Healthcare Orgs at the Facebook BBQ

Editor's Notes

2. A lot of people have compared Social Media to a cocktail party. They say, listen to the conversation, be polite, talk to people, don’t be a wallflower. But I think if social media is a cocktail party...
3. ...then Facebook is a backyard barbecue. People are chatting with their friends, looking at photos of their nieces and nephews, and planning their high school reunion. They don’t care about your organization. So, as a health care organization, when you make your Facebook Page, don’t come to the bbq and be this guy.
4. This is a mission statement that I got off of a hospital website. It works well as a mission statement, and it’s fine if your organization has one - But if you have one - live it, don’t put it on your Facebook Page. Not only will nobody read it, they will leave your page, and never return. If you want to attract fans to your page - here is what you need to do:
5. Welcome them. Engage them. (this means interact with them - Facebook is a relationship medium that allows for 2-way communication) Inform them. (they are probably looking for information)Entertain them. (you do serious work, but your organization is made up of people - let the show their human side) Reward them. Especially if they Like your page - if you provide some sort of benefit they will appreciate it. Educate them. You are the authority-help quash the spread of misinformation - Be the voice of reason in a world of media that can be quick to jump on the hysteria bandwagon.
6. Welcome them. The default setting for Facebook Pages is to send new visitors to the Wall (where a stream of status updates is displayed.) Don’t do this. This is like plopping someone in the middle of a lecture on a topic they are not familiar with. If someone is coming to your Facebook Page for the first time, take them to a landing Page like this one. Ask them to click the Like button. Maybe give a brief description of what you do and the benefits of Liking your Page. Tell them what to do after they click the like button. Not only do people appreciate clear directions, but if you are looking to increase your fan base research shows that landing pages are the way to go.
7. InformThis is a great example from the Univ. of Md. Medical Center. They are using a custom tab to link to their Ask the Expert feature. People can ask specific doctors in the appropriate specialty questions about their symptoms. Patients are seeking information about what is wrong with them - Give it to them. (with the appropriate disclaimers)
8. EntertainOk, now this is an example of an individual, not an organization, but she does a wonderful job of using humor to vent her frustration about her disease, and at the same time she provides a supportive environment where other sufferers can just let it hang out.
9. Provide diversions. Right now about 200 million people per month are playing Farmville on Facebook. Give them something better to do. These are a few apps that The Healthy Social project developed around blood donation and flu vaccines. While these are not full blown games, these apps combine the social feature of online games with the mission of getting the word out about these issues.
10. Virtual gifts - another social, interactive way to engage friends and families of patients.
11. The Cleveland Clinic partnered with Cleveland’s professional teams to promote healthy behaviors.They sponsored a contest where fans created their own videos. When you provide desirable prizes, like tickets to professional sports events, you can get tons of submissions. And if your contest is tied to public voting, you get more activity on your page as entrants ask their facebook friends to vote for them. Use the viral nature of social networks. That’s what it’s there for.
12. Promote your live events on Facebook. There is an Events tab that allows you to invite people to your live events.Don’t forget to take photos during the event.
13. Because after the event is over, upload the photos to your Facebook Page and ask your fans to tag themselves. Every time a person tags a photo, it shows up in their Facebook news stream, visible to their friends, who may not know about your organization.
14. Educate with short videos.Short means 1 or 2 minutes, because online that is all people have the attention for.
15. Improve your Recruiting. Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles has a custom tab for their job board. They've credited social media as responsible for better recruitment of patients, doctors, and support staff. They've had people find them on Facebook and, without prompting, tell others that they were a preferred employer because of their social media sites.