Council Post: Brands: Listen To Immunocompromised People Through UGC

Jill Strickman, Founder of GENUINE: The Real People Company, finds real people for television ads, testimonials, and viral video content.

According to the CDC, six in 10 Americans live with at least one chronic disease that renders their immune systems more vulnerable to infection. For most immunocompromised people, the Covid-19 pandemic has only amplified health concerns. But it’s not just physical health on the line.

As high-risk individuals, these months of limited contact, isolation and heightened concern around getting sick have taken a toll on mental and emotional health as well. Many people, instead of focusing on healthy immune-boosting habits, get hyper-focused on disturbing news or subjects that only exacerbate fears and further stress their immune systems. Some people are afraid to leave their homes.

By creating user-generated content with people who are immunocompromised, brands can open the door to a deeper understanding of their experience while giving them a powerful platform for self-expression.

Power To The Patients

UGC (user-generated content) allows users to record themselves or be recorded by a friend, family member or caregiver with their devices from the safety and comfort of their own homes. At a time when people feel extremely vulnerable, the opportunity to share their stories so openly can provide much-needed emotional support, activate new skills and creativity, and serve as an uplifting, life-affirming and cathartic experience.

Patients (of healthcare brands) and other immunocompromised people getting involved in a brand’s UGC efforts can be given guidance around technical and pre-production elements like sound, lighting and wardrobe. They can also be given execution and directional support so they’re comfortable sharing authentically on camera. Many will be learning these skills for the first time, which can be a welcome distraction during the pandemic.

My company specializes in user-generated content, working with real people to share their stories, including patients, physicians and caregivers. In my experience, common examples of UGC include one-on-one interviews, video diaries, online panel discussions and remotely-directed content creation.

From Fear To Empowerment

By engaging immunocompromised people through UGC, brands are not only providing a safe-at-home avenue for producing content during Covid-19, but they’re also giving them a powerful platform to share their unique and compelling stories.  

Here’s a look at how this reciprocal relationship engages and uplifts everyone involved.

For patients who often feel isolated and marginalized by their condition(s), sharing their story is a rare opportunity to:

1. Have a voice, vulnerably and authentically share their stories and connect with their desire for a better quality of life.

2. Connect with others, inspire continued engagement and support mental health during this extended time of isolation.

3. Learn new digital skills, inspire creativity and even have fun from home.

4. Provide inspiration, learning and growth for other immunocompromised people who may be aligned in their experience.

5. Be uplifted at a time when life may seem particularly dark and frightening. Get empowered, informed and proactive around their health situations. Shift from being in fear to actively contributing. 

For brands, UGC is a resource that allows them to employ active listening, establish trust and empower people to express their most authentic selves. From that place, healthcare brands can:

1. Explore the patient experience and gain valuable strategic insights directly from immunocompromised patients. 

2. Turn to patients for creative input and compelling ideation that is both safe and effective.

3. Allow patients to share original content that represents their current daily experiences. 

4. Put immunocompromised patients front and center and learn how to best help their consumers. 

5. Form a long-term relationship that allows immunocompromised patients to share their perspectives, influence campaigns and use their experiences to help others. 

For everyone involved, UGC is an avenue for:

1. Authentic communication from patients, which leads to valuable insights, trusted messaging and better health-care solutions. 

2. Collaboration between brands, patients and the family, friends or caregivers who may help them capture their stories.

3. Viable content solutions for patient and production safety.

In my previous article, I shared tips on how to get UGC done right. When working with the immunocompromised population specifically, it’s important to consider these additional steps:

1. Be sure that whoever is moderating the panel, hosting the interview or directing the content creation is prepared to offer encouragement and patience so that the person providing UGC feels emotionally supported.

2. In the same vein, work with a point person or interviewer who has a high EQ and can support patients in vulnerable moments.

3. Offer hands-on, one-on-one guidance from the interviewer with whom they have already established trust so that the technological side to creating videos doesn’t become daunting.

In addition to creating content that they can use in different ways, brands are also forging valuable ongoing relationships that offer a window into the current experience of immunocompromised people, particularly during the pandemic.

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