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It's estimated that nearly 75% of people in the U.S. seek healthcare information online, and about half of those turn to social media channels. Whether they're obtaining information on specific illnesses, making lifestyle changes, searching for specialists, gathering opinions on quality of care, sharing personal experiences, or looking for emotional support, the web and social media have become integral steps of the patient journey.
Yet many healthcare providers have yet to develop social media strategies. Regulatory and privacy rules like these in the U.S. and Canada have caused some to proceed with caution. Others, such as Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General, and UC Davis Health System have embraced the massive opportunity and developed guidelines for social media use.
Without question, social channels like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube will continue to gain importance with patients and healthcare providers alike. If your organization has yet to join in the social conversations taking place, now is the time to act. The question is: How can you get engaged while protecting your patients' hard-earned trust? Consider these three tips.
It's said that the best medical providers are the best listeners. The same holds true on social media. Patients continuously share valuable insights into their experiences-both positive and negative. Perhaps someone praises the quality of care a loved one received, or thanks the nursing staff for their compassion. On the other hand, a patient may pull out their mobile phone and post their displeasure while sitting in the waiting room for too long. They might even suggest how the process could be improved.
Social listening is the key to staying abreast of conversations and sentiment. It enables you to discover-and if appropriate, act upon-what patients are saying about your organization on your owned social channels and across the web. You'll gain understanding into which topics are generating interest and where the conversations are happening, demonstrate you care about patient input, and maybe even avoid a potential crisis.
Today's patients are more empowered than ever. For better or worse, vast medical information is as near as the closest browser. Of course you wouldn't try to provide specific medical advice on social channels, but there are infinite possibilities to deliver content that can influence your patients' well being.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Long before you start sending, you need to plan your content and approval processes.
In the U.S., one simple way to get started is to leverage National Health Observances. For example, June is National Safety Month. The Department of Health and Services website includes ready-made Tweets and other social content for observances throughout the year.
Your social media content plan should also include plenty of custom content to differentiate your organization and services. Much can be planned in advance. New clinic opening in July? Offer free blood pressure testing. Renowned cardiac specialist starts in August? Social is the perfect forum to introduce her.
Don't get locked into your schedule though. Your patients will appreciate posts like hygiene tips when the next nasty bug emerges.
Perhaps most important of all, it's absolutely critical to establish publication and approval processes. There are numerous examples of healthcare providers that failed to have review procedures in place and shared content that defied privacy and ethics guidelines. Strict policies, processes and audit trails are essential to mitigating risk.
Measuring the impact of social media investments has come a long way in the last few years.
Yes, it feels great to measure success based on the number of fans, followers and subscribers. After all, views, likes, shares, and tweets are clear indications that your audience appreciates what you have to share. There's definite value in creating brand awareness and affinity.
However, marketers are under increased pressure to demonstrate ROI from social media campaigns. Are those Facebook likes translating into web form completes? Are Twitter campaigns reducing acquisition costs of search engine marketing? What happens after somebody shares your video on YouTube?
It's important to have reporting tools to closely monitor content performance and engagement. Not only does this provide insights, it enables you to target your most responsive audiences across social networks and geographies.
More and more, patients are turning to social media for guidance and support. Now is the time to join them on their journeys to wellness. Ready to get started? For more tips and tactics, download Social Studio for Health and Life Sciences today.
