What is Social Media?

Social Media is a 21^st century medium that utilizes web-based technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue. This form of communication can take place in many forms:

• Blogs
• Microblogging
• Podcasts:
• Social networking:
• Internet forums:

Websites associated with social media doesn’t just provide consumers with information, but rather, gives them the opportunity to interact in a two-way communication. Social media empowers participants, as strong emphasis is placed on sharing thoughts and experiences of individuals, often for the purpose of making a better or more-informed choice. 

Findings from key research reports document how influential social media is in the last few years: Social networking now accounts for 11% of all time spent online in the US.[1] 21% of U.S. adults online publish or own a blog, 55% of U.S. adults online have 1 or more social networking profiles. Reporters estimate that 57.5% of Internet users, or 127 million people, will use a social network at least once a month in 2010. By 2014, nearly two-thirds of all Internet users, or 164.9 million people, will be regular users of social networks.[2]

The astounding increase in the amount of time people are spending on social media websites is shifting the way people spend their time online. These changes have implications for how people communicate, share and interact within their normal daily lives. As a result, the global media and publishing industries are faced with new hurdles around the opportunities and risks this new web-based form of communication. Social networks provide competition to traditional advertisers for consumer attention and at the same time, facilitate new and innovative ways for publishers and promoters to connect with their target audiences.

With the great influence that social media has on our generation, is it no wonder why comparisons are being made to more traditional forms of media. Discussions often arise as to which form is more efficient and effective in reaching their target consumers. Traditional media is usually limited to a certain geographic region (e.g. magazines, radio) with a shorter shelf-life; social media on the other hand has the ability to target regions all around the world, with an unlimited shelf-life creating a larger impact. Also, traditional media has a limited time frame in which to create an effect on the consumer and most often only allows for one-way communication.

Social media defies these boundaries by having an unlimited time frame to impact consumers and introduces two-way communication empowering individuals.

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[1] http://venturebeat.com/2010/02/10/54-of-us-internet-users-on-facebook-27-on-myspace/

[2] http://www.emarketer.com/Report.aspx?code=emarketer_2000644



Social Media Impact on Healthcare

The enormous impact social media has in promoting organizations has translated over to the healthcare industry. Medical professionals and healthcare managers have come to realize how powerful the utilization of social media could be in attracting new patients and providing accurate information to individuals. In fact, some of the biggest players within the healthcare sector are utilizing social media on a regular basis: they’re tweeting and blogging about everything from a fast-spreading virus to advice on how to lose weight. Currently in the United States, 216 hospitals use some form of social media: 83 hospitals have a Facebook page and 132 have twitter accounts.

One of the best examples of a renowned hospital demonstrating effective social media skills is the Mayo Clinic. Word of mouth used to be the one of their biggest driving forces used to build their brand, yet now the Mayo Clinic has built a virtual word of mouth machine. What they offer:[1]

• Facebook
•  Podcasts
• Social Media Center

Along with Mayo Clinic, several healthcare industry professionals ranging from government officials, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are taking an active hand in social networking. In the United States, Cancer centers such as MD Anderson are developing communities to understand how their patients view their care experiences. Government agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC are using social networks to engage the public during product recalls and in H1N1 flu pandemic preparations. Almost all the top pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms and medical device manufacturers have some social network presence some are partnering with 3^rd party social networks such as PatientsLikeMe and Sermo to communicate and collaborate.

 Besides industry professionals using social media to create awareness, patient online communities have been formed to discuss symptoms, treatments and cures for diseases. Some 60 million consumers are using these new forms of media to interact and share their health experiences online to better serve themselves and future viewers. Online forums where people voluntarily share data about their sickness, environmental conditions, sources of infection, preventive measures and other factors continue to grow, and there are now several dedicated social media websites for healthcare.

One such website with extensive popularity is the social networking site: PatientsLikeMe that host over 65,000 members. This website has created online communities for those suffering similar diseases to discuss their conditions and act as a support system, much like social networks do in real life. People have the opportunity to learn from others and have interactive dialogue with those in the same position as them.

According to a report released by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and California Healthcare Foundation, 61 per cent of adults look online for health information. Of those, 59 per cent have done at least one of the following activities:

-Read someone else’s commentary or experience about health or medical issues on an online news group, website or blog

-Consulted rankings or reviews online of doctors or other providers

-Consulted rankings or reviews online of hospitals or other medical facilities

-Signed up to receive updates about health or medical issues, Listened to a podcast about medical or health issues

These resources allow an internet user to holistically understand a health topic, using the internet as a communications tool, not simply as a medium just to receive information.

