By Amanda Sounart, associate editor
While some people fear it, others revere it. It’s the next wave of marketing, customer service, sales and trendy technology all rolled into one. What is it? It’s social media and it is the next great marketing medium for the masses.
Social media creates an open dialogue among consumers and the companies they patronize. Instead of sending one-sided messages through broadband, cable and radio airwaves, social media allows companies to reach out and touch their audience, and the audience can touch back.
For healthcare, like any industry, social media is a growing entity that carries a new set of pros and cons. More than ever before, patients are viewing themselves as consumers. They want to do their research before they even set foot in a facility, which in turn has healthcare systems looking for better ways to market themselves. Sites such as www.HealthGrades.com, www.RateMDs.com and even the government-run www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov allow consumers to review ratings from their peers on physicians and healthcare facilities so they can make an educated decision about where to seek care.
Social media is one way for facilities and healthcare providers to get involved with their patients and offer information at the speed of cyberspace. Not only do social networking sites allow facilities to cater to the needs of patients and potential patients, but they also allow them to monitor online discussions about their quality of care.
"We use Twitter as a tool to reach out to angry and confused patients," said Marc Needham, director of Web technology for Scripps Health in San Diego, California. "We've had some reasonably significant successes in treating Twitter as a concierge service for a narrow segment of our patient population."
Twitter is a micro-blogging site that allows the user to update their "followers" with quick status updates, called "tweets," that are 140 characters or less. Those who use it can monitor the updates from the people they follow. For marketers, including hospitals and healthcare providers, the updates allow them to monitor any complaints that the consumer might have and address them quickly.
Needham was recently awarded a Gold Award for "Off the Wall" marketing from Healthcare Communicators of San Diego for his use of Twitter in promoting Scripps Health.
Other health systems are finding new and creative uses for social networking. Innovis Health in Fargo, North Dakota, used Twitter to keep local residents updated on emergency services during the recent flooding. In addition, media outlets that were "following" Innovis were able to pick up the "tweets" and broadcast the alerts immediately.
Social networking has become so contagious for spreading fast, up-to-date information that even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is using social networking to spread news about product recalls.
However, Twitter and other sites such as Facebook© and MySpace™ must be used responsibly. The same transparency that allows facilities to better understand their patients means privacy is virtually non-existent.
"It is a delicate line for a healthcare company to walk given the sensitive and private nature of the comments some people make about their own health," said Needham. "We're a corporation and have to remain hyper-aware of that fact as we reach out to patients through emerging channels like Twitter."
© 2009. AMN Healthcare, Inc. All Rights Reserved.