The social care sector in the UK is facing several challenges when it comes to effectively communicating its services to the public. While the healthcare industry has undergone a digital transformation in marketing and communications, the social care sector has not yet fully translated to these new strategies, leaving many social care services struggling to communicate their value and purpose.
In this article, we are going to delve into the challenges faced by the social care sector and how animated video content can help them overcome some of those challenges.
Social care services can involve a wide range of support and assistance, not just elderly care, including help with everyday tasks for individuals with a disability, as well as emergency care and foster care. Communicating the full range of services available to the public in a way that is easily understood can be a challenge.
The complex and broad nature of the social care system makes it difficult to coordinate marketing efforts and ensure a consistent message is being communicated to the public.
The social care sector is mostly funded by the public sector, which means tricky procurement processes. Large productions are typically won through a public Tender process, and when it comes to animation this normally means a large production house, media buyer or advertising agency will win and then outsource the project for a massive profit and minimal impact. On the other hand, they may not have enough budget to significantly invest in marketing campaigns and initiatives that could help raise awareness of their services and educate a wider audience.
In situations where resources are scarce, such as a limited budget, there may not be a dedicated marketing team or staff in place. As a result, one individual who is likely already managing multiple responsibilities may be tasked with overseeing marketing efforts. This can make it challenging to find the necessary time to create content or film footage, while also navigating various regulations and requirements. Combined with the challenges outlined above, this can be a big ask for one individual, or even a small team!
The outcomes of social care services can be difficult to measure and demonstrate to the public due to regulations and confidentiality, making it challenging to communicate the value of these services and the impact they have on individuals and society as a whole.
As many organisations are behind on Digital Technology, most won’t have access to relevant data that can help influence decision-making.
The negative perceptions and stereotypes attached to social care services can also make it difficult to promote the services positively and change public attitudes towards them. The average person often misunderstands what Social Care is, as public perception generally categorises most Care requirements as elderly.
For example, many people often mistake Long-Term Fostering for Adoption, which means the care sector misses out on a lot of potential Foster Carers who can help look after children until they can be reunited with their parents.
Storytelling has the unique ability to clearly communicate messages in a way that not only engages the audience but delivers concise information in a memorable way. You can make complex ideas more engaging and relatable, enabling viewers to better understand the context and importance of the information being presented.
Animated video content can also be a powerful tool for communicating complex and sensitive topics, which are often the types of cases that the social care sector deals with on a day-to-day basis. You achieve this by breaking down complex ideas into simpler, more visual representations that are easier to grasp. The visual representation can be achieved through the use of characters, diagrams/charts and other illustrations.
When it comes to marketing materials, animation can be a very cost-effective option for organisations with limited budgets, when compared to live-action videos or other marketing materials. Although there may be a higher initial investment in the creation of bespoke characters or assets, these can be reused in different videos, reducing costs in the long run.
This reusability makes animation a smart investment for organisations looking to communicate their message in an engaging and effective way without breaking the bank, as the video can be very easily tailored to be used across a variety of marketing channels for maximum results.
Partnering with a great animation studio means that you can free up valuable time to focus on other important tasks. A clear production process would typically start with a virtual discovery call where the studio gains a deeper understanding of your challenges and how they can assist you. The studio will then take care of the creative process, covering the script development, all the way through to final delivery.
You should even have access to software that allows you to seamlessly review content online, saving you even more time and energy to address other pressing matters.
By investing in animated video content, you'll not only have content that you can share on your website to track metrics but also have evergreen video content that can be shared consistently on social media. This enables you to track engagement, views, and comments, providing insight into the effectiveness of your investment. While the outcome also depends on your marketing strategy, identifying what resonates with your audience and what doesn't is crucial.
By analysing this data, you can gain a better understanding of the content that resonates with your audience, allowing you to tailor future content that reaches and educates a broader audience effectively. This data-driven approach ultimately leads to a more significant impact and better ROI for your social media efforts.
The social care industry serves a diverse population with varying needs, making it essential to create tailored messaging for each audience. Animation is an effective way to communicate complex ideas to multicultural audiences, breaking down language barriers. You can achieve this by customising the voice-overs, translations, captions, subtitles and more, to cater to specific preferences and requirements.
This not only saves costs but also enhances engagement.
Social care is a complex sector that needs support when it comes to educating and communicating its values and services to the public. Animated video content is a powerful tool for social care services to effectively communicate with their audiences. By embracing new technologies and mediums like animation, social care services can break down barriers, simplify complex ideas, and create empathy and understanding.
At Motion Manor, we've had the privilege of working with a variety of organisations in the Social Care space over the years, including some amazing organisations such as Foster Wales, the Department of Health and Social Care and even Upper Murray Family Care over in Australia!
If you're curious to learn more about these projects and our other success stories, be sure to check out our case study page!
