Social Media for Health Communications Channels, Challenges and Celebrations

1. Social Media for Health CommunicationsChannels, Challenges and Celebrations Federal Training Center Collaboration Annual Meeting 2012

2. Diane Brodalski Social Media Team Lead

3. Social Media Definition • Internet-based tools for sharing and discussing information. • Refers to activities that integrate technology and social interaction.

4. Social Media Quick Facts

5. Importance of Social Media at CDC • Complements and strengthens traditional CDC health communication • Increases direct user engagement to maintain and increase trust and credibility between CDC and its audiences and stakeholders • Gives CDC the ability to share health information in new spaces • Provides opportunity for CDC to reach new audiences • Allows CDC to listen to its audiences • Allows for rapid and emergency communication • Translates research and policy into actionable plain language

6. Social Life of Health Information • Influence of the internet to change people’s relationships • Significant source of health information • Online sources • Advice from peers • Driving online health conversations • Availability of social media tools • Increased desire for those living with chronic conditions to connect Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, The Social Life of Health Information, 2011, Accessed May 31, 2011 http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Social-Life-of-Health-INfo.aspx.

7. Social Media Tools Overview

8. Social Media Continuum Source: CDC. The Health Communicator's Social Media Toolkit. August 2010

9. Social Media Toolkit (released July 2011) • Introduction • Overview • CDC’s Top Lessons Learned • Social media tools • Overview of a variety of tools Buttons, widgets, online video, podcasts, social networks • Social Media Campaign Example Vital Signs • Resources and Worksheets Found at cdc.gov

10. Buttons • Buttons - Graphics embedded in websites, blogs and social networking sites • Include a call-to-action message and a link for more information • Ability to share health information about campaigns and causes, increase awareness about health topics and show support for a cause • HTML code copied

11. Widgets • An application that displays the featured content directly on your web page. • Content can be embedded on personalized home pages, blogs, and other sites. • No technical maintenance is required. CDC.gov updates the content automatically.

12. CDC Widgets CDC’s complete gallery of widgets can be founds at cdc.gov/widgets

13. Online video • Used by partners to share tailored health communication messages • Most popular online video sites are YouTube, MSN and Yahoo

14. Blogs • A blog is a regularly updated online journal • Readership varies – some target a small audience, others may have national readership comparable to national newspapers. • Allows readers to leave comments and engage in conversation.

15. Reasons toBlog • To share content in a way that allows readers to leave comments and engage in discussion. • To discuss a topic that may be too complex for a tweet or Facebook post. • To give your topic or program a more personal and engaging presence than a website allows.

16. Twitter • A real-time information network • Twitter users send updates, or “tweets,” that are 140 characters or less in length, and can follow other users’ posts.

17. Why Use Twitter? • Immediate communication • Reaches engaged user networks • Fosters collaboration and partnership building • Expand research on the health impact of social media • Twitter Guidelines and Best Practices: • http://www.cdc.gov/SocialMedia/Tools/guidelines/pdf/twitterguidelines.pdf

18. Twitter Trends Expanded use – beyond simple message posting • Twitter Chat • Often includes Q & A sessions • Twitterview • Interview with short-form responses • Twitter Town Hall • Followers submit questions on a specific topic • Live Tweeting • Tweeting live from an event, often utilized for conferences

19. Recommendations • Establish a posting schedule • Post frequently • Link back to resources for additional information • Promote your profile on both traditional and social media • Post (retweet) relevant content • Evaluate • Track click-throughs • Analyze influence

20. Social Networking Sites • Online communities where people can interact with friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances and others with similar interests. • Most sites provide multiple ways for their users to interact such as chat, email, video, voice chat, file-sharing, blogging, and discussion groups.

21. Facebook • 845 million monthly active users • Largest website in the US • User audience: 57% female, 43% male • One in every five page views online occurs on Facebook • Average visit to Facebook is 20 minutes • Visit share by age group has evened out Source: http://newsroom.fb.com/content/default.aspx?NewsAreaId=22Accessed4/2/2012 Source: http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-statistics-2012-02

22. Social Network Trends • Facebook and Linkedin most popular • Growth trends – increase in social networking among users over 35 • 92% of social network participants use Facebook • US Facebook users total 151.8 million • 35% of Facebook users have a college or advanced degree • Significant increase of sites via mobile devices Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, Social Networking Sites and our Lives, 2011, Accessed May 31, 2011 http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Technology-and-social-networks.aspx

23. CDC Facebook Page 194,000+ Fans since launch May 1, 2009

24. Recommendations • Allocate resources • Develop an posting calendar • Link back to resources for additional information • Promote your page on both traditional and social media • Create content worth sharing • Develop a comment policy • Resources • Facebook Guidelines and Best Practices http://www.cdc.gov/SocialMedia/Tools/guidelines/pdf/FacebookGuidelines.pdf

25. What is mHealth? • mHealth or mobile health is the use of mobile technologies – mobile phones, text messaging services, or applications – to support public health and medicine. • Personal and portable

26. Significance of Mobile • Unique Characteristics • Simplicity – suitable for regularly scheduled events with a minimum number of steps/clicks • Immediacy – instantly delivers content to users • Context – Delivering services relevant to a user’s location • Mobile usage is on the rise • 93% of the American population have mobile devices • 35% of American own a smart phone • Significant increase of sites being accessed via a mobile device Source: CTIA Wireless Association. Wireless Quick Facts. CTIA. [Online] October 2010. [Cited: January 2011.] http://www.ctia.org/media/industry_info/index.cfm/AID/1032311 Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project. Smartphone Adoption and Usage. [Online] July 11, 2011: [Cited: October 2011] http://news.consumerreports.org/electronics/2011/07/more-americans-own-smart-phones-than-passports.html

27. Challenges • Establishing goals and strategy • Social media is part of a larger integrated communications plan • Identifying a Social Media Champion in your organization • Leadership buy in • Approval • Justification • Provide examples of similar organizations utilizing social media • Security Issues

28. Challenges • Content creation • Writing for social media is different than traditional audience • Consider clearance procedures • Embracing and understanding social media’s open platform • The nature of an open platform • Allow for healthy debate • Monitoring is essential • Comment policy

29. Celebrations:Integrated Social Media: Flu • Extensive message promotion • Twitter (@CDCflu, 165,578 followers), Facebook, YouTube, m.cdc.gov, text messaging updates through CDCgov and CDCFlu • Interactive tools • Pledge, IQ Quiz • CDC flu app challenge • Spanish channels created • Flu social media evaluation

30. Celebrations:Expanding Reach: Vital Signs • Vital Signs: • Total social media reach Jan – Dec 2011: 12.3 million • Full range of social media products • Facebook posts • Tweets • Buttons, badges, widgets, eCards, YouTube videos, podcasts • Digital press release • Social and traditional media monitoring and web analytics

31. Celebrations:Leveraging Timely Events: Contagion • Over 30 Facebook and Twitter posts • Leveraged video blogs on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter • Promoted blogs and website • Hosted 3 Twitter chats: • 350 participants • Over 87 questions answered • Gained 615 new followers • Partner participation by APHA, State Health Departments, Dr. Besser and ShareCare. On September 16, Dr. Jenni McQuiston, Cathy Young, and the OADC social media team held a live Twitter chat on how CDC investigates deadly diseases and protects against their spread.

32. Developing a Social Media Communications Strategy

33. Social Media Communications Strategy • Step-by-step template for strategy development

34. Before you get started: Listen Listen to your audience and do the following key activities: • Monitor social media channels • Identify opinion leaders • Determine knowledge gaps, “hot topics,” and any misconceptions that could be addressed in your communication • Become familiar with how messages are constructed for the medium

35. Social Media Communications Strategy Key Points • Define the target audience(s) • Define the target audience(s) you want to reach. Be specific as possible. • Determine objectives that are: • Specific • Measurable • Attainable/Achievable • Relevant/Realistic • Time-bound SMART

36. Social Media Communications Strategy Message development • Consider objectives, audience and audience communication needs • Pretest if possible • Resource needs • Staffing, budget and time requirements

37. Social Media Communications Strategy Identify social media tools and channels • Determine what tools will effectively reach your target audience. • Match the needs of the target audience with the tools that best support your objectives and resources.

38. Social Media Communications Strategy Define audience communication needs: • People access information in various ways, at different times of the day, for different reasons. How does your audience use social media? • Resources: • Pew Internet and American Life Project • HubSpot • comScore Goal Integration • How do your objectives support your organization’s mission and /or overall communications plan?

39. Social Media Communications Strategy Identify key partners • Identify key partners to promote and support your social media efforts • Identify new potential partners Define measures of success and develop evaluation plan • Develop plan before you implement • Identify measures of success

40. CDC Resources:Health Communicator’s Social Media Toolkit Available on CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/ToolsTemplates/SocialMediaToolkit_BM.pdf Provides guidance and lessons learned. Contents include information on developing communication objectives, overview of social media tools, resource section, and campaign examples.

41. CDC Resources Gateway to Health Communication and Social Marketing http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/ Contains information from CDC and other public and private resources to help you build social marketing or health communication campaign or programs.

42. CDC Social Media Guidelines http://www.cdc.gov/SocialMedia/Tools/guidelines/

43. Diane Brodalski D.Brodalski@ngc.com @djdowski