TRG Ebook - Healthcare and Social Media

ebook Ser ies: Volume 9
the promise behind the brand.

Healthc are and Social Media
Healthcare and
Social Media
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©The Russo Group, 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
How Is Social Media Relevant To The Healthcare Industry?.......................................................................................................3

What Are The Benefits?.........................................................................................................................................................................4
How Does This Affect Me?....................................................................................................................................................................6
Who’s Using This, and What Are They Using?................................................................................................................................8
What’s a Really Inspiring Case Study On This?........................................................................................................................... 12

How is Social Media

relevant to the
Healthcare industry?
In past ebooks, you’ve seen the impact that Social Media can have on all businesses
and consumers. Social Media can raise awareness, help establish a brand identity, and even make
connections. Social Media can also help a business grow by finding employees, driving traffic to the
business itself, and eventually raising profits because of company visibility. So, if this applies to most major
industries, why should the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical industries be out of the loop?

What are the

benefits?
Social Media and Healthcare can absolutely
benefit one another. Social Media benefits from
having massive, reputable businesses (like major hospitals
and pharmaceutical manufacturers) using their networks,
which in turn can promote the reputation of the networking
site. For example: Let’s say that West Jefferson General
Hospital in New Orleans decides to get a Flickr account.
Community members know that some of the best doctors
and staff members work at that hospital and now think that
since these community figureheads use Flickr, it must be
pretty sound. Then they become members, the site grows
and word of mouth begins to spread like wildfire.

On the
flipside,
Healthcare businesses can benefit
from Social Media by networking with
other industry leaders and potential
consumers, showcasing their mission
and greatest assets in a visual medium,
and by helping to solidify their image in
the minds of other Social Media users.

How does
this affect
me?
If you are anyone living within the
borders of the United States right now, you
are (or will be) directly affected by the healthcare
industry. This industry encompasses anything and
everything concerning the physical welfare of our
nation’s citizens. It is staggering how much this
industry will play a role in your day.

So, what does

Social Media have to do
with any of this?
A lot. Social Media can bring the whole industry to your fingertips. For example: Let’s
say that you have a cold. You log into your Facebook page while you spend the day home from work
and stumble across a page for some pharmaceutical company that lists a vaccine that it has produced
along with a list of local pharmacies near you that carry the vaccine. You also find everything you’d
ever want to know about the business along with other things you find interesting. Bam. You’ve made
a personal connection with a branch of the healthcare industry, and you’ve even benefited from it by
becoming more aware.

Who’s using this, and

what are they using?
You’d be surprised by how many healthcare-related companies are using Social
Media. Not only is the industry utilizing existing outlets of networking, but they are also creating new
networks and communities to meet the growing impact. There are communities created by pharmaceutical
or healthcare companies for a brand or corporate effort, communities exclusive to physicians or nurses,
and even networks created for industry observers. The business of managing the healthcare industry’s
social media endeavors is a business in itself.
To see a comprehensive list of companies using social media, go to http://www.doseofdigital.com/

healthcare-pharma-social-media-wiki/

What about
Hospitals?
Well according to Ed Bennett, a Hospital
Web Manager:
410 Hospitals total are using Social Media.

202 Hospitals have YouTube channels.
219 Hospitals have Facebook pages.
297 Hospitals have Twitter accounts.
48 Hospitals have their own Blogs.
For a list of all 410 hospitals and links to their respective

pages, go to http://ebennett.org/hsnl/

Popular Types of
Healthcare Social Media
Blogs: DiabetesMine, WebMD, HealthMatters, NYT HealthBlog
Microblogs: Live Strong, Stupid Cancer
Social Networking: OrganizedWisdom, PatientsLikeMe, DailyStrength,
NursesRecommendDoctors
Podcasts: Johns Hopkins Medical Podcasts, Mayo Clinic
Social Sharing: Flickr, You Tube, ICYou
Forums: Revolution Health Groups, Google health Groups

How does
America
search Health
Information?
36% want to see what others have to say

about treatment or medication
34% use social media, 46% use health

portals, and 67% use search engines
21% use Wikipedia

What’s a really
inspiring case study
on this?
The Mayo Clinic
The Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice
in the world. It is also a flagship for hospitals wanting to integrate Social Media into the
brand image. Apart from the group’s go-to website, The Mayo Clinic also has a site exclusive
for its Social Networking efforts. At http://sharing.mayoclinic.org/ visitors can check out The
Mayo Clinic’s sprawling blog and find links to all of the clinic’s Social Media accounts. The site is
interactive and designed for patients, families, friends, and Mayo Clinic staff to share stories and
find support as well as integrate several blogs and research announcements in one central area.

RUSSO IS A STRATEGIC BRANDING AGENCY –

AND AS A BRANDING AGENCY, WE ARE BELIEVERS.
Here, we believe in the promise behind the brand.

And here, we believe that changing the conversation motivates consumer behavior.
Through the use of consumer insight, we develop branding initiatives for our clients
that form emotional connections with their consumers.
For more information on branding, social media

or to learn more about The Russo Group, drop us a line, we would love to hear from you.
116 E. Congress St., Downtown Lafayette, LA 70501 | 337.769.1530 | F 337.769.1531

www.therussogroup.com | www.razorbrandingblog.com | jaci@therussogroup.com

Healthcare and
Social Media
©The Russo Group, 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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ebook Ser ies: Volume 9

the promise behind the brand.

CLICK SCREEN TO BEGIN.

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How Is Social Media Relevant To The Healthcare Industry?.......................................................................................................3

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How is Social Media

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What are the

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So, what does

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Who’s using this, and

To see a comprehensive list of companies using social media, go to http://www.doseofdigital.com/

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410 Hospitals total are using Social Media.

For a list of all 410 hospitals and links to their respective

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36% want to see what others have to say

34% use social media, 46% use health

21% use Wikipedia

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RUSSO IS A STRATEGIC BRANDING AGENCY –

Here, we believe in the promise behind the brand.

For more information on branding, social media

116 E. Congress St., Downtown Lafayette, LA 70501 | 337.769.1530 | F 337.769.1531

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