Facebook Ads for healthcare: 28 tips for nailing your campaign – with examples

You’re already intrigued by Facebook Ads for healthcare. Rightly so! Real healthcare brands are getting real results. With the tips and examples outlined in this article, there’s no reason you can’t do the same.

Let’s not beat around the bush. You need your ads to get results. The good news for you is that Facebook is one of the best platforms for healthcare lead generation – a place where you can get paid ads working quickly and driving customers to your door. And for businesses in the healthcare sector, the opportunities are particularly eye-catching.

According to Facebook’s own data, 80% of people use social media to find health information. And one-in-four internet users turn to social media to research healthcare decisions. Those numbers signal the potential for a huge captive audience – and an environment in which healthcare ads can thrive.

From targeting the right audience to preparing your creative and measuring your results, this article covers the key areas to consider when using Facebook ads for healthcare to generate leads and drive revenue growth for your business.

Before we start…

Heads up. This is a hefty article. That’s because we want to give you actionable tips that you can use to drive revenue for your business. But if you are really serious about driving results – or you’re just too damn busy – talk to us. We specialise in performance marketing and paid media for healthcare businesses. And we only take on a new client when we know we can generate meaningful ROI. Here’s how it all works.

The digital strategy the Adbetter team created for us immediately started paying for itself several times over, in just the first month, by delivering significant new customer revenue. It has also allowed us to open up our customer base to new audiences that I never thought would be our target audience.

Kiana Djazeb, Director & Founder, Snatch & Glow

Facebook Ads for healthcare: knowing the regulations

With Facebook Ads for healthcare, one of the best ways to get it right is to avoid getting it wrong. After all, you don’t want to spend time and money on getting your ads ready only to run into approval issues. So before we look at some more practical tips, let’s have a quick run through the regulatory landscape.

1. The drugs (and pharmaceuticals) don’t work…

If you want to use your ads to promote prescription medication, you will need written permission from Facebook. Facebook also prohibit the sale of medical/healthcare products and services via their commerce channels.

2. Be mindful of your marketing angle

Facebook’s regulations borrow heavily from the “every body is beautiful” school of thought. Your ad mustn’t generate or contribute to negative self-perception. That means avoiding the suggestion that there’s a perfect body type or appearance that someone should aspire to. You cannot be perceived to be exploiting people’s insecurities or reinforcing negative stereotypes about the way someone looks. In short: body shaming in any way is a serious red flag.

Your ad must also steer clear of disproven or refuted claims about certain conditions and/or their treatments.

3. Watch your photography

Before and after shots: so often the go-to of healthcare marketing. Unfortunately before and after shots are banned on Facebook. That ban covers not only your ads, but the web page they link to. You must also avoid close-up imagery that relates to the health condition of a person.

4. Don’t mention payment plans

Facebook are really hot on anything relating to finance – so it’s best to avoid mentioning payment plans. Otherwise your ad may be flagged as financial services and banned.

Facebook has more info on regulations for healthcare ads here and here.

Finding your audience on Facebook for healthcare Ads

Give or take, Facebook has just over 3 billion monthly active users. That means roughly 37% of the world’s population is using Facebook every month. That’s pretty mind boggling. Yet in terms of growing your revenue through Facebook ads for healthcare, it’s not the audience size that matters – it’s the tools Facebook gives you to help get your brand in front of people who are likely to be interested in your services. Here are some tips for finding your audience.

5. Get your mindset right

Healthcare marketing isn’t about smoke and mirrors. It’s about showcasing your expertise and establishing credibility with people who are interested in your products or services. Put yourself in your reader’s position and think about the marketing that would resonate with you. You have to adopt a mindset of building a one-to-one connection between your brand and the person engaging with your content.

Cultivate compassion. Empathise with your audience.

Otherwise none of the strategies we discuss below will be as successful as they could be.

6. Finding the right audience

Facebook’s audience targeting tools give you the power to reach the people who are most likely to be interested in your services.

Just a handful of the audience variables you can work into your targeting include:

• Location
• Age
• Gender
• Interests
• Occupation
• Connections
• Relationship status
• Relationship status
• Online behaviour

By zeroing in on certain audience criteria, you can quickly whittle down a crowd of 3 billion to a few thousand. Or a few hundred. That’s a good thing. When you know who your audience is, it’s easier to craft a message that really resonates.

