Healthcare Takes An About Face with Social Media

8 in 10 Internet Users Go Online for Health Information

More physician practices and hospitals are starting to embrace Facebook as an important tool in their arsenal of marketing tactics. As marketing dollars shrink, competition intensifies, and more people look to social media as a way to become informed, empowered healthcare consumers, any hospital or practice would be wise to consider how social media can enhance their existing marketing plans. We’re now in the era of Health 2.0 – using social software and its ability to promote collaboration between patients, their caregivers, medical professionals, and other stakeholders in health. It’s really pretty cool when you think about it.

Consider this: eight in 10 Internet users go online for health information. Sure, there are things to consider like staffing, HIPAA, content and more, but can you really afford to be absent from this space and let your competitors be the only voice in the discussion?

I’ve spent the last week looking at a variety of healthcare brands – both hospitals and physician practices – and how they’re using Facebook as a marketing and commnications tool. Some are early adopters and recognize that as their younger patients age, more of them will seek information online rather than schedule an appointment with their doctor. After all, it’s faster and easier than ever to get information online. One caveat here – accessing information online doesn’t replace the value of seeing your physician face-to-face but can certainly help you ask the right questions.

Here are a few examples of Facebook tactics used by healthcare providers that I think are pretty interesting:

Arkansas Children’s Hospital has a feature on their Facebook page where visitors can make an online donation. They also make it easy to access their RSS feed for current news and information. Another great feature is a link to a blog, Change of Face, that features updates about their medical team that has developed an international reputation for repairing clept lips and palates as well as vascular malformations.

Scripps Health uses a sunflower photo as an icon – not a building – which is a nice change from the facility images that many hospitals and health systems use. On their Facebook page, Scripps uses YouTube and Twitter tabs, along with a really helpful Jobs tab. Another nice feature is photos of their medical team that provided aid to victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Another way to use photos is to connect them with copy. The LaJolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre uses patient stories as a way to build credibility for the practice.

Facebook also offers a Reviews tab. Macarthur OB/GYN, based in Irving, Texas, does a great job with posting reviews on their page. What better endorsement is there than satisfied patients? They also have great photos of moms and their babies.

The City of Hope in Los Angeles uses Facebook to tell their fans about the urgent need for blood platelet donors. They also use real estate on their page to promote their ranking on the U.S. News & World Report list of America’s Best Hospitals.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital recently used their Facebook page to promote their relationship with ResearchMatch, a secure and convenient online Web portal where people can be matched with research studies.

M.D. Anderson has a news page that features a Boxes tab which is home to del.icio.us bookmarks and dozens of interesting links.

Lastly, more brands are using Facebook in interesting ways to let people know what they can expect from becoming a fan. Reese’s is a great example, as is Martha Stewart. Our agency recently developed a similar tactic for Dublin Methodist Hospital’s Facebook page. We created an engaging graphic similar to a Web tile that quickly lets the viewer know the benefits of becoming a fan.

Facebook and other tools in our Web 2.0 world enable regular people – not just the tehnologically savvy – to create online content. Social media on the Internet are empowering, engaging and educating consumers and providers in healthcare. This evolution seems to be taking health reform much farther than anyone in Washington, DC.