It is essential that health care providers using social media convey the most accurate and unbiased information to allow patients to make the best decisions for their health. Reports released earlier this year claim that online patient queries impact their on their own health. Of the information released from the report, patients claimed the following about online queries:

-60% said it affected a decision about how to treat an illness or condition

-56% said it changed their overall approach to maintaining their health or the health of someone they care for

-53% said it led them to ask a doctor new questions, or to get a second opinion

-49% said it changed the way they thought about their diet, exercise or stress management -38% said it affected their decision to see a doctor and 38% said it changed the way they cope with a chronic condition or manage pain.

Even though the idea of involving key healthcare industry players into the realm of healthcare has serious potential benefits, there are certain risks to providing consumers complete freedom over their health. Certain hurdles of combining social media and healthcare are: Consumers might feel so empowered with the healthcare knowledge they have read about on the internet that they choose to not comply with their doctor’s orders. Since the internet is so broadly unregulated, anybody has the capability to provide health-related information causing the web to be prevalent with misinformation—which might lend itself to consumer trust issues if key health care industry groups are thought to be “manipulating” the free flow of information. Also, since patients might not have the most accurate information, it could cause them to engage in activities they see as beneficial but might actually produce a negative effect on their health.

The future of the role of social media in healthcare is likely to just continue escalating. The providers that were sceptical of engage in social networking or connecting to patients online are beginning to realize all the benefits of this two-way communication. Patients are going to continue empowering themselves and learning about preventive measures to control the onset of diseases or different remedies to treat it. Online communities are going to flourish through social communities, and specific disease related support.

Hospitals are moving from experimenting with networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, to strategic use of social media to enhance brand loyalty and recruit new patients. There will be an increase in physicians and other health care providers utilizing social media, which will have the potential of progressing medical research and having more accurate health information infiltrate the web.

However, to have a successful implementation of social media in healthcare—there needs to be emphasis on transparency and accurate information. Customers being empowered, enabled and engaged will no longer tolerate being manipulated by strategic marketing moves. Patients will be demanding for the truth and expecting healthcare to come clean with the real facts. This will allow them to be more conscious about their wellness and make better, more informed decisions about their health

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[1] http://www.ehrbloggers.com/2010/09/social-medias-impact-on-healthcare.html



Tools to Implement Social Media Marketing

To successfully implement social media into your marketing campaign, there are certain strategies businesses should learn and use. As highlighted above, social media is an umbrella term with a variety of different types of communications under it that could be used.

• Blogging
• Microblogging
• Social Networking Website
• Content Aggregation
• Discussion Board/Forums
• Online Video/Channels
• Photo Sharing/Slide Sharing
• Podcasts

These tools are different examples of how an organization can implement social media into their marketing campaign. However, once these strategies are in place and executed, it is also necessary to monitor sales levels and brand recognition. Millions of consumer will be running across your tweets, photos or videos but how many of them are actually clicking on the company website or thinking about purchasing their products. Services like Nielsen’s BuzzMetrics deliver trusted brand metrics, genuine consumer insights and real time market intelligence to help clients apply the power of consumer-generated media to their business.

The social media takeover will not be a short-lived phenomenon, but many experts predict this innovative medium of communication to last for as long as the internet does. The inexpensive, yet highly effective method of connecting organizations to its consumers is a brilliant concept adopted by majorities of businesses that have access to computers. It allows businesses a direct channel of communication to their most important stakeholder—the consumers and gives them the control to present the information they want to their customer. It also helps consumers put a face on their favourite organizations and allow them to have two-way interaction to help answer questions or clear doubts. It is clear now that social media is here to stay, and new forms of communication are being developed as we speak.

Since there is no stopping the burgeoning growth of social media, it might just be better to hop on the bandwagon and connect with the million of internet users looking to communicate, share and learn.

Blogging

Blogs are utilized by individuals to express their opinion or provide commentaries. However, businesses can utilize blogging as a tool to add to their marketing campaign. Organizations have been using blogs since before the introduction of newer social media tactics such as Facebook and Twitter due to its diverse nature. Blogging can be employed as a way to provide detailed information to potential consumers, to receive feedback or to answer questions. Since blogging has the ability to hold more content, it gives companies the ability to really sell their product or service without having a limited word count. Regularly updating a blog will build relationships with the customers, eventually resulting in brand loyalty