2012Twitter, Inc. | business.twitter.com | @TwitterAds

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THE CHALLENGEFlorida Blue (@FLBlue), an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue

Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health solutions company that assists

Floridians in their pursuit of health. Despite its mission to focus on people

rather than just health plans, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida found it

challenging to connect with existing and potential members on an

individual level.

When Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida re-branded itself as Florida Blue,

the company saw it as an opportunity to to fulfill its mission of connecting

with the community — it therefore sought a dynamic channel to not only

communicate its new brand but also to position itself as a local resource

for Floridians.

THE SOLUTIONTo build a follower base of local health-minded consumers, @FLBlue used

Promoted Accounts to target Floridians interested in a variety of health-

related topics including fitness, diet, physicians and preventative care.

Florida Blue drives 5X increase in daily brand mentionsHealth solutions company connects with existing and potential members through direct interactions on Twitter

Promoted Accounts, Promoted Tweets

CAMPAIGN TIP

Monitor search results for your

unique hashtag to track volume

of brand conversations and to

find real-time opportunities

to connect with customers.

CASE STUDY@FLBlue

10x increase in daily mentions

of Florida Blue compared to daily brand mentions of Blue Coss Blue Shield of

Florida the previous month

2012Twitter, Inc. | business.twitter.com | @TwitterAds

Additionally, the Florida Blue team monitored trending topics to identify

health-related conversations already taking place on Twitter. Learning

what consumers had to say about topics like yoga, running and healthy

eating provided the company with themes that it could use to create Tweet

content. In its Tweets, @FLBlue included links to drive consumers to relevant

posts on the company blog or to additional online resources. The Florida

Blue team then promoted these Tweets to the timelines of its followers and

users similar to its followers.

“Twitter’s strength is the conversation,” says Kate Warnock, Digital

Marketing Specialist for Florida Blue. “Tweets provide you with information

about people. By learning more about your customers, you can start to

communicate with them more e!ectively.”

@FLBlue also used Promoted Tweets in search to connect with consumers

actively looking for information on health. By targeting keywords like ‘diet,’

‘vegan,’ ‘cdc,’ ‘doctor’ and ‘nurse practioner’ with relevant Tweets, the

company established itself as a resource that could provide consumers with

the right content at the right time.

To further establish its reputation as a resource to Florida consumers,

@FLBlue later used the hashtag #floridaproud in an integrated campaign

(TV, radio and digital) that encouraged Floridians to tweet about what

makes them proud of their home state and local community. “The idea was

that people would see the #floridaproud hashtag and get involved,” says

Justin Freid of TPG Digital, the agency which helped with the campaign.

@FLBlue also used Promoted Tweets in timelines and Promoted Tweets in

search with terms like ‘#floridaproud’ and ‘florida blue’ to extend the reach

of the Florida Proud campaign. The conversation that unfolded around

the #floridaproud hashtag created context which the Florida Blue team

leveraged to respond directly to users and to provide them with links to the

@FLBlue blog or additional online resources. These direct interactions and

relevant information resulted in personalized experiences with existing and

potential members.

THE RESULTS“Promoted Tweets really extended the reach of our mission and our message

beyond our follower base,” says Justin Freid of TPG Media. “We saw a

tremendous increase in conversations on Twitter around @FLBlue.”

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“Twitter’s strength is the

conversation. Tweets provide you

with information about people. By

learning more about your customers,

you can start to communicate with

them more e!ectively.”

Kate Warnock,Digital Marketing Specialist, Florida Blue

350%Expanded follower base by

2012Twitter, Inc. | business.twitter.com | @TwitterAds

@FLBlue received an average of 38 brand

mentions per day over the course of its

campaigns. This marked more than a 5X increase

in daily brand mentions received by Blue Cross

Blue Shield of Florida over the previous month.

Overall, it also scaled its follower base from 1,200

to 5,400 — an increase of 350%.

“As a two-way communication channel, we also

connected with our community on a personal

level,” says Sharon LaSure-Roy, Senior Manager

of Digital Engagements and Promotions at

Florida Blue.

For example, one Floridian used the #floridaproud

hashtag in a Tweet about her entry packet for an

upcoming local running event. @FLBlue found her

Tweet during a search for the hashtag and replied

to wish her good luck in the race.

“A holistic approach is incredibly important so

that we are top of mind,” says LaSure-Roy. “We

want to make sure we’re constantly showing the

value of who we are and what we can be for our

customers — whether they’re already members or

will hopefully become members.”

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