IPHA PRESENTATION 1.12

The Confluence of Public Health & Social Media

Presented to the Illinois Public Health Association

January 11, 2012

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OverviewI. IntroductionII. What Is Social Media?III. Why Does Social Media Matter?IV. What to Know Before Getting StartedV. Suggested Social Media PlatformsVI. Suggested ImplementationVII.“Shark Tank”

Is public health engaged in “social media”—

or “wallflower media?”

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Many Public Health & Non-Profit Initiatives Are Wallflowers• They join networks, but wait for people to find

them• They don’t engage with followers or constituents• They don’t seek out partnerships or alliances• They go back to their marketing comfort zone, but

they don’t reap the results– Typically, they focus on awareness or sales messages– They don’t emphasize the right kind of education

messages

Was this ad an early form of social media?

Your GoalDon’t just come to the dance;find others to dance with.

What Is Social Media?• A definition of marketing

– The exchange of goods and services• A definition of social marketing

– Engaging in communications to facilitate a desired exchange

Traditional Marketing

Dominate the market

Shout out loud

“Me, me, me”

Push the product, service

Advertising

Control

Pursue ‘leads’

Social Media Marketing

Create a community

Listen, then whisper

“Us, us, us”

Pull in people with your message

Word of mouth

Allow

Nurture relationships

A simple definition Using Web-based and mobile technologies that facilitate communications exchanges into interactive dialogue.

What Is Social Media?Option 1—Facebook & Google, Centers of the Universe

What Is Social Media?Option 2—A Universe of Options

Why Does Social Media Matter?• Your competition is there

– Direct and indirect– They are using it more than “once a week”– They are integrating it into daily operations

• Organizations are using it to leverage donations, commitment and participation

• You don’t need to buy space to use it

• You’re using it and you don’t even know it– e.g., Amazon.com reviews

What To Know Before Getting StartedBuilding Blocks for Favorable Engagement

Description, summary of individual, business

Evolves from activity in the

network, tone and quality of

engagement

End product judged by other members based on previous steps. The network

perceives high trust members as influencers

Profile

Identity

Reputation

Trust Profile deepens with connections,

content, group

associations

What to Know Before Getting StartedAsk Smart Questions • Who is on the receiving end of my messages?

Patients? Doctors? Government officials? Do they need me now or do they need me later?

• Where are these people online? • What are my organization’s goals? How can I

influence conversations to meet these goals?• Who will lead your social media marketing

efforts?• Is the organization prepared for the time and

commitment to building our community?

What to Know Before Getting StartedWhere Does Social Media Fit In Your “Marketing Mix?”• Brand/Advertising

– Look, feel and tone

• Public relations– Message, education and

reputation

• Development communications

• Web site– SEO, SMO

Facebook

• The most popular social networking service out there

– “Giving people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.”

– Facebook has nearly 800 MILLION active users• Users may create a personal profile, add other

users as friends and exchange messages, including automatic notifications when they update their profile

• Users may join common interest user groups– Applications available for donations, e.g., “Donate”

• Great for warehousing a lot of content in one simple “package”

Blogging

• An online journal or diary– Make your ideas and opinions “human sounding”

• Archived by time

• An easy way to get introduced to social media– The “my mother rule” of social media

• Ideal for generating discussions

LinkedIn

• The world’s largest professional network– Over 130 million members, growing rapidly

• LinkedIn can be a means to connect to public health executives and decision makers

– LinkedIn is not for “crowds”– http://learn.linkedin.com/non-profits/– Posting questions, providing answers

• LinkedIn’s power– Allows for sharing ideas, resources– Business affiliations– Groups

YouTube

• YouTube is a video sharing Web site where users can upload and share videos

• Ideal for showcasing events, speeches, and professional presentations

– Great recruitment tool– Multiple videos can be shared through the

creation of a channel– Ideal for segmentation

• YouTube is among the top four search engines– Why shouldn’t you be there?

Twitter

• A real-time information network that connects users to the latest information about what they find interesting– Find public streams, follow conversations

• Tweets– 140 characters in length– Think in headlines, not stories– Embed information through links, videos, pictures

• Some people never tweet, they simply use Twitter as a way to get the latest information on their interests– Public health alerts

Suggested Implementation

Suggested ImplementationCreate A Social Media Policy…

…and have people sign off that they will adhere to it

• Clarify what constitutes as social media content• Tone, frequency, grammar, etc.

• Determine and communicate your organization’s attitude toward social media to as many people as possible– Will everyone be welcomed to be a part of “the

dance?”– What are the goals you seek to accomplish?

• Determine who owns the strategy and execution– Suggestion—a three-pronged social media

committee led by Executive Director, Marketing and “on the street” leadership

Suggested ImplementationCreate A Social Media Policy…

• Establish rules of engagement– Off-limit topics and professionalism

• Make training available

• Have a crisis plan– Public health emergencies (H1N1)– Adverse conversations about your organization– Government advocacy and intervention

Suggested ImplementationDevelop A Content Schedule• Mapping out information will help you

determine several components of social media– “Do we have a lot to say? Are we relevant?”– Level of frequency

• Content can come in the form of other people thinking or saying what your organization believes in – Social media = Engage conversations– “Retweets”

• Schedule can coincide with other parts of your operations– Health fairs– Events/health screenings– Speeches– Volunteer/staff recruitment

Suggested ImplementationStart Joining Conversations• Start with one or two platforms and/or channels

• Listen to conversations for a short time

• Create, optimize profiles

• Identify, join and engage groups

• Contribute regularly with value-added content– Avoid sales pitches as much as possible

• Be helpful, professional, proactive and responsive

Suggested ImplementationMonitoring Your Performance

• Monitor what is being said about your cause and organization– Listen to “buzz” to inform future content, message

development– Can also track related ailments and health issues

• Free tools– Google Analytics– SocialOomph.com– CoTweet

• Premium tools– Radian6– Sysmos

Suggested Resources

“Shark Tank”

Take any public health initiativeand discuss how you would showcase it

using social media.

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Thank you.

Michael ShmarakSidney Maxwell

www.sidneymaxwell.commichael.shmarak@sidneymaxwell.com

312.661.9999@SidMaxPR, @shmaraksmpr Twitter

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