Health IT, Hospitals, Patient Engagement

9 Facebook posts that can help hospitals connect with patients

If you’re a hospital on Facebook, hopefully you’ve realized by now that the social networking […]

If you’re a hospital on Facebook, hopefully you’ve realized by now that the social networking site isn’t just a marketing tool.

A page that’s consistently updated with a fresh variety of content, photos and video can attract followers and become a way to not only bolster the hospital’s reputation but also to share interesting information and engage patients in meaningful conversation.

“By setting a standard of having good patient communication and engaging with patients, hospitals are in fact subtly marketing themselves as a cutting edge institution that offers these advantages,” said Nancy Finn, president of Communication Resources and author of E-Patients Live Longer.

But the point is not engagement for engagement’s sake. The real return for hospitals investing in social media is stronger loyalty among patients and new interest from potential patients, so be strategic about what you post and be sure to give users a call to action, added Betsy Weaver, the CEO of healthcare social media content provider Ubicare.

Here are some post ideas I gathered from talking to Finn and Weaver and scouring dozens of hospitals’ pages to see what posts were getting the most feedback.

Patients’ photos and stories. People relate to people. We love reading stories about others who overcame challenges, beat the odds or just did something really cool. Photos and links that share stories of patients (with proper consent, of course) often prompt other users who have had similar experiences to come forward and comment with their own stories, too. Not only does this help create an emotional connection between users and the hospital, but it makes the hospital look good, too.

Weaver said it’s even better if you can encourage patients to post photos and stories themselves. She also suggests driving people back to the hospital in appropriate ways, by including a link to more information about that patient’s condition or a reminder of the hospital’s services. Mayo Clinic is an example of a hospital that does a lot of these posts.

Celebrities. Whether the local minor league baseball team comes to visit the hospital or a cancer patient gets a date with a country music star, posting about local or national public figures or businesses that interact with the hospital will drive interest and engagement.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recently got more than 400 likes and 43 comments on its post about patient Kevin McGuire, who is undergoing cancer treatment and was asked by Taylor Swift to be her date to the American Country Music Awards.That’s an extreme example, but even the involvement of a local leader or prominent business attracts attention. Children’s Hospital Boston got a strong response on a photo post of a check presentation from local Panera Bread restaurants.

Weaver offers a word of caution about these posts, though: Remember the goals of using social media, and keep in mind why it’s relevant that this person is contributing to the hospital. Include a link people can click to learn more about giving to the hospital or about the conditions of the patients the celebrity affected with his or her visit, donation or support.

Giveaways and contests. Regions Hospital in Minnesota does this a lot, giving away anything from tote bags to candy to license plate holders. One post offered a discount at the hospital’s coffee shop and deli for fans who checked in using Facebook.  Another clever one offered prizes to fans who correctly answered a trivia question after watching one of the hospital’s educational videos.

Another word of caution coming from Weaver is that promotions should be a means to an end, not the end itself. If a hospital gives away red tote bags in February, remember to include why the hospital is doing it and what you want the winners to do with the prizes. Make an effort to take these posts beyond superficial and make them beneficial.

Outstanding or interesting accomplishments by staff members. Lots of doctors do interesting side work or have fun hobbies. These posts can be especially effective with smaller hospitals where a lot of the fans are employees or doctors are prominent in the community.

Ohio State’s James Cancer Hospital & Solove Research Institute recently got dozens of likes, comments and shares from a video it posted of its oncology staff members who dressed up as Star Wars characters to celebrate the final radiation treatment for a 5-year-old cancer patient. After watching something like that, who wouldn’t want to work with such a fun, thoughtful staff?

Support community news or events — even (and especially) if they aren’t related to the hospital. If you’re sponsoring or participating in an event or hosting a class, you’d probably post about it without anyone telling you to. But sharing other news and events with Facebook fans gives them a break and re-enforces the message that the hospital is a crucial fixture in the community.

For example, Shriners Hospital for Children worked with IHOP restaurants in several states so that donations to the hospital could be collected at those restaurants on National Pancake Day last week. The hospital got 119 people to share its post that simply asked fans to hit the like button and share if they enjoyed pancakes and informed them of the free pancakes and donation opportunity.

Veteran’s hospitals and others that have a certain niche group within their followers often find this tactic successful, Weaver said. Milwaukee VA Medical Center is one example of a hospital that gets a lot of interaction on its posts about community events.

Hospital donations and milestones. If the hospital is celebrating a milestone anniversary, use trivia questions or photo posts to commemorate the occasion. This may be one way to strike a chord, especially with older users who tend to be less engaged in social media but may have memories they’d like to share.

People also tend to like posts about hospitals receiving donations or other support. When Shriners Hospital for Children won United Airlines’ 10 Million Charity Miles giveaway, its post thanking people for voting got almost 1,300 likes plus 87 comments and 231 shares. This can also be a good way to indirectly promote and talk about the hospital’s clinical priorities.

New research, technology or renovations at the hospital. We like the idea of getting to hear about what’s going on “behind the scenes,” but remember that eye candy is important on social media. Users don’t want to just read about a new piece of surgical equipment, they want to see it and understand what’s so novel about it. Linking to the local newspaper’s coverage of a major happening at the hospital can serve as another way to show that the hospital is engaged in the community.

Re-share what fans are posting. Save time and encourage sharing by recycling content posted by fans of the page. Children’s Hospital Boston encourages fans to share their stories and photos by re-posting a “FANtastic photo of the week.” If a user posts a relevant news story, upcoming event or helpful tip, re-post it and thank the user for sharing. It’s fresh content and another personal connection made with a fan.

General posts about current events, holidays or just about anything. “Some of the most successful Facebook pages are good because there’s a real person or a real team that you know is behind it,” Weaver said.

Something as simple as “Happy Valentine’s Day from the kids of St. Jude!” prompted almost 5,000 likes, 420 comments and 172 shares on St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s page. Another pediatrics institution, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, is especially good at doing posts that let the personality of the poster shine through.

What else can hospital marketers do to engage customers on Facebook? Share your suggestions in the comments.

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