7. Location, location, location?

If you have bricks-and-mortar shops or provide in-person treatments, the most important audience targeting criterion at your disposal is location. This allows you to target Facebook users within a specific radius of your facilities. And it’s possible to drive impressive results.

Life sciences brand Supradyn saw significant in-shop sales of their multivitamin thanks to a Facebook ad campaign targeting audiences in key locations.

8. Lead quality v lead quantity

Would you rather have oodles of half interested leads, or a handful of leads who are extremely likely to convert? Many businesses waste a lot of time and money trying to convert prospects who have low purchase intent. Think carefully about how the targeting of your campaign can screen your audience – engaging people who are likely to become customers and sifting out those who aren’t.

Want to say goodbye to bad leads once and for all? Nerchr learns which leads become customers and optimises your campaigns accordingly. It’s the platform we built to drive revenue for our clients and manage £10 million worth of pay per click ad spend. Now we’ve made it available to everyone. If you want to continue managing your own PPC campaigns while driving better results from the same ad spend, you need to take a look at Nerchr.

Not least because there’s a 30-day trial available. Don’t sleep on it.

The branding and creative of healthcare Ads on Facebook

Next up, it’s time to talk about the look, feel and messaging of your campaign. Getting it right can be the difference between success and failure – and there’s lots to think about.

9. Take care over your branding

Branding is an area you cannot afford to scrimp on. It absolutely must look professional, credible and trustworthy. People are discerning when it comes to making decisions about their health – and if they conclude that your branding looks cheap and ill-considered, they will extrapolate that onto the products or services that you provide.

Of course, the need for a professional brand needn’t come at the cost of differentiation. Lots of healthcare branding is nearly identical. Shaking things up a little and injecting some personality can be a good way to stand out in a competitive market.

10. Strike the right tone

Be mindful of the fact that most people are guarded about their health and appearance. Don’t be too flippant and have respect that the issues that you are addressing are likely very personal to your audience. Accurately describe the treatments you are promoting, rather than using colloquialisms. For instance, using the words “lip job” downplays the treatment.

11. Make it snappy

Think about the way you use Facebook. Chances are you’re not opening the app to carefully study the latest ads you have been served. It’s the same for your audience. You have a second or two – sometimes less – to pique the curiosity of your reader. So keep things short, sharp and punchy, with a clear message.

With in-feed ads remember that Facebook will truncate your description in some placements. The first 125 characters or so must succinctly communicate your message – or sufficiently inspire your reader to expand it to read more. Choose your words carefully.

12. Types of creative and marketing angle

Sometimes you can get big results by coming at your marketing from a different angle. Let’s say you run an aesthetics clinic, for example. You’re not restricted to promoting specific treatments. Anything that helps to communicate the fact that you are a competent, credible practitioner should be considered. Here are some ideas.

• Welcoming shots of your clinic or behind the scenes content
• Tours of a new clinic or practice location
• Staff stories about how they became qualified
• A video compilation that reveals a day in the life of an aesthetic specialist
• A myth buster that reduces anxiety about certain treatments or calls out bad practice
• Brand promotions that focus on your values and mission
• A spotlight on any relevant guarantees that you offer as part of your practice

13. Embrace social proof

As a healthcare business, one of the most effective marketing strategies you have at your disposal is customer testimonials. Most people are health conscious – and need a lot of convincing when they are considering a purchase.

Whether written or recorded, testimonials from previous customers are a powerful tool for demonstrating your expertise. People relate to people. And if your testimonial can show how you overcame a previous customer’s obstacles or doubts before obtaining the desired results, you’re going to nudge your prospects that little bit closer to conversion.

You want your customer testimonials to feel as natural and authentic and unforced as possible. If you are filming them, consider positioning the camera off to the side – so the subject isn’t staring straight down the lens. Many people get a little awkward when there’s a camera pointing straight at them.

14. Focus on outcomes and process

People purchase from healthcare businesses because they want a certain outcome: whether that’s physical, emotional or both. Those emotional outcomes – such as feeling happier, more confident, less inhibited – are something you should keep in mind for your ad creative. It can also be effective to talk about the process of certain treatments or how certain medications work. Educating your audience about certain treatments can help them visualise whether it’s right for them.

15. Showcase your credentials

You don’t see many ads for amateur dentists who are getting into the teeth-and-gums game as a side hustle. When it comes to health, people want expertise. It’s up to you to showcase that you have it – whether that’s through membership of any industry or regulatory bodies, industry awards or your professional qualifications.

16. Go granular

Specificity usually trumps generality. For instance, it’s better to create individual ads for each of your services or treatments, rather than general ads about your clinic as a whole. It liberates you to be more targeted with both your audience profiling and your messaging – all of which can lead to better engagement and conversion.

17. Create a sense of scarcity

Your ads should encourage people to act. A good way to do that is to introduce a sense of scarcity to your product or service. That could be limited appointment slots for new customers, a limited time discount or anything else you can think of. Just don’t be too pushy. Your offer must give people reasonable time to consider their options – otherwise you will likely be receiving a knock from Facebook’s regulatory team.

18. Reverse profile your audience

Remember what we said about using your ad creative to screen out people who are not interested in your services? A good way to do that is to reverse profile your audience. Let’s say you offer pain relief for back issues. Your ad angle might be something like: “To everyone without back pain: we envy you. Now move along, this ad isn’t for you.” By sifting out the wrong audience, you can zero in on the right audience.

19. Stay away from stock photography…

Stock imagery is boring, hackneyed and unimaginative. It’s much better to have your own unique visual assets. And there can be little excuse. At your fingertips you have a device packing more computational power than the Artemis 1 rocket that sent NASA to the moon. It’s a photography and editing studio that fits in the palm of your hand. Use it to create visual assets that build your authenticity as a brand. Or get someone to do it for you.

When creating visual content, create a comfortable, conversational and natural environment. You want people to feel at ease. And take note: if you are showcasing the results of any cosmetic or aesthetic treatments, you cannot edit the image to enhance the part of the body that was worked on.

>> Clinical photography for aesthetic professionals

20. …if you even use photography at all

The relative merits of static images versus video content is a source of great debate among marketers. No matter. A good ad is a good ad, no matter the format. However, video content is definitely worth considering.

German pharmaceutical manufacturer Hoggar Night boosted ad recall by 10.5 points and purchase intent by 2.5 points by using in-stream video ads on Facebook. 

Illustration too can be a unique way to add personality to your brand. If in doubt, experiment with different types of visual assets. See what converts. Assess what feels right for your brand.

21. Remember to get permission

Never use a photo or video of a customer or staff member for anything without asking their permission and explaining how you want to use it. You don’t want to have to redo your visual assets when someone threatens action against you for using their image without permission. Incentivise contributions with discounts on future purchases.

Executing a healthcare focussed Facebook Ads campaign

You’ve profiled your audience. You’ve created your ad. Now it’s time to unleash your campaign! Exciting, right? Here are some tips.

22. Think about placement (or don’t)

There are multiple places you can advertise on Facebook. But the most cost-effective tends to be in-feed. Just ask Panadol Topical, who got huge results with in-feed video ads. 

If in doubt take advantage of Facebook’s Advantage+ tool. Feed it the right assets and it will place your ad everywhere that’s relevant for your campaign. By doing just that, Abbott Philippines unlocked a six-point lift in ad recall and two-point lift in purchase intent.

23. Test, test, test

Visual assets. Headlines. Descriptions. Facebook allows you to create variants for each constituent part of your ad. By doing so you can easily create an ad with dozens of variables. Facebook will then test different ad variants and preferentially serve the ad combinations that have the best chance of driving results.

It’s not a precise science – and you need to be running your campaign at high volume for the algorithm to test effectively. But it’s a useful tool for making the most efficient use of your ad spend and getting some insight on what converts.

Another benefit of testing multiple variants of the same ad is that your campaign will fatigue less quickly. People get numb to ads they’ve seen on multiple occasions. Having variants keeps things fresh – and gives you the opportunity to market your products or services from different angles.

By varying their creative, Aligntech boosted their campaign clickthrough rate by 12%. Worth it.

24. Unleash your campaign on Instagram too

Both Facebook and Instagram are owned by Meta – and share the same advertising environment. It only takes a few clicks to unleash your campaign across both platforms. That puts a far larger audience at your fingertips – giving you a lot more reach for very little extra effort.

>> TikTok vs Instagram: which is best for paid media advertising?

Thinking beyond the click of your Facebook Ads

So someone’s engaged with your ad – now what? Pay per click isn’t all about the first click. It’s what happens next that’s important. Here are some tips for turning new leads into your next customers.

25. An intro to landing pages

If you are driving traffic to your website, you should have specific landing pages for each campaign. Landing pages are a science all of their own. But here’s a super-speedy run through best practice.

• Design and copywriting. Your landing page should feel like a continuation of your ad. That means using similar images and colours, making sure your logo is prominent and so on. Make sure it’s optimised for mobile and create a compelling proposition above the fold.
• Create a closed journey. Single-mindedness is a strength when it comes to landing pages. Limit navigation options and stay focused on one clear call to action.
• Utilise social proof and trust signals. Customer testimonials are a great way to build credibility and establish trust in your company. Ideally, take your customer reviews from a verifiable source such as Trustpilot or Google Reviews. If applicable, utilise trust signals such as industry accreditations, qualifications or awards.
• Gather data. The main aim of a landing page is to gather information on your lead. Create a form that allows you to start the marketing conversation.
• Remember your GDPR obligations. For your forms that means having a tick box that forces people to actively opt in to your comms, the name of the person or business that will be contacting them and the method that they will be contacted by. You must also include a link to your full privacy policy.

26. Get to know your lead

The more information you can gather about your leads, the better. For healthcare products and services, a good strategy is to design a form that allows your lead to choose their own diagnostic path. Ask them questions about their condition, ailment or chosen outcome and you can guide them towards the most appropriate course of action. Perhaps paradoxically, asking more questions can sometimes encourage form conversions. And it arms your sales team with invaluable insight on your new leads.

It’s a strategy we used to boost UK Vein Clinic’s leads by 157% – almost doubling their customer base in the process. And the software we built to make it all happen is now available to everyone. So you can create fully branded, multi-step forms within minutes. No coding required. It’s all powered by Nerchr – and there’s a free trail available. Go and find out more.

However, these forms don’t have to be part of a landing page. You can embed them natively within your Facebook campaign. And by allowing your audience to convert without even leaving the app, you can often generate more leads than you might have expected from forcing the clickthrough to your website. 

That was certainly the case for Mira Clinic, who saw a 48% rise in leads generated by using in-feed forms.

27. Remember the social element of social media

Lots of brands use social media to talk about themselves – howling into the void and hoping someone listens. But social media is about community. It’s about dialogue. It’s about conversation.

Measuring performance of a healthcare Facebook Ad campaign

The data you gather on your campaign performance is your goldmine. Success with PPC is about constantly measuring what works and adjusting your campaign based on what your data is telling you. But you have to know which metrics matter most. Here’s some guidance.

28. Performance tracking: don’t hide from your data

Your ads dashboard will provide you with lots of data on how your ads are performing. Try to identify trends in the ads that are performing best. Is there something in your messaging that’s encouraging clicks? Is a certain type of image garnering attention?

When you understand what’s driving results, you can double down on those strategies – creating additional ad variants based on what’s working and ditching the stuff that isn’t.

Of course, it’s not just the performance of your Facebook ads that matters, but the performance of your campaign as a whole. For proper insight you have to be able to track all points in your user journey, from the first click to the first purchase and beyond. That requires getting your performance tracking set up to provide full visibility into onward KPIs – such as clicks and conversions on your landing page.

Confusing? It can be. But not with our proprietary software Nerchr. In fact it makes tracking leads seamless, right through your funnel. Take a look.

29. Consider working with an expert

Many businesses don’t make the effort to track their campaigns correctly. But doing the hard yards here can help you gain a huge competitive advantage. And we can help.

We are a paid media specialist focused on driving positive returns for our clients. In fact, we will only agree to work with you when we know we can get returns on your ad spend. Ask us for a free proposal and we will outline a three-month paid media strategy for your brand. That’s yours to keep. Then it’s your choice to work with us or walk away. Let’s get started.

You may also be interested in:

>> Healthcare PPC services for hungry businesses
>> How to find more healthcare leads and transform your business
>> Lead generation for doctors: the undeniable benefits of PPC
>> Leads for health insurance: how to win big with pay per click
>> Google Ads for doctors: the business case and the challenges
>> Google Ads for healthcare: 22 actionable tips for success