A crusade in Texas teaches about how the public fitness government can interact with social media celebrities to publicize the protection and well-being of the ongoing pandemic.
Last spring, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) embarked on the path of influence marketing with a crusade designed to teach citizens about COVID-19 risks and percentage tips to prevent spread. Sherry Matthews Group, DSHS, is among the first US government entities to be able to do so. But it’s not the first time In using social media platforms and influencers to help spread accurate data in their communities.
The crusade, called #HealthyTexas, ran from April to August 2020 and allowed DSHS to attract the attention of young citizens through comparable local influencers in a way that public service announcements and classic ads may not be. of this crusade are indicative of a new era of social marketing, where municipalities, companies and government entities are looking for other influential people from all walks of life who can use their platforms to empower and teach their peers, rather than just advertising and selling products.
Challenges
Finding suitable and meaningful influencers was of paramount importance in this crusade. We looked for varied voices representative of Texas that were born, raised and/or recently lived in the state. Since this crusade dealt with serious fitness and protection issues, it was a necessity. -Make all committed influencers implement what they intended. They had to be prepared to adhere to the latest local and national public fitness rules (not only in sponsored messages, but also in their daily lives) for six weeks after participating in the crusade. We also reviewed the last six weeks of activity by each of the potential influencers on social media to make sure they weren’t concerned about any illegal activity or selling destructive messages or misinformation.
The team temporarily learned that our audit procedure should evolve as the rules of protection and fitness for COVID-19 evolved. At the beginning of the campaign, top influencers and citizens followed orders to stay home, so it was easy to locate the following components during this first wave, the articles focused on encouraging subscribers to do their component to prevent spread, as well as to express and share stories to tell at a time when many faced changes in their way of life.
However, while Texas reopened in April to May, postal messages and the behavior of influential people had to be replaced to reflect past search patterns, adding the importance of social estating, masking, and general reminders that the pandemic remained a threat. We had to be even stricter with our selection of influencers at this stage of the crusade and we had to disqualify some of us who felt they were too lax about those practices.
Tactic
Our continuous and thorough verification procedure eventually led us to an organization of 26 influential people who met the lifestyle criteria, who were captured with target demographics, adding Generation Y/Generation Z and the Hispanic community, and who met fitness and protection guidelines. Participants ranged from athletes known as NFL Quarterback Robert Griffin III, Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros, former MLB player Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez and Gymnast
These influencers know their fans better than anyone, so we seek to give them as much freedom as imaginable to create non-public and exclusive messages that really resonate with the Texas. For some, it meant going to Instagram to share stories about how they were directly affected through COVID-19 or spoke brazenly about the effect of the pandemic on their well-being and intellectual health. For others, it was about being artistic and even stupid with TikTok, presenting quarantined dance moves or educational routines. Featured hashtags included #StayHomeTexas, #WeGotThis and #HealthyTexas and in all articles, influencers prioritized reliable data and promoted social good.
Results and a look to the future
Our influencers published a total of 28 times the campaign. Videos from those creators have gained 33. 5 million perspectives on TikTok and 1. 1 million perspectives on Instagram. By early September, these publications had reached 33 million users and had made 37. 4 million commitments across all platforms.
Through the #HealthyTexas campaign, we found that it was imaginable for government entities, such as DSHS, to leverage new channels of communication and actually achieve tough effects without compromising the quality or accuracy of shared messages. Fight COVID-19 and a broader fight opposed to incorrect information on social media, expect to see more of those tactics deployed through pharmaceutical and physical care companies, local and state governments, and nonprofits to raise awareness and action among young people.
Sarah Ware is co-founder of Markerly, a generation spouse and influential marketing platform working with some of the world’s leading brands.
Topics: content marketing, COVID-19, health, marketing, media, public industry, social media, visual communications and video
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