The days of hope are here in the form of the new Covid-19 vaccine. With the impacts of Covid on healthcare still as fresh as the morning dew, hospitals and other healthcare units are on the lookout for the befitting communication strategy that engages, educates, and makes people trust the vaccine.

 India being listed as the third country with highest Covid-19 cases, it is a crucial hour for healthcare professionals, and the Ministry of Healthcare to spread the word for the entire population and encourage the uptake.

 All that healthcare players’ need is timely, transparent, and trust-worthy information that eases the apprehensions around the vaccine and promotes its acceptance. As simple as it may sound, implementing the effective communication strategy is anything but not easy.

 India being a diversified country, it takes numerous consumable pieces of communication across the print and digital media.

 Around 7 million Indians have been vaccinated so far. Even though the numbers seem pretty impressive, they are disappointing in reality compared to the population of the nation.

 Covid Vaccination: The Blockers of Trust

 Most people not trusting the vaccine and the media houses are of no help in resolving this major trust issue. Healthcare industry should understand the blockers first to improve the vaccine uptake.

 Rumors - As Covid-19 is a new disease, people tend to believe the hearsay. Effective measures to manage the rumors with reliable information is the need of the hour.

Apprehensions - Most people are not yet ready to take the vaccine. The hesitancy needs to be addressed with valid data that indicates the vaccine's safety and efficiency.

Hesitancy - Every medical treatment has its own side effects. Preparing the people about the potential risk factors of Covid vaccine is the way to go rather than hiding the actual facts.

 Ensure you revisit your hospital operations management and capacity management before devising the patient engagement strategy. Here are a few tips for hospitals to create an effective COVID-19 vaccine communication strategy for your patients.

 Evidence-Based Communication:

Healthcare marketing has always been following the ethical and evidence-based communication strategies. And, walking in the same path is needed no matter how desperate the times have become for healthcare institutes.

Take forward your media capacity building approaches by enhancing the communication with accurate information, focusing on the specific facets of the communication based on the stages involved in the life cycle of the Covid vaccine.

Strengthen Your Communication Outreach:  

With the reducing attention of the audience, you might want to redesign and rethink your media outreach approaches altogether. Ensure your communication evokes positivity and carries the trust factor by sharing the truth.

Keep your communication omnipresent. Most media houses urge the hospitals to rely only on the digital media.

However, do not underestimate the power of print media. In fact, we are still living in the times that attributes the trust factor to the print media more than it does to the digital media.

A Communication Strategy that Covers It All:

Ensure your communication is noted by people of various walks of life. Engage with the regional media, be it TV, print, or social media, to reach the underprivileged groups of the society.

Workshops, webinars, and live sessions with the established figures in the healthcare, and public sectors would instill the trust-factor in the public.

Focus on the communication that suits the entire life cycle of the vaccination process, from starting to the end.

For instance, your collaterals should cover starting from the importance of vaccination, how to take it, where you should take it, and information about the side effects (if any).

Media and Communication Analysis:

Follow phase-wise communication strategy and AB test your communication to know the content pegs that are bringing better engagement.

The vaccine sentiment is constantly changing based on various factors. Monitor the media trends and analyze them before releasing your next campaign.

Media monitoring and analysis helps you gain public confidence, show ways to fan behaviors, and overcome the fears around the Covid vaccine.

Communication Training and Documentation:

The marketing and communication teams are expected to deliver better and receivable pieces of content on Covid-19 vaccine.

It is extremely important to focus on preparing these teams for the tasks ahead of them. Focus more on learning and development for both hospital operational and patient care teams.

In addition, document the content related to engagement, advocacy, and other communication activities regularly. Documentation works as a playbook for your marketing team.

Handful Tips for Healthcare Marketers on Covid-19 Vaccine Communication

 

●       Detail the entire vaccination process - Where, When and How.

●       Ensure your communication emphasizes on the safety factors

●       Be prepared for the social and media trends and ensure your communication is in sync

●       Leverage on media advocacy and involve social and civil society groups

●       Divide your communication strategy based on your region (state, district, urban and panchayat level)

 Influence the marketing guidelines from experienced minds and take advantage of the Healthcare consulting firms that will help you drive media campaigns to derive better engagement from your audience.