The global digital health sector is huge. Global Market Insights estimates that the market will exceed USD 504.5 billion by 2025. In Poland, activities related to the use of information and communication technologies are one of the most effective ways to maintain a competitive advantage in this industry. Today, the world of e-health is entered not only by technology companies (creating diagnostic applications, calculators, e-guides using artificial intelligence, etc.), but also by traditional medical institutions (providing patients with e-registration, e-prescription or online consultation applications).
In the face of so much competition, the chance of success decreases – all the more so as Poles are rather distrustful of technological tools in the area of health. How to convince them? Today we come with a handful of information about marketing in Poland for the e-health sector. Here’s everything you should know to get started before you enter the Polish market.
Table of contents:
- Statistics of the Polish eHealth sector
- Opportunities and risks
- Promotion strategy – what to pay attention to
- Media relations in Poland
- Social media in Poland
- Cooperation with Polish influencers
Statistics of the Polish eHealth sector
We may have frightened you a little in the introduction – indeed, Poles are often distrustful of technological solutions when it comes to their health. However, this does not mean that it is completely impossible to reach them. The Covid-19 pandemic has done a lot of damage to this state of affairs.
Comparing data from January and March 2020, the popularity of Google searches for phrases related to e-health increased by over 350%. These were mainly phrases related to remote medicine, such as “online doctor”, “e-visit”, “e-advice” and “e-therapy”. Although the status is no longer at such a high level, you can still see a drastic difference compared to at least 2019.
It is harder to find a clearer signal that Poles are slowly becoming convinced that in the case of diagnosis and treatment of minor illnesses or diseases, a personal visit to the doctor is not necessary at all. The popularity of applications related to a widely understood healthy lifestyle, i.e. sport (fitness applications, counting steps and burning calories, running, e-training), nutrition (calorie calculators) or sleep is also growing.
Poles are also more and more willing to use tools facilitating the process of registration in medical facilities, and from 2020 e-prescriptions have become widely used (thus the prescription forms used previously cease to be valid). As you can see, Poles are not as “non-technological” as they are painted to be.
Opportunities and risks
During the initial SWOT analysis, it is important to consider the threats and opportunities arising from entering the Polish eHealth market. Here are the most important ones:
Opportunities
- The eHealth market in Poland is growing – both globally and locally, and Poles are increasingly willing to use modern tools.
- Pandemic – caused Poles to avoid direct consultations with doctors and are still looking for alternatives.
- Increasing awareness of Poles about health and disease diagnostics,
- Young Poles love to test new technologies, thanks to which they can save time and money.
Risks
- Increasing competition – more and more eHealth related tools and applications are being developed.
- European Union legislation on eHealth.
- Baby Boomers generation and part of Generation X – lack of digital skills and scepticism towards technological tools drastically reduces the potential target.
- Low level of confidence of Poles in artificial intelligence (especially concerning AI-powered diagnostic tools).
Promotional strategy – what should I pay attention to?
Poles definitely trust medical specialists more than artificial intelligence, even if the consultation with the doctor takes place only by phone or video conference.
In order to reach them with your product, your primary goal should be actions which inspire a sense of trust. A marketing strategy in the eHealth industry in Poland must therefore include reliable press releases to credible media, statistics, infographics, people’s stories, as well as very carefully selected influencers who inspire general public respect for health issues.
Media relations in Poland
A key PR point for the eHealth sector in Poland should be a media relations strategy. Regular publications to industry media, building an expert image and constant contact with journalists (giving them free access to the tool or application is a must) must become the basis for all public relations activities.
Media publications should be educational (infographics and statistics are a must-have!). Another obligatory element are quotations from experts – scientists, doctors or possibly experts from non-governmental organisations. It is also good if publications interweave valuable information with elements evoking emotions. Real stories and photos of people make it easier and faster for Poles to trust a brand.
The most effective media relations tools for the eHealth industry:
- press releases,
- press conferences,
- expert articles,
- thematic guides,
- interviews with experts from the company,
- infographics with the company’s research results.
Social media in Poland
The basic question here is: social media in Polish or in the original? Is it worth creating separate social media profiles aimed exclusively at Poles? After all, this requires the company to work with an external social media agency from Poland that offers qualified content writers and strategists.
The answer to this question is simple and quite obvious – if your budget allows it, it is definitely worth investing in running social media in Polish. The native language inspires more confidence – especially among groups with the lowest level of trust in new technologies, such as the aforementioned Baby Boomers and Generation Z (who are very active Facebook users in Poland).
What to publish on Polish social media as an eHealth company?
- research findings and report analyses,
- infographics and video graphics,
- interviews with experts,
- people stories,
- the latest industry news.
Cooperation with Polish influencers
Referring to Polish influencers and celebrities in PR materials or on social media channels increases brand awareness and interest. Unfortunately, an ill-chosen or unreliable influencer may bring the opposite effect. Poles keep a close eye on celebrities and this should be borne in mind.
Some tips for working with Polish influencers in the eHealth industry:
- Start by working with influencers with different reach: nano, micro, macro and the biggest influencers – this is the only way to find out which type of influencer works best for your brand.
- Do detailed research and analyse the credibility and reputation of your chosen influencers. Try to choose influencers who have a high engagement rate (to boost sales). We wrote about how to do this in our article How to evaluate and select an influencer for a campaign in Poland.
- Keep in mind the preferences of millennials and Generation Z, which is probably your biggest target group. Young Poles don’t like it when influencers bombard them with ads too hard and too often. Make sure that the content delivered by the influencer is as natural as possible.
- Look for credible influencers who inspire confidence in the industry – doctors, scientists and specialists in your field. Celebrity influencers are useful for creating buzz and stirring up emotion, but it is better that they stay away from strictly factual content.
If you need comprehensive marketing advice for the eHealth industry in Poland or are looking for an experienced Polish advertising agency for long-term cooperation, do not hesitate to contact us. For years we have been helping foreign companies in this industry to conquer the Polish market.