Here's a great article on hospitals' use of social media from Jenn Riggle. She hita a lot of nails firmly on the head in this.
Hospitals must embrace social media and let ROI take care of itself | Article | Homepage articles
Showing posts with label Twitter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twitter. Show all posts
Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
TAKE THE PLUNGE!
I’ve come to the conclusion that social media scares a lot of people. That is understandable. It’s new. It involves unfamiliar protocols and nomenclature. It seems so easy and natural for 16-year-olds, yet is a different world altogether for those of us who still remember where we were when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.
Nonetheless, social media is here to stay.
So it’s time to take the plunge. Here’s what I recommend: a staged roll-out of social media tools and channels, so that you don’t “bite off more than you can chew.” Start small. Join and use Facebook (really use it; don’t be a bystander or wallflower). See what others in your industry are doing. Become a fan of sites that are delivering the kind of information you wish you were delivering about your company. Your Facebook experience shouldn’t be defined by the number of “friends” you have, but rather by the quality of contacts and experiences you can generate.
Keep a record of the kinds of information and resources you’d like YOUR company’s fan page to deliver. And yes, check out your competitors and what peer companies in different parts of the country (or even the world!) are doing.
And when you are ready, launch your page, keeping in mind it is NOT a website, which can sit fallow for months. Social media IS customer and stakeholder engagement. Be prepared to engage!
Nonetheless, social media is here to stay.
So it’s time to take the plunge. Here’s what I recommend: a staged roll-out of social media tools and channels, so that you don’t “bite off more than you can chew.” Start small. Join and use Facebook (really use it; don’t be a bystander or wallflower). See what others in your industry are doing. Become a fan of sites that are delivering the kind of information you wish you were delivering about your company. Your Facebook experience shouldn’t be defined by the number of “friends” you have, but rather by the quality of contacts and experiences you can generate.
Keep a record of the kinds of information and resources you’d like YOUR company’s fan page to deliver. And yes, check out your competitors and what peer companies in different parts of the country (or even the world!) are doing.
And when you are ready, launch your page, keeping in mind it is NOT a website, which can sit fallow for months. Social media IS customer and stakeholder engagement. Be prepared to engage!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Time for Hospitals to Embrace Social Media
It’s time for hospitals to embrace social media.
Interactive online technologies, or “social media,” allow online users to search for and share content, and have become an indispensable tool in today’s communication mix – except, it seems, at smaller community hospitals. Social media sites are firmly entrenched as the primary method for online dialogue and communication for a good deal of the population today, covering people of all ages.
As part of an effective communications package, every organization needs to use a combination of social media tools to speak directly with their audience. Failing to do so risks alienating your patients and your community. Worse, it allows – and perhaps invites – the dialogue about what’s happening within your hospital and its service lines to be driven by outside, often unreliable sources.
Latest estimates show that over 500 hospitals in the U.S. are using some form of social media – and many are using multiple social media tools. If you are a healthcare marketing pro, isn’t it time to get YOUR hospital on board?
Interactive online technologies, or “social media,” allow online users to search for and share content, and have become an indispensable tool in today’s communication mix – except, it seems, at smaller community hospitals. Social media sites are firmly entrenched as the primary method for online dialogue and communication for a good deal of the population today, covering people of all ages.
As part of an effective communications package, every organization needs to use a combination of social media tools to speak directly with their audience. Failing to do so risks alienating your patients and your community. Worse, it allows – and perhaps invites – the dialogue about what’s happening within your hospital and its service lines to be driven by outside, often unreliable sources.
Latest estimates show that over 500 hospitals in the U.S. are using some form of social media – and many are using multiple social media tools. If you are a healthcare marketing pro, isn’t it time to get YOUR hospital on board?
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Johnson & Johnson's Misstep Shows the Power of Social Media
Social media is here to stay. Need proof? There is no better object lesson than the misstep that Johnson & Johnson just made online that unleashed a torrent of bad blood among the very audience they were trying to court. And that bad blood flowed quickly and deeply among bloggers and Twitter users.
Yes, I'm talking about THAT J&J, one of the biggest, most powerful marketers, and a company known for its social responsibility, and for having a "corporate soul."
J&J posted an ill-advised commercial for its Motrin brand of ibuprofen on its website. The ad was designed to resonate with young moms. Take a look here. You be the judge.
What followed was an overwhelmingly negative flood of angry responses from moms (and others) who felt that the spot was condescending and patronizing. Most of the responders said they'd never buy Motrin again. The threat of a boycott seems very real.
Here's a sample of the reaction:
Clip 1
Clip 2
Clip 3
Maybe the marketing team was out having a beer after work when that ad was to be approved. Maybe someone was asleep at the switch. Maybe the ad agency was just too clever for their client's good. Who knows?
The important lessons are these:
First: Online media is every bit as important as traditional media. And just because it's "only an online ad" doesn't mean it should be treated with any less importance than an ad for network TV (which would have been market tested and well vetted before it ever saw the light of day).
Second: When you see that you've offended people, even if inadvertently, own up to it immediately, and try to make amends. No excuses. J&J has done that, pulling the ads and posting an apology from Kathy Widmer, Vice President of Marketing, on the Motrin website. Kudos for that. Many other companies would have stonewalled or been paralyzed into inaction.
Third: Online communities are here to stay, and if you can communicate with online communities in a manner that shows you respect and understand them, and most importantly, that you are listening to what they are telling you, you can really help your products to succeed.
As Widmer said in an extended apology, “One bright spot is that we have learned through this process - in particular, the importance of paying close attention to the conversations that are taking place online.”
If you are a marketer, you would also do well to pay attention.
Yes, I'm talking about THAT J&J, one of the biggest, most powerful marketers, and a company known for its social responsibility, and for having a "corporate soul."
J&J posted an ill-advised commercial for its Motrin brand of ibuprofen on its website. The ad was designed to resonate with young moms. Take a look here. You be the judge.
What followed was an overwhelmingly negative flood of angry responses from moms (and others) who felt that the spot was condescending and patronizing. Most of the responders said they'd never buy Motrin again. The threat of a boycott seems very real.
Here's a sample of the reaction:
Clip 1
Clip 2
Clip 3
Maybe the marketing team was out having a beer after work when that ad was to be approved. Maybe someone was asleep at the switch. Maybe the ad agency was just too clever for their client's good. Who knows?
The important lessons are these:
First: Online media is every bit as important as traditional media. And just because it's "only an online ad" doesn't mean it should be treated with any less importance than an ad for network TV (which would have been market tested and well vetted before it ever saw the light of day).
Second: When you see that you've offended people, even if inadvertently, own up to it immediately, and try to make amends. No excuses. J&J has done that, pulling the ads and posting an apology from Kathy Widmer, Vice President of Marketing, on the Motrin website. Kudos for that. Many other companies would have stonewalled or been paralyzed into inaction.
Third: Online communities are here to stay, and if you can communicate with online communities in a manner that shows you respect and understand them, and most importantly, that you are listening to what they are telling you, you can really help your products to succeed.
As Widmer said in an extended apology, “One bright spot is that we have learned through this process - in particular, the importance of paying close attention to the conversations that are taking place online.”
If you are a marketer, you would also do well to pay attention.
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