Here’s a quick overview to help you understand the current situation. Let’s see whether, after reading it, you still doubt the need for your healthcare business to include social media in its marketing strategy!
Who is interested in social media?
According to the study’s results, 85% of Quebecers who go online use social networks. This percentage highlights how widely these platforms have penetrated Quebec. Logging on to them is part of the daily routine of most of the population, especially younger people. While 60% of the Quebec adults surveyed by CEFRIO are registered on the various platforms and log on daily, this proportion climbs as high as 100% among 18- to 24-year-olds and 97.5% among 25- to 34-year-olds.
More generally, social media remains more popular among people under 45, but regardless of education or income, four out of five Quebecers use it daily.
Quebecers prefer sharing content to creating it
The main activities of Quebec internet users on social media are logging on to an account and viewing content. More than three-quarters of internet users do these social media activities every day. According to the same data, 51% of internet users share content, while only 31% create it.
It’s important to put these statistics in perspective, since they date from 2014. Social media use increases from year to year, but users’ behaviour on these platforms changes little. You might think that the proportion of users who create content would rise in step with the proportion who log on and share content, but from 2014 to 2015, it actually fell slightly.
This shows how important it is for a business on social media to share content that will spark users’ interest and that they will then pass on. Quebec internet users’ behaviour must be taken into account when creating a social media strategy.
Social media and buying behaviour
Social networks now play a leading role in many internet users’ buying process. Again according to the NETendances study, more than 25% of internet users aged 18 to 44 check social networks when they shop. Among internet users aged 18 to 35, more than 60% check other users’ reviews on these platforms before buying a product or service.
Every business should include social media in its web strategy, because it’s a real way to give potential customers crucial information about the products and services it offers. Social media also lets businesses inform them about topics related to their field by sharing original content, while providing a genuine space for dialogue between brands and their users.
As you’ve probably guessed, your healthcare business is no exception to this trend, which affects virtually all Quebecers. To find out how to harness the full potential of social networks to promote your products and services, talk to the healthcare marketing professionals at Virus Santé Communication!
