charges on a Cost-Per-Engagement (CPE) basis. Engagement can consist of likes, retweets, replies, clicks or a new follower on your account.
3: promoted trends
The last form of advertising is promoted trends. Contrary to the previously discussed advertising formats, promoted trends are not displayed in a user’s timeline, but on the Twitter homepage. This homepage shows a top 10 of topics that are currently widely discussed on the platform. Also called trending topics. With promoted trends it is possible to “buy” such a trendic topic. On a desktop you will find the trending topics on the right side of your screen. Users who click on a trendic topic will see many different tweets related to that topic. A sponsored tweet from an advertiser always appears at the top of the search results.
Figure 3: Example promoted trend
Reach your target audience with hyper segmentation
Healthcare professionals like to use Twitter to obtain information in their own field. To keep abreast of new developments, they often follow, for example, companies or Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) within their industry. At Medical Digitals we use a technique that allows us to map out which KOLs, companies or news media an HCP follows on Twitter. By applying this technique, we can determine with great certainty to which professional group a Twitter user belongs. We can explain this with an example:
- A user follows FDA Oncology, Society of Surgical Oncology and Oncology Advance; these are several news sites about oncology.
- In addition, this person follows two pharmaceutical companies active in the field of oncology.
- This person also follows Gordon Freeman and Paolo Ascierto; two leading oncologists.
Based on this data, we can conclude that this person is not only interested in oncology but is very likely to work within this profession. In this way, lists of relevant persons are created, which we manually enter within the “advertising interface” of Twitter. We can also use the information we obtain via Twitter to reach HCPs on other social media channels.
Experienced advertising specialists work at Medical Digitals who are happy to help you set up or optimize Twitter advertising campaigns. Don’t hesitate to contact us. Mail to info@medicaldigitals.com or call 020-3080208.
