Mayo Clinic Courting Patients of the Future Via Twitter

Posted by: Matthew Bick // August 1st, 2012

In a recent article for Ragan’s Health Care Communication News, Jessica Levco describes the Mayo Clinic’s devotion to being proactive when it comes to their future patients.  Mayo’s Center for Innovation, according to Levco, “wants its tweet chats to be about ideas.”

The world-renowned institution has been asking its followers three main questions, all designed to begin finding insights into how its patients view healthcare in the 21st century.  Questions about what changes need to be made and ways that healthcare providers can empower its patients are sparking conversation across the Twittersphere, something that Mayo is very excited about.

Maria Hayhow, a communication design specialist for the Center for Innovation, was quoted by Levco: “[Twitter] is an idea-generating platform.  We wanted to solicit insights from people who we brought into the chat.  When you get down to it, everyone can relate to what a patient is, and everyone has probably been one at some point.”  Mayo has also used Storify to bring more visual appeal to the chats with photos and other rich content.  Best of all, the only cost in this particular outreach method is employee time.

@MatthewBick

Read More 0

How To Keep Your Social Media Alive

Posted by: Kirsten Taylor // July 18th, 2012

As a healthcare provider, it’s becoming increasingly important that you’re active in the world of social media. Content is constantly being consumed online, and you can’t afford not to share engaging, relevant content for your followers. However, should you share content to best serve your patients?

According to Ragan’s Healthcare Communications News, you should run a blog and various social media channels that are well written and informed. This will help you stand out in addition to your search engine optimization techniques.

And, be sure to put your blog and other social medias on your website!

Additionally, the content you post on your blog and social properties should be constantly updated. It will keep you top-of-mind in the minds of your patients, and keep the content relevant and useful. The article suggests you think of it like this: your actual hospital is constantly changing with new patients, procedures and physicians, so your website needs to do the same!

@KirstenETaylor

Read More 0

Physicians Becoming More Social Online, But Not in Own Practices Just Yet

Posted by: Matthew Bick // July 9th, 2012

In a very clear sign of the times, recent research from QuantiaMD indicates that almost 90% of physicians are active on at least one social media platform.  In an industry that is inherently sensitive when it comes to communication for reasons including doctor-patient confidentiality, this data suggests that even more medical professionals are beginning to warm to the idea of simply being more social

The data does, however, stop short of indicating that doctors are using social in their practices to a greater extent.  In their article for Ragan’s Healthcare Communication News, Dan Dunlop and Charles Ramsey note, “Studies show that physicians stick to managing personal profiles on their social media accounts.”  It appears that the gulf between personal acceptance of social media and broad physician-level interaction with patients via social media is still in place for many professionals.

However, according to QuantiaMD’s chief communications officer, interviewed by Dunlop and Ramsey, “the future holds possibilities for increased online communication between both sides once physicians are more aware of the demand for engagement by those frequenting online patient communities.”

@MatthewBick

Read More 0

11 Tips To Keep Up With Social Media

Posted by: Matthew Bick // July 2nd, 2012

The debate rages on to determine what the single biggest impact of the rise of social media is, but clearly the sheer mass of information now available is among the top changes social media has spurred.  However, with so much more information available with just a few keystrokes, it’s quite easy to get overwhelmed.  Lee Odden, writing for Ragan’s Healthcare Communication News, has some advice on how to navigate the depths of the social media universe.

His suggestions include reviewing analytics reports regularly and using tools like Hootsuite to find relevant content that can later be shared.  Odden’s article indicates that the key to having a great social media presence is to combine relevant content with a solid understanding of what patients and other engaged users want.

To see the rest of Odden’s 11 tips, click here.

@MatthewBick

Read More 0

Live Tweeting Makes Its Way Into Healthcare

Posted by: Matthew Bick // June 13th, 2012

By now, most have seen all manner of events “live tweeted.”  Major product announcements, your favorite sports team, political machinations…all are now updated in real-time via Twitter.

Now, so are kidney transplants.

The University of Indiana live-tweeted the operation that sent Colin Newton’s kidney to fishing buddy Caleb Johnson, according to Jessica Levco of Ragain’s Health Care Communication News.  Levco interviewed public relations coordinator Kristopher Karol to find out what went into getting this procedure to the worldwide web.  “For the past year, he’s been talking to legal, risk management, and e-marketing staffers about the potential for doing a surgery.”

According to Levco, IU is tracking five key performance indicators, including the number of followers on twitter between the procedure’s announcement and the procedure itself, the number of mentions and retweets, the number of Facebook comments and likes, number of media placements, and any increase in traffic to IU’s kidney donation site.

@MatthewBick

Read More 0

Social Hubs the New Trend in Healthcare?

Posted by: Matthew Bick // May 14th, 2012

According to Russell Working of Ragan’s Health Care Communication News, social hubs for hospitals are set to become “a major trend in communications in the medical industry.”  Social hubs, including the Cleveland Clinic’s site that Working mentions in his article, bring together content from around the internet that patients might find of interest.

Hubs like this can offer great value to healthcare organizations and hospitals.  Instead of asking users or customers to find content themselves that may already be fragmented across multiple blogs, users now can find their most sought-after content and other similar content in one location.  Healthcare providers can still maintain blogs in the same manner as they do right now, but with their content aggregated together with fellow professionals in one location, there is great potential for improved blog visibility throughout their network.

@MatthewBick

Read More 0

The Importance of Storytelling in Healthcare Marketing

Posted by: Neil James // March 21st, 2012

Metaphor. Conflict. Narrative. These aren’t merely devices to be forgotten upon your passing of college composition. These are the drama-creating tools from which effective healthcare marketing is forged. Lori Bruss reminds us of this truth in a new article for Ragan’s Healthcare News, Hospital Marketers: Are You Telling Good Stories? Bruss emphasizes that the healthcare environment is no less an environment for dynamic storytelling than the rich worlds of the silver screen. Whether it’s the unique settings (emergency rooms, communal areas) or vibrant characters (physicians, mid-levels, patients, nurses), according to Bruss, there is no limit to the depth with which your brand’s story can be told.

@NeilAndrewJames

Read More 0

Why Social Media in Healthcare is Here to Stay

Posted by: Kirsten Taylor // March 19th, 2012

Each year at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, techies, entrepreneurs, film fanatics and video gamers alike join to discuss the year in the industry. The conference has now expanded to include social media specialists, and an added health and education track is proof that social media in the healthcare industry is here to stay.

According to Nancy Cawley Jean, an attendee at the conference, speakers emphasized that every industry, especially hospitals, need to take social media seriously. Why is this true for hospitals? Hospitals often need to distribute finely crafted messages in a timely manner to their publics, so social media is an opportunity.

What other lessons were learned at the conference? Read on…

@KirstenETaylor

Read More 0

« Older Entries