Hospitals

A new study published by Verasoni, a New York based marketing and PR firm, shows that among hospitals, it’s the ones caring for kids that are kicking butt on Facebook. According to the study, children’s hospitals are building community, engaging and partnering with patients and developing lasting relationships with families on THE social network faster and better than their adult counter parts. In fact, the study concludes that most hospitals are not taking advantage of the opportunities Facebook provides to build their brands and advance their mission and business objectives. The authors also argue that hospitals that do not begin to engage on the social web risk falling behind their younger patients, doctors, and nurses who were practically born with social media in their DNA.

Here are some other key findings from the study:

• Hospital Facebook Pages tend to have a high degree of interaction between the hospital and members
• Members frequently connect with other members facing similar challenges
• Members share stories of hope and struggle – using the Page like a virtual support group
• Activities ranged from patients and their families posting videos of their experiences at the hospital that demonstrated the quality of care they were receiving to how nurses, physicians or staff helped patients during their stay at the hospital
• Activity by parents in support of the hospital was high
• Members posted questions and concerns – giving the hospitals public-facing customer service opportunies
• Facebook also allowed children’s hospitals themselves the opportunity to broadcast their accomplishments to a targeted audience that believe in the work they are doing
• Patients remained engaged on the Facebook Pages long after discharge

Major Business Implications

Facebook and other social media outlets offer visitors insights into an organization’s culture and brand experience. The brand promise shines through on these emerging customer touch points. How a Facebook Page is organized, what the Page looks like, the types of messages posted, the frequency and recency of postings, and the tone of the dialog all convey certain messages about the company (positive, negative, neutral) to the visitors. There are clear business implications here. Companies can appear warm, caring, sophisticated, engaged, open, and transparent, OR, uncaring, uninterested, distant, and self-centered based on how their Facebook Page is perceived by visitors.

Industