Healthcare Industry's use of Social Media

Today, I want to explore the theme of how companies are using social media for marketing purposes. Since this topic is so broad, I have picked the healthcare and food industries to focus on. I will cover each industry at a time to go in-depth and share my findings. Likewise, I would like to shed some light on recent case studies that give the audience a good understanding of the phenomenon at hand.

First, social media plays a key role for both the healthcare and food industries. The reason is social media platforms, comprising of YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, just to name a few, are where majority of the consumers spend time; thus, these platforms are a good target for sellers both in the goods and services industries. Today, we’ll talk about the healthcare industry in particular. In a Dermatology Times article, Lisette Hilton captures the following statement given by Adam Mamelak, M.D., a dermatologist and Mohs surgeon in Austin Texas, “’I went to a Mohs Collage meeting ... and looked around a conference of probably 1,000 Mohs surgeons. I would say that over the course of this hour talk, 50 plus percent of them checked their Facebook page,’ Dr. Mamelak says. ‘When you see this many people engaging in social media, you have to ask yourself ... shouldn’t we be spending time on here, as well?’ Personal recommendations and referrals are evolving, thanks to social media, he says” (Hilton, 2016). As we notice, social media is a cybernetic community or network where many people come to engage and share information with others. It is a form of dialogue between multiple parties. Some of the feedback results in referrals to particular doctors, generating healthy business. Furthermore, Hilton points out the Pew Research Center report which depicts the following statistics on social media usage by various generations:

“As of September 2013, 73% of all internet users are on a social networking site and 42% use multiple sites. Ninety percent of internet users ages 18 to 29 use social media; 78% of adults ages 30 to 49; 65% of 50 to 64 year olds who are online; and 46% of online users 65 and older are on virtual social networks and communities. Among adults 65 and older, 59% are on the internet and 71% go online daily. Older Americans’ internet use rises with income. More than half of seniors who go online search for health information, according to Pew Research Center.
Focusing more on health and the internet: Sixty-one percent of all adults (80% of internet users) turn to the internet for health information” (Hilton, 2016).

Again, from the aforementioned example, we can see the power of social media in the healthcare industry and how it is being utilized by many different age groups. One recent example mentioned in the Forbes article is from the Johnson & Johnson company. When Johnson & Johnson noticed the public’s concern about the world being a less caring place, Johnson & Johnson launched its “Care Inspires Care” campaign as a preamble to the 2014 World Cup (Olenski, 2015). Under this program, Johnson & Johnson acknowledged volunteers who took time to help and care for others in their communities. The site generated multiple stories from many visitors and was a huge success in portraying Johnson & Johnson as a caring and loving company. Social media tools and tactics are opening a lot of prospects to help more people, and health care providers who embrace these platforms to get their viewpoints across.

Brian Honigman highlights the following 24 outstanding statistics and figures on how social media is impacting the healthcare industry:

1.    More than 40% of consumers say that information found via social media affects the way they deal with their health. (source: Mediabistro)

2.    18 to 24 year olds are more than 2x as likely than 45 to 54 year olds to use social media for health-related discussions. (source: Mediabistro)

3.    90% of respondents from 18 to 24 years of age said they would trust medical information shared by others on their social media networks. (source: Search Engine Watch)

4.    31% of health care organizations have specific social media guidelines in writing. (source: Institute for Health)

5.    19% of smartphone owners have at least one health app on their phone. Exercise, diet, and weight apps are the most popular types. (source: Demi & Cooper Advertising and DC Interactive Group)

6.    From a recent study, 54% of patients are very comfortable with their providers seeking advice from online communities to better treat their conditions. (source: Mediabistro)

7.    31% of health care professionals use social media for professional networking. (source: MedTechMedia)

8.    41% of people said social media would affect their choice of a specific doctor, hospital, or medical facility. (source: Demi & Cooper Advertising and DC Interactive Group)

9.    30% of adults are likely to share information about their health on social media sites with other patients, 47% with doctors, 43% with hospitals, 38% with a health insurance company and 32% with a drug company. (source: Fluency Media)

10. 26% of all hospitals in the US participate in social media.(source: Demi & Cooper Advertising and DC Interactive Group)

11. The most accessed online resources for health related information are: 56% searched WebMD, 31% on Wikipedia, 29% on health magazine websites, 17% used Facebook, 15% used YouTube, 13% used a blog or multiple blogs, 12% used patient communities, 6% used Twitter and 27% used none of the above.(source: Mashable)

12. Parents are more likely to seek medical answers online, 22% use Facebook and 20% use YouTube. Of non-parents, 14% use Facebook and 12% use YouTube to search for health care related topics. (source: Mashable)

13. 60% of doctors say social media improves the quality of care delivered to patients. (source: Demi & Cooper Advertising and DC Interactive Group)

14. 2/3 of doctors are use social media for professional purposes, often preferring an open forum as opposed to a physician-only online community. (source: EMR Thoughts)

15. YouTube traffic to hospital sites has increased 119% year-over-year. (source: Google’s Think Insights)

16. International Telecommunications Union estimates that global penetration of mobile devices has reached 87% as of 2011.(source: mHealth Watch)

17. 28% of health-related conversations on Facebook are supporting health-related causes, followed by 27% of people commenting about health experiences or updates. (source: Infographics Archive)

18. 60% of social media users are the most likely to trust social media posts and activity by doctors over any other group. (source: Infographics Archive)

19. 23% of drug companies have not addressed security and privacy in terms of social media. (source: Mediabistro)

20. The Mayo Clinic’s podcast listeners rose by 76,000 after the clinic started using social media. (source: Infographics Archive)

21. 60% of physicians most popular activities on social are following what colleagues are sharing and discussing. (source: Health Care Communication)

22. 49% of those polled expect to hear from their doctor when requesting an appointment or follow-up discussion via social media within a few hours. (source: HealthCare Finance News)

23. 40% of people polled said information found on social media affects how someone coped with a chronic condition, their view of diet and exercise and their selection of a physician. (source: HealthCare Finance News)

24. Of more than 1,500 hospitals nationwide who have an online presence, Facebook is most popular. (source: WHPRMS)

(Honigman, 2015)

United Healthcare is another example of how the healthcare industry is utilizing social media. It launched a campaign called, “We Dare You To….” The campaign targeted followers to take on monthly dares, which encouraged a small healthy change per month and document it on social media. This launch was a multi-award winning campaign because it led to healthier habits and fostered online community of brand loyalists (United Healthcare, 2014). As we read some of the facts and case studies collected on healthcare, it is prevalent that social media is a platform for optimism instead of distress, as long as the user is willing to take the chance to explore this phenomenon. Practitioners or companies that are not utilizing the social media platforms, will slowly cut themselves out from the norm and competition. Change is not easy for many but it has to be embraced when particular trends are visible through various statistical means.

References:

1.    Hilton, L. (2016). Social media's impact in dermatology. Dermatology Times, 37(1), 71-74.

2.    Honigman, B. (2015). 24 Outstanding Statistics on How Social Media has Impacted Health Care. Retrieved November 07, 2016, from https://getreferralmd.com/2013/09/healthcare-social-media-statistics/

3.    Olenski, S. (2015, November 27). Social Media For Health Care, Who's Doing It Right. Retrieved November 8, 2016.

4.    United Healthcare. "We Dare You" Campaign and Microsite Win Eight Awards. (2014, July 29). Retrieved November 08, 2016, from https://www.uhc.com/news-room/2014-news-release-archive/we-dare-you-awards.