Web Marketing & Social Media 101 for #Healthcare

Josh McColoughMarketing Communications Manager

• Sherman Health Experience with #HCSM• What does healthcare social media look like

& how does it work?• Why web marketing & social media matter

for physicians & healthcare organizations• Healthcare Consumer

Expectation/Experience• Growth in #HCSM• The importance of having social media

policies & other #HCSM tips

Agenda

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What is social media? What does it ‘do’?

• Big, important difference:– Traditional media = one-

way communication• Billboard, print ad,

commercial, “talking at”– Social media =

interactive dialogue• Blogging, micro-blogging,

sharing, commenting, “talking with”

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Sherman Health Experience• Started integrated web marketing/ social

media May 2008– Online Content: Blogs, video & photo sites, expert

pages, etc.– Social Networking: People, communities, programs,

causes, etc. – Targeted, Personalized E-Blasts: News,

announcements, events & promotions – Conversation Domination & Surveying: Tagging,

commenting– Feedback & Metrics

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Sherman Health Experience, ctd.

• Added mobile in 2010– QR codes in 2010– Mobile PPC ads in 2011– Sherman ICE App in 2011

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• Sherman Health recipe:– It all starts with

content• A blog post• Picture albums• A video• An article from

CNN

How does social media work for healthcare?

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The content is then shared

• E-Blasts to +10k subscribers

• Twitter to 4800 followers

• Facebook to 1270 fans

• YouTube to Sherman Health channel

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Twitter Surgery

• In April 2009, Tweeted a live, robotic hysterectomy to a handful of “followers”

• The next day…

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Results of Twitter Surgery• TV:

WGN TV, “Elgin hospital first in Ill. to Twitter surgery”Good Morning America, “Why Doctors Are Tweeting During Surgery”

• Media:The Huffington Post, “Sherman Hospital Twitters Surgery, Posts YouTube And Facebook Updates Of Hysterectomy”

Chicago Tribune, “Twitter comes to Sherman’s operating room in Elgin”

Chicago Breaking News Center, “Elgin hospital first in Ill. to Twitter surgery”Daily Herald, “Elgin hospital first in state to Twitter surgery”The Courier News, “Sherman Hospital ‘tweets’ hysterectomy”The Courier News, “Sherman all a’Twitter over online surgery”Chicago Defender, “Hysterectomy Shown Live on Twitter “Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI), “Live! It’s Knee Surgery “The Times (Ottowa, IL), “Hysterectomy Shown Live on Twitter “

• Media, cont:

Chicagoist, “Suction. Scalpel. Tweet Team?” McHenry County Business Journal, “Sherman to Tweet from Procedure “WSBT 2 (South Bend, IN), “Hysterectomy Shown Live on Twitter “NJ.com (New Jersey), “Hysterectomy Shown Live on Twitter”India Post, “Hysterectomy Shown Live on Twitter “Pantagraph (Central IL), “Hysterectomy Shown Live on Twitter “Quad Cities Dispatch, “Hysterectomy Shown Live on Twitter “KMOX (St. Louis, MO), “Hysterectomy Shown Live on Twitter “

• PR, Social Media, Health Interest:PR Junkie, “Hospital Staff Twitter during Hysterectomy “Illinois Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations, “Sherman Hospital to Tweet” During Robotic Surgery” “Think HBG, “Social surgery? “Healthcare POV, “Respiratory Care: What a Tweet? “Chicago Health Matters, “Morning Round Up: Twittering Surgery “

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Twitter Surgery

• Surgeon talked to patient directly• Surgeon & hospital secured

permission to Tweet• Family very grateful &

appreciative• Patient grateful & appreciative• Risk Managers: neither grateful

nor appreciative

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Why Web & Social Media Should Matter to Physicians & Healthcare Institutions

• Because your patients aren’t going to the Yellow Pages anymore – Internet: Google/Online physician

directories– Mobile: Little Blue Book, BCBS, etc.

• Because there are new consumer expectations for services now – Perception: No web site = old, out of

touch, poor quality service

• Because it’s where your patients/ customers are

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Don’t believe me?

• “Eight-in-ten internet users look online for health information, making it the third most popular online pursuit….following email and using a search engine. Since one-quarter of adults do not go online, the percentage of health information seekers is 59% among the total U.S. adult population.”

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, Feb. 1, 2011; http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1875/internet-health-topics-accessing-updated-data

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Still don’t believe me?

• “Fully 65% of adult internet users now say they use a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn, up from 61% one year ago. This marks the first time in Pew Internet surveys that 50% of all adults use social networking sites.”

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, Aug. 26, 2011; http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Social-Networking-Sites

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Oh yeah, and by the way…

• “Among the Boomer-aged segment of internet users ages 50-64, social networking site usage on a typical day grew a significant 60% (from 20% to 32%).”Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, Aug. 26,

2011; http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Social-Networking-Sites

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A Story About the Healthcare Consumer Experience & Expectations…

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What about Social Media & Healthcare?

• YouGov Healthcare Report findings:– 57% said that a social media

connection with a hospital was likely to have a strong impact on their decision to seek treatment at that hospital

– 81% of consumers believe that if a hospital has a strong social media presence, they are likely to be more cutting edge, creating a halo effect across clinical functions

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Source: Consumers’ Use, Preference and Expectations of Hospital Social Media, http://corp.yougov.com/healthcare/consumers-use-preference-expectations-hospital-social-media/

What People Are Tweeting About #HCSM

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Growth in #HCSM Participation

Source: http://ebennett.org/

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Growth in #HCSM Since 2009

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Source: http://ebennett.org/

Growth in YouTube/Twitter at Hospitals

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Simple Lessons Learned

• Have an Internal & External social media usage policy– Policies abound online for you to reference

• Acquaint yourself with social media terms of usage– Especially as they apply to abusive language,

contests, etc.

• If you seek dialogue w/your customers, you will get it—the good & the bad– You need on-time & transparent customer service

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Just a few #HCSM Do’s & Don’ts

• Do not delete negative comments on Facebook (unless abusive)– Do: Answer right away with an apology, and

ask permission to reach out personally to discuss further

• Do not ignore negative comments– Do: Acknowledge right away

• Do not post images/stories of patients w/out their permission– Do: Ask permission; use photo/video consent

forms

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RM & Social Media

• Twitter hashtags for Risk Managers: #hipaa, #hcrm, #ptsafety, #patientsafety

Thank you!

• Josh McColough, Marketing Communications Manager, Sherman Health– Josh.McColough@ShermanHospital.org– @joshmccolough– 224-783-8470

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