Social media is here to stay and the role that social media can play in health care marketing and communications is evolving.
Marketers in regulated industries are finding it challenging to leverage the full power of social media and are awaiting guidance on Internet marketing and social media from the FDA. I've talked with a dozen + marketers over the past few months in the Healthcare industry and the possibilities of what they would like to do with social media is inspiring. I predict that once FDA guidance is given we will start to see an abundance of innovative social media initiatives in this area. Ironically the CDC uses social media extensively and even has guidelines. This report is an overview to demonstrate how leading healthcare brands are using social media marketing today.
Some stats:
- 61% of American Adults look online for Health Information
- 60% said it affected a decision about how to treat an illness or condition
- In 2010: 744 U.S. hospitals were using social media, 549 Twitter Accounts, 513 Facebook Pages, 337 YouTube Channels.
Some of the typical areas that healthcare marketers are using social media for:
- Connecting employees
- Corporate communications
- Condition-related campaigns
- Crisis management
- Use of video to engage
- Patient experiences
- Wellness
- Engaging around charitable causes
- Education
- Co-Marketing with health associations
How do you think Healthcare marketers should be using social media?
