Slow movement by regulators has been previously cited as a major obstacle for health organizations engaging with consumers on social media channels. Interestingly though, mid-sized health care organizations like hospitals, medical software companies, and smaller pharmaceutical companies are driving social innovation and have already created a library of best practices that risk-averse organizations of all sizes can follow.
We’ve created the white paper Health Care and Social Media: 5 Key Trends to Prepare For Success to help organizations effectively use social media channels to engage with stakeholders, share knowledge and information, and gain insights from the online health community.
A recent global study by IMS Health found that regulatory bodies actually scored higher in terms of engagement and social media innovation than health care organizations. In other words, regulators understand the value of social media and the great opportunity for health care organizations to fully realize the rewards if they don’t shy away simply because of associated risks.
The benefits of social media far outweigh the risks and new technology has helped to solve many of the perceived obstacles. From advanced filtering to secure publishing environments, IT, and Social Relationship Platforms are driving social media adoption.
As IMS Health notes, “With regulatory clarity expected in the near term, companies should no longer hide behind uncertainties. For health care professionals, social media is a clear differentiator, bringing them closer to patients and their real needs. Regulators are utilizing social media increasingly to tap more deeply into the health care discussion. Integrating social media into the general marketing, product branding and corporate identity process will enable companies to engage more fully in the discussion around health care, to show corporate responsibility, and to support patients.”
In this white paper, we’ll cover the key trends shaping the future of health care and help your organization prioritize the tactics and channels that deliver the most impact with minimal risk.
You’ll discover:
- Why regulatory bodies are actually outpacing health organizations in terms of social media engagement. It’s time for health organizations to act now before they fall way too far behind patient preferences.
- The best practices that have already been set by mid-sized organizations. Learn from those on the front lines and harvest some fruit.
- The huge advantage of trust. Health professionals have an untapped asset of trust among the public. This can be turned into huge brand equity and help keep their organization top of mind during the patient journey.
- Social media plays a key role in the patient journey. Learn how it can be used to efficiently to fuel drive new patient inquires, offer pastoral support, and create loyalty.
- Security and IT are making huge strides to mitigate risk. Compliance is getting easier and technology can solve many of the challenges that have prevented health care organizations from entering social media conversations in the past.
- Listening can go beyond simply monitoring brand reputation. There is much to learn by gathering information about consumer attitudes, actions and behaviors, not to mention feedback about new initiatives and improve quality of service.
Although the numbers look promising, with 23 of the top 50 global pharmaceutical manufacturers currently adopting some level of health care-related social media engagement, it’s clear that health care organizations need to invest in social media strategies to catch up to other industries.
Download the Health Care and Social Media: 5 Key Trends to Prepare For Success white paper and learn to recognize, and prioritize, the new opportunities relevant to health care. With a strong foundation in place—one that includes security, compliance, educated engagement, and employee advocacy—your health care organization will be able to confidently engage with customers and scale up investment.
The post Health Care Organizations Can No Longer Defer Social Media Adoption—Are You Prepared? appeared first on Hootsuite Social Media Management.
Health Care Organizations Can No Longer Defer Social Media Adoption—Are You Prepared?
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