Patients want health information and they have many options for getting it. If you provide the information they’re seeking, that can help to connect your organization with patients. Everyone is on social media these days, so what is the best way to get health information to your patients with social media?
By its nature, social media is more conducive to short, concise chunks of information, so obviously you won’t be sharing the content of entire articles from medical journals. But you can effectively use social media to give your patients the information they want and need. Here are some suggestions:
- Use lists. A list, particularly a bulleted list, is a great way to serve up short-form content. People love lists, as they are easy to read and digest and keep the reader’s attention. A list is also a good basis for repurposing content – each list item can be posted as a social media tip, or even expanded upon for a blog.
- Purpose-driven content. There is no end to health-related awareness campaigns, such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October or Heart Month in February. Post information about your relevant service lines during the awareness periods. Schedule campaigns relevant to your services during an awareness observation. Get your providers involved.
- Consider both patients and caregivers. When crafting health information posts for social media, don’t forget that your audience consists of not only patients, but caregivers as well. Caregivers often have a different perspective than the person they’re caring for. Consider pediatric health information, for example. You might have content prepared for a child’s reading level, but you should also have information that relates better to parents as well.
- Use a variety of media. We have all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. Nowhere is this more true than in healthcare. As an example, along with content about radiology procedures, you could post a video tour of your radiology facilities so that patients can see where they’re going and what it will look like.