Social marketing in healthcare and education: working hard to change lives
Posted by TeamPC on 24 Apr 2017
You could argue that no one works harder than the NHS to save lives. And our education system too is one of the best in the world. Students travel to the UK from all parts of the globe, to learn and take advantage of the quality teaching and education opportunities here.
Social marketing in Education
While social marketing has been widely used by the healthcare sector, the education industry too is benefiting from this same approach.
In education, social marketing is not exclusively about changing health behaviours, but promoting opportunities, greater awareness of education services and programmes. And its not just focused on students. Examples of best practice projects might be: encouraging parents to get involved in specific education campaigns, tackling prejudices, spotlighting different careers and placements etc.
The main difference between social marketing and traditional marketing methods is that it’s not driven by profit, more by the amount of positive and sustained change it delivers – in this case, in the education sector.
Social marketing in education is about changing behaviours for the ‘social good’
In the same way that social marketing works in healthcare, it is also positively changing lives in education, by influencing personal choices, opening up future career and learning pathways, tackling specific topics etc. And this behaviour change, leads to better outcomes.
Healthcare marketing companies
For many years (since 2011), the healthcare sector has been working with healthcare marketing companies to deliver positive behaviour change programmes.
The Government’s White Paper, entitled: Changing Behaviours, Improving Outcomes: A new social marketing strategy for public health, sets out a framework for helping people to change their health-related lifestyle behaviours. This is designed to positively improve health outcomes, leading to greater life expectancy, less pressure on the NHS and a more sustainable public health system.
Tackling a wide range of health behaviours from the dangers of taking legal highs, to promoting new and improved health services for specific audiences, social marketing continues to work and deliver positive outcomes throughout the UK’s healthcare industry.
Harnessing the power
So as both healthcare and education sectors push the boundaries of what’s possible with social marketing, it continues to attract attention.
Who are we? We’re Perfect Circle - an award-winning social marketing agency, (in Manchester and London) delivering positive behavioural change across the UK
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