‘Cyber-chondria’ has become an endemic part of our daily lives since the term – which describes people who search online to understand symptoms and improve their health – was coined in 2017.
By 2020, during the first wave of Covid, a study claimed almost two in three of us were turning to ‘Dr Google’ to self-diagnose. Today, the search giant is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to seeking answers about ailments and cures. Social media is booming – and so is social search.
Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, used by billions worldwide, are locked in a fierce fight with Google and other tech giants to secure user attention and advertiser budgets. One way that social media players hope to increase their share is by morphing from content providers into searchable resources that promise education as well as entertainment.
All of which means that pharma and other healthcare brands need a comprehensive search strategy so they remain more visible to consumers than their rivals, or their online marketing plans could soon become a world of pain.
How consumer search has evolved
The search landscape is fragmented. First, Amazon became an alternative place to check out products. More recent, though, is the emerging power of social media platforms as a force in search marketing.
TikTok and Instagram – two protagonists in the quest to outdo Google in search – have smartly reshaped to not just flash content at passive consumer audiences. Users are now actively searching for tips, trends, and more, relying on the platforms just as much to inform as amuse them.
This phenomenon is driven by the profile of their users. Younger demographics have been raised on a diet of social media. As a result, they have discerningly learned what content they can trust and discard. They also know they can probably find what they’re looking for and digest it more quickly with TikTok and Instagram content than they can by trawling through pages of Google search results.
TikTok and Instagram aren’t subject to the same algorithm-enforced rules as Google. For instance, where Google’s guardrails will cut a result’s ranking – or even block it, should the content not meet its rules – its rivals are generally interested only in engagement. They surface highly relevant content at the top of search returns, leaving the user to digest and decide whether it’s of use to them and can be trusted.
With this in mind, brands need a search strategy that will succeed no matter where their target audience is searching for suggestions and solutions.
Devising your omnichannel search plan
In other words, they require an omnichannel approach to search that recognises and satisfies users’ needs at the first time of asking.
First, understand what people are searching for. We recently completed an omnichannel search study around health. Intriguingly, we discovered female users were five times more likely to ask a health-related question on Instagram than Google. There appears to be a growing propensity for people to enter longer questions and search terms on the social media platform, in the belief they’re more likely to find the content they need quickly.
Second, identify and develop cross-channel search personas. It’s critical to understand the audience through the lens of what people are searching for, in which channels, and in what order. For example, an adolescent might use TikTok to get advice about puberty; then switch to Google to check out a recommended brand; then end up on Amazon to buy it. Building a profile in this way is key to honing a search strategy that targets users in the right way, at the right time, with the right content.
Third, recognise that different platforms compel different user behaviour – and therefore need a unique strategy. What works on Google won’t work on Instagram and TikTok as well, and vice versa. And, in the dynamic digital arena, search behaviour constantly changes.
Fourth, use all of the insights gleaned from the work completed above to understand what content formats will work in each search situation: from short-form video to longer text-based guides.
Finally, measure the effects of your search strategy. This is something brands can struggle with: it’s hard to know which metrics mean something and should be fed back into your plan as learnings. In so doing, you’ll glean how engaging and effective your content is to the people who are searching.
No doubt, social media has made search marketing a messier place to be. But that doesn’t mean brands can’t capitalise on the opportunity to increase reach and become a trusted authority when online consumers need them most. Likewise, a planned, patient approach to search can be just the tonic brands need.
