1. Why Social Media are Essential
to the Future of Health Care,
and How You Can Get Started
Lee Aase
Manager, Syndication and Social Media
Mayo Clinic
#ISHMPR
October 4, 2009

2. What’s with Medical PR and
Marketing Society Acronyms?
• WHPRMS
• MHSCN
• SHSMD
• FSHPRM
• ISHMPR

3. The One Percent Solution

4. Help you shoot down arguments
that social media tools...
• ...aren’t worth your time and money
• ...are too risky for your organization
• ...are beyond your capability to
implement, either because of cost or
complexity
• ...are optional

5. Help you make the case that
social media tools are...
• Immensely powerful
• Consistent with your organization’s
values (or should be)
• Free (or ridiculously inexpensive)
• and...

7. About Lee Aase (@LeeAase)
• B.S. Political Science
• 14 years in politics and government at
local, state, national levels
• Mayo Clinic since April 2000
− Media relations consultant
− Manager since 2004
− Media Relations/Research Comm
− Syndication and Social Media

8. A Grandpa who has seen the
power of Facebook first-hand

9. Disclaimers
• These results not typical
• Use as directed
• Read and follow label directions
• Side effects may include vertigo, watery
eyes, crackberry thumb and iPhone
application addiction
• Social media tools are an essential part of a
balanced communications diet
• If insufficient media coverage persists,
consult your communications doctor
• Batteries not included
• Some assembly required
• Your mileage may vary

12. Star Tribune Values and The
Changing Media Landscape
• 1998 $1.2 Billion
• 2006: $530 Million
• Emerged from
bankruptcy last
week

13. Reasons to Care about Social
Media: Risks are Unavoidable
• Anyone (especially detractors) can
− Start a blog
− Launch a YouTube channel
• A significant portion of your
employees are in Facebook now (e.g.
>5,000 at Mayo Clinic)
• ROI = Risk of Ignoring (Hat tip: USCG)

14. The Most Important Word
in Web 2.0

16. Cutting Edge Tool Circa 1989

17. No genius necessary...

18. Use tools like a Minnesotan...

19. Intro to Today’s FREE Tools
Blogs RSS
Podcasts Social Networks
Skype YouTube
Wikis Twitter
Slideshare uStream

20. Intro to Blogs
• Just an easy-to-publish Web site that
allows comments
• Blogs in Plain English - Lee LeFever

21. RSS = Really Simple Syndication
• Lets you easily track dozens of blogs
or other Web sites without surfing
• Truly opt-in “email”
• RSS “baked in” to IE 7, Safari
• Google Reader a free Web option

22. Podcasts
• TiVo for Audio (and now video)
• Don’t need an iPod to use
• Series of segments to which you can
subscribe via RSS
• iTunes free for PC or Mac
• Create your own FREE podcast (listed
in iTunes) through SMUG

23. Social Networking Sites

25. Wikis
• Collaborative editing tools
• Wikipedia the most famous
• 2.9 million articles in English
• Definitive stories quickly on
− 35W Bridge Collapse
− Virginia Tech shooting

27. YouTube
• World’s second largest search engine
• Google bought for $1.65 Billion
• “The world has voted, and we want to
watch videos on YouTube.” - Andy
Sernovitz, SocialMedia.org

29. Other Important Platforms
• Slideshare.net: YouTube for PowerPoint
and Keynote
• uStream.tv: Your own global television
channel
• Mix and Match

31. A Taste of Tweetcamp
• Understanding the Phenomenon
• Exploring Applications

32. Twitter vs. Facebook
• Facebook is primarily for strengthening
existing connections (or re-establishing
former ones.) For your friends.
• Twitter enables you to connect with
people who have common interests.
For the friends you don’t know yet.

33. Twitter vs. Blogs
• Twitter is a micro-blogging platform
• Limited length reduces writer’s block
• Blogs provide opportunity for more
thoughtful reflection and development
− Tweeting = great way to take notes on a
live event
− Blog = platform for review/synthesis
− Twitter = great for spreading word about
posts

34. 5 Reasons Twitter Beats Email
• Polonius’ proverb pertains
• No expectation to read and respond to
every message
• Conversations open and discoverable
• Direct messages can reach recipients
with priority
• Blocking or unfollowing punishes
abuses

35. Twitter Hashtags
• Enable easy gathering, especially
around an event, such as:
− #hcsm
− #ISHMPR
• Follow in search.twitter.com or log
into room on Tweetchat.com
• Create a hashtag simply by using it in
a tweet

36. Making Twitter More Productive
• Desktop Applications
− Tweetdeck
− Seesmic
• Phone Applications
− Twittelator
− Tweetie
− Twitterific
• Various Web sites, e.g. HootSuite,
CoTweet, Tweetchat

37. Twitter Case Study #1: Listening

39. Ensuing Conversation

41. Twitter Case Study #2:
“Tweetup” in Baltimore
Me: Are you based in Baltimore?
Me: I’m going to be there Tuesday for this conference.
(asae.center.or/hcc) on a panel RU available late pm?
Me: I’m flying out Tues at 6:45 p.m. Any avail in the later
afternoon? I think my panel is done about 2:30

42. Hospitals Using Social Media
(via @EdBennett)

43. Growth of YouTube vs. Twitter

45. Mayo Clinic’s Social Media
Experience

46. Survival Stories
http://tinyurl.com/32xbjx

47. Sources of Information Influencing
Preference for Mayo Clinic
Word of mouth 84
Stories in the media 57
MD recommendation 44
Advertising 27
Internet/Websites 26
Personal experience 24
Mailings to home 18
0 20 40 60 80 100
47

48. Mayo Clinic Medical Edge
News Media Syndications

49. First Foray in New Media
• Existing Medical Edge radio mp3s
• Launched Sept. ‘05; Downloads up
8,217 percent Oct. vs. Aug.

50. Step 2: More, Longer Podcasts

55. Total Cost for Mayo Clinic
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
$0.00

56. Key Tool: Flip Video Camera*
• Affordable for all campuses (and you)
• Recording interviews (with tripod)
improves existing processes
• Authenticity without writer’s cramp
• Provides potential blog resources
− Audio of full interview
− Video excerpts
• Limited group of video editors to ease
adoption, ensure quality

57. Cost for a Standard Definition
Flip Video Camera
$150.00
HD available for an additional $80

58. HD: Worth the investment

59. podcasts.mayoclinic.org

60. newsblog.mayoclinic.org

61. Sharing Mayo Clinic
• Gathering global Mayo community
− Patients telling their stories
− Employee bloggers recruited from
throughout organization
− Video profiles of patients/staff
• Hub to integrate Mayo social media
• Interactive companion to print edition
• sharing.mayoclinic.org

62. sharing.mayoclinic.org

64. Complying with HIPAA
• Comments moderated to prevent privacy
breaches
− Patients can divulge own info in
comments
− When comments aren’t from patient, de-
identify
• Get HIPAA releases for special
comments or video we shoot and upload

65. Where Sharing Mayo Clinic Fits
• News Blog - Breaking research news;
“Hard” news - Like U.S News, Time
• Podcast Blog - Evergreen “news you
can use” - Like Prevention
• Sharing Mayo Clinic - Features; behind
the scenes at Mayo Clinic, and stories
from patients in their own words - Like
People

66. Other Blogs...
• Health Policy Center Blog
• Physician Update Blog - For referring
MDs but not limited to them
• Diversity in Education Blog
• Advancing the Science - Medical
science blog - our medical version of
Scientific American

67. Yearly Cost for a
Customized Blog
$75.00

68. Old-Style Online Newsroom vs.
MacGyver Online Newsroom
• Web 1.0 Online Newsroom
− Typically purchased from a Vendor
− Costly - up to $10,000 + monthly fee
− Password-Protected Access
• “MacGyver” Online Newsroom
− DIY
− $45/year or $0.12/day
− Open to customers/patients/links

69. Two Case Studies of Mainstream
Media Facilitated by Social Media
• Wall Street Journal Health Blog
− Pitched via Facebook
− Previewed on News Blog
− Embedded from YouTube
• CBS Radio Network
− Flip audio downloaded from news blog
made national network air

74. Answers to Objections
• “But what about the cost in staff time to
maintain all of these social media
platforms? They’re not really that
cheap!”
− AT&T free phone service in 1969
− Pitney Bowes free fax machines and
supplies in 1989
− YouTube, Facebook and Twitter free in
2009

75. Stephen Covey’s “8th Habit”
Going beyond effectiveness to greatness
“Find your voice and inspire
others to find theirs”

76. “8th Habit” Opportunity
I can go to any group, and I do it all the time, all over the world, and I
ask a simple question: “How many honestly believe that the vast
majority of the workforce in your organizations possess more talent,
more intelligence, more capability, more creativity, more resourcefulness
than their present jobs require or even allow them to use?” Literally,
almost everyone raises their hands…. Think of the loss of what we could
call “voice,” of people’s intelligence, capability, creativity. And yet I
can ask the next question: … “How many feel pressured to produce
more for less?” and you know what, the same amount of hands go up.
Now just put those two questions together: Here there’s this enormous
capability and talent and intelligence, and also this great pressure to
produce more for less, and they’re not able to even use it.
-- Stephen Covey

77. Giving voice to patients...

79. Inspiring Employees
Dear staff,
This 4 minute video actually made me tear
up…the patients mentioning our Judd
Sessions, classes and pamphlets…in relation
to their satisfaction with their care. How
wonderful to hear.
The patient/family testimonials reminded me
how we are making a difference through patient
education in the lives of our patients/families.

81. Jillayn Hey’s “Remarkable” Story
“One statement has stuck out above all
of the medical jargon written by the
surgeons and various nurses who cared
for me, and that is this: ‘patient's stay
was unremarkable.’ Well, although
things went fairly smoothly after a
difficult surgery, I would like to say that
there was nothing unremarkable about
my experience with Mayo.”

82. Therapeutic Storytelling...
“I recently read an (Utne Reader) article ... (which said) that
through telling our personal stories of illness and disease, we
assist in creating a new story of wellness that facilitates
healing and in turn directs a person towards recovery. This is
just one aspect that Sharing Mayo Clinic provides. It is not
only an opportunity for many patients and perhaps future
patients to tell their unique stories to work their way towards
health but it also provides a voice for its employees to share
parts of their daily work which I know must include joy and
sorrow as some of us become well and some of us
unfortunately do not. In my opinion, this is just another area
that Mayo is ahead of the curve in caring for its patients and
obviously their employees as well.”

84. Don’t (just) pitch the
media.
Be the media.

85. The Next Big Thing:
Radio Syndication

86. Healthline becomes Medical
Edge Weekend
• Host is Mayo Clinic M.D. with 20 years
local radio experience
• Previous syndication not feasible
− 1999: Unlikely profitable
− 2008: $20K/month unavailable
• Opportunity for creative application of
social media tools

87. The MacGyver Syndication Plan
• Production continues at KROC-AM
• Segments delivered to affiliates as
mp3 files for next week’s broadcast
• Topic for live production posted to
blog, promoted via Twitter
• Listen live through audio stream from
flagship station
• Podcasts posted 9 days later

88. Medical Edge Weekend Results
• Already a “win” as formerly local
program is now on >10 stations,
including international
• Gradual growth is practical because
costs are nearly $0.00
• Unbridling a physician’s passion
• Significant new social media content

90. Follow Medical Edge Weekend
Progress
• radio.mayoclinic.org
• #mayoradio
• @mayoclinic

91. Enhancing Distribution of
Patient-Generated Content
• Alerted to interesting video of elderly
couple playing piano in Gonda atrium
• Embedded in Sharing Mayo Clinic,
posted to Facebook, Tweeted on 4/7/09
• Video had been seen 1,005 times in six
preceding months since upload

92. The next day...

93. Six days later...

94. April 22

95. Sunday, May 3

98. May 4

99. Cinco de Mayo

100. May 10

102. May 11

103. May 12

104. A sampling of the comments...

105. May 15

106. Early Morning May 26

107. May 26, 2009: Live in Studio
Good Morning America

109. May 28, 2009

110. Results to Date
• More than 4.6 million views on YouTube
• More than 1.4 million views on Sharing
Mayo Clinic
• Before posting to Sharing Mayo Clinic:
1,000 views in six months
• After posting, Facebooking and
Tweeting: 5,000 views per hour

111. Lessons
• Your mileage may vary, but...
• You’ll go a lot farther if you get a car.

112. Summary
• Twitter, Facebook, YouTube: $0
• Sharing Mayo Clinic blog: $75
• Bringing joy to the world through
music: Priceless

113. Immense Potential
• Marketing we couldn’t buy at any price
− 500,000 annual unique patients,
50,000 employees as ambassadors
• More efficient care delivery
− Patient support groups
− Chronic disease management
− Workplace Collaboration
• Free versions let you prove concept,
gauge readiness

115. Tips on Personal Steps to
Explore
• Establish a permanent personal email
• Get profiles in Facebook, LinkedIn
• Get a Twitter account
• Get a Flip camera (or iPhone 3G S?)
• Create a personal YouTube account
• Start a personal Blog

116. Visit Mayo Clinic Social Media
Sites
• Follow, subscribe or “Fan”
− http://twitter.com/mayoclinic
− http://www.youtube.com/user/mayoclinic
− http://sharing.mayoclinic.org/
− http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mayo-Clinic/
7673082516

117. Starter Steps for Organizations
• Claim your Twitter “handle”
• Create a Facebook “fan” page
• Create a YouTube channel
• For Extra Credit: If you have
organizational commitment, create a
multi-author blog

118. The Social Media
Pyramid

120. Maslow’s Hierarchy

121. A Well-Balanced Social Media
Diet

124. “Kids will take a chance.
If they don’t know,
they’ll have a go.”
-- Sir Ken Robinson, TED 2006

125. “Your kids aren’t
smarter than you are.
They’re just not
afraid to look dumb.”