Social media usage has grown dramatically over the past 15 years, especially among older age groups. There are several key benefits of using social media for healthcare organizations and patients. It allows for more targeted messaging to specific groups. It is also a more cost-effective marketing channel than traditional options. Social media can help improve health literacy, fight health misinformation, and raise awareness of important healthcare issues. Several examples are provided of successful social media campaigns for breast cancer awareness and mental health advocacy. Emerging trends in healthcare include increased use of virtual meetings, social media advocacy, and patient education on social platforms.

1. Social Media
and Healthcare
• Rafael Soto Jr.

2. Social media usage
• Social media has evolved dramatically over the past fifteen years.
• The use of social media by adults in the U.S. increased from
five percent in 2005 to seventy-two percent in 2021 (Pew
Research, 2021).
• Between 2011 and 2021, usage of social media in older population
groups grew faster than in younger ones.
• 18-29 years-old 6% (79% to 84%).
• 30-49 years-old 33% (61% to 81%).
• 50-64, years-old 92% (38% to 73%).
• 65 and older, 221% (14% to 45%).

3. 2 key advantages of social
media marketing (1 of 2)
1. More targeted approach
• Targeted messaging means creating content for a specific
target audience.
• This will involve positioning the message for a group of
similar people, – those belonging to a specific
demographic or homogenous group.
• Target messaging can be performed by:
• demographics, geographical location, or
socioeconomic status.
• social media platforms most used by the particular
target audience.

4. 2 key advantages of social
media marketing (2 of 2)
2. More cost-effective
• Patient acquisition cost (PAC)
• Patient acquisition cost (PAC) is the total cost of finding and
acquiring a new patient.
• It is calculated by dividing money spent on a particular
marketing effort by the number of appointments made.
• Social media marketing is relatively inexpensive.
• Social media platforms are free.
• Only cost is time.
• Improved ROI
• Social media marketing generates more larger number of
appointments per money spent on marketing efforts.

5. 3 key Benefits of social media marketing in
healthcare
1. Improves health literacy
• Health literacy is the degree by which individuals have the capacity
to obtain, process, and understand basic health information to make
appropriate health related decisions (CDC, 2020).
• Higher health literacy is associated with improved health
outcomes.
• It is estimated that approximately eighty million adults in the United
States have a limited or low level of health literacy (Hickie et. al.,
2019).
• Population group with low level of health literacy.
• People who are older, Blacks and Hispanics, and people that did
not graduate from high school.

6. Social media can help narrow
the health literacy gap
• Social media offers a platform for individuals to access a wide range of health-
related information from reliable healthcare organizations and patient advocacy
groups.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of
Health, and the National Alliance of Mental Health are just a few examples.
• Social media enables peer-to-peer interactions.
• This enables individuals to connect with others who share similar health
concerns and engage in discussions about their health.
• These interactions can promote health literacy by increasing motivation,
building confidence, and providing a sense of community.
• social media can facilitate the sharing of personal experiences.
• It leads to increased awareness and understanding of health issues.

7. 2. Social media can help in the fight against misinformation
• Health misinformation is defined as information that is false,
inaccurate, and misleading (HHS, n.d.).
• Health misinformation causes confusion and mistrust, which
can lead to poor health outcomes.
• It can also lead to poor health outcomes by undermining public
health efforts (HHS, n.d.).
• Twitter is the social media platform with the most health
misinformation (Suarez-Lledo & Alvarez-Galvez, 2021).
• And when it comes to demographic, people who are older, do not
speak English, or did not graduate from high school are more likely
to be a victim of misinformation.

8. 2 ways how social media can help
in the fight against misinformation
• Being a source of credible and reliable information.
• providing links to credible sources of health information on the
company’s website.
• For example, citing research or the latest information from a
credible health source helps healthcare organizations debunk any
false, inaccurate or misleading health information.
• The CDC or WHO are great sources of credible information.
• Providing personalized messages aimed at those who are most likely to
be victims of misinformation.
• Older people, Black and Hispanic populations, and non-English
speakers are most likely to be victims of misinformation.
• Facebook or YouTube are social media platform of choice.
• Messages can be delivered in the preferred language.

9. 3. Effective tool to raise awareness
• Hospitals can use social media channels for awareness campaigns.
• sharing easy-to-create content:
• infographics, short videos, ads, and links to more detailed, high-
quality content that answers people’s questions or addresses
trending health topics.
• Remind followers about common sense health practices.
• A few examples are promoting the importance of hand washing,
proper nutrition, and exercise.
• seasonal campaigns
• Flu season
• Campaign to improve vaccination rate.

10. How healthcare organizations are leveraging
social media.
• Breast cancer
• Most common cancer in women in the United States (ACS, 2023)
• 1 in of 3 women is diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
• 43,000 die from breast cancer each year.

11. #YESMAMM- Carilion Clinic
• The campaign was aimed at raising awareness about breast cancer and the need for early
detection.
• The campaign was quite simple.
• Women were asked to share their stories or the stories of loved ones who have been deeply
affected by breast cancer.
• The posts led to Carilion Clinic’s landing page, where women could easily learn more, find
nearby clinics and schedule appointments.
• Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were quickly flooded with emotional accounts and support
for the community.
• YESMAMM is considered one of the most successful healthcare marketing campaigns.

12. Mental health
• Mental health is defined as the state of
mental well-being that enables people to
cope with the stresses of life, realize their
abilities, learn and work well, and contribute
to their community (WHO, 2022).
• It enables people to make sound decisions,
build positive relationships, and shape the
world we live in.
• It is estimated that approximately 1 in 5
adults in the U.S. experience mental illness
each year (NIH, 2023).

13. #HereForYou-Instagram
• the campaign encourages users to open up about their
struggles with mental health and join the global conversation.
• The campaign was created specifically to make a positive
social impact by supporting its users suffering from mental
disorders and helping them find appropriate help.
• The campaign features three individuals who have built
positive communities of support on Instagram for those
struggling with mental illness.
• Instagram’s latest campaign not only opens up the
conversation around mental health but provides easy access
to communities and resources in support for those who are
struggling.

14. 5 Social media trend in
healthcare (1 of 3)
1. Virtual meeting
• Virtual meetings are real-time interactions that take place over the Internet using
integrated audio and video, chat tools, and application sharing.
• Telemedicine
• It enables video or phone conversations between patients and their health care
providers.
• Enables patients to talk to a health practitioner from the comfort of their home
or office.
• It also makes fitting a doctor’s appointment easier to fit into a busy schedule.
2. Advocacy
• An effective social media advocacy strategy can turn an organization’s loyal customers
into brand advocates.
• A brand advocate is someone who loves and trusts the organization.
• He or she is voluntarily willing to promote the services on their own social media
channels.’
• Patients, employees, influencers.

15. 5 Social media trend in
healthcare (2 of 3)
3. Social Media Is A Powerful Tool For Healthcare Professionals.
• Social media provides healthcare professionals (HCP) with tools that enable
them to share information.
• Popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and
TikTok allow HCPs to debate health care policies, promote health behaviors,
engage with the public, and educate and interact with patients, caregivers,
students, and colleagues.
4. Social audio
• Social audio is a term used to describe a type of social networking that
involves audio communication.
• Instead of relying on texts and images, members of the social media platform
communicate using audio messages. Social audio is similar to a conference
call.
• The host sets the agenda and guides the conversation.

16. 5 Social media trend in
healthcare (3 0f 3)
5. Patient education
• When it comes to keeping people healthy, education is
the first line of defense against any illness.
• Patient education is the practice of informing patients
about treatment plans, potential outcomes, and other
information that impact their health and wellness.
• Because social media can reach large numbers of people
quickly, medical practitioners and healthcare
organizations are leveraging social media to inform their
patients maintain and restore health.