SMDHU SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN BEST PRACTICES OVERVIEW Prepared by Lura Consulting for Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit December 2010
CASE STUDIES 1) American Red Cross 2) Center for Disease Control 3) Tobacco Control Area Network 4) Toronto Public Health 5) Government of Victoria (Australia) Department of Health 6) Niagara Region 7) Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care - Communications Branch 8) Nova Scotia Government
KEY FINDINGS 1) Using social media to support communication goals in the health sector 2) Effectively reaching audiences and building an online presence 3) Developing and responding to content 4) Monitoring 5) Cost, resources and staff time 6) Getting support and making the case for social media 7) Evaluating the success of social media tools or campaigns 8) Mitigating risks and protecting vulnerable parties 9) Assisting employees in knowing their responsibilities 10) Social media tool-kits and handbooks
1) Using social media to support communication goals in the health sector Reaching out to new audiences Building social capital and empowering constituencies Supporting fundraising initiatives Understanding public attitudes and perceptions Sharing targeted health information Increasing main website traffic Influencing attitudes or behaviour change Raising awareness of health campaigns Delivering or supporting health services delivery Providing a platform for internal communication Facilitating collaboration
2) Effectively reaching audiences and building an online presence Different tools have different audiences Utilize cross-marketing and piggybacking Leverage low-cost and existing channels for promotion Content should not be a replication of information on the website Encourage collaboration, creativity and information sharing Utilize simple word of mouth promotion and existing staff networks to raise awareness
3) Developing and responding to content Content should be developed by experts Designate one or two staff to post and respond to social media content Collaboration and communication between health experts and social media experts is important External consultants can be hired to develop additional content (eg. Videos) When dealing with negative comments, it is best to try to respond rather than delete the comment
4) Monitoring Monitor social media sites once a day Use monitoring tools such as Radian 6, HootSuite and Media Badger Routine checks of links, friends profile pages, etc. 5) Cost, resources and staff time Hold social media workshops and training sessions Cost is generally limited to staff time Social media management sites, such as HootSuite make it easier to manage multiple social media tools
6) Getting support and making the case for social media Use quantitative data and statistics Propose a social media initiative as a pilot strategy Normalize social media and avoiding the use of buzzwords Work with the legal department and records management
7) Evaluating the success of social media tools or campaigns Evaluation provides direction on whether a tool should be continued as is, continued with changes, or discontinued How to evaluate depends on the tool and the objectives Quantitative evaluation examples: Overall page views, page visits, time spent and inbound links How often a post is reposted or a link is published Count of fans, friends or followers or number of comments Evaluation tools such as Google Analytics, Yahoo Web Analytics and Piwik Web-based surveys Qualitative evaluation examples: Compare inputs, activities/resources, outputs, and outcomes Monitor trends and discussions Look at the general characteristics of fans, friends, or followers Evaluate of positive and negative comments
8) Mitigating risks and protecting vulnerable parties Risks identified include: limited individual privacy, potential intrusion of security, posting of inaccurate information, abusive or offensive language; and malicious friends and applications Ways to mitigate risks include: Terms of Use or Disclaimers posted on a social media site or main organization web page (works to manage users expectations and legally protect an organization) An internal investigation by security experts
9) Assisting employees in knowing their responsibilities It can be difficult to navigate through the various policies and legislations and codes of conduct that apply to social media use Official social media policy ensures that employees are bound to the agreed upon standards and that conduct meet tests of credibility, privacy, authority and accountability. Social Media terms of use or guidelines can support policy with more detail Often address social media for business as well as personal use Another approach is document which specific policies and legislation apply to the use of social media
10) Social media tool-kits and handbooks Help employees to make effective use of social media Can supplement more official policy or provide enough guidance on their own Toolkits or handbooks may include: Best practices for developing social media, often on a tool-by-tool basis Sample Terms of Use or Disclaimers A planning template, checklist or step-by-step guide Protocols for monitoring and responding to comments Answers to FAQs and/or links to other resources Information on the common types of users for each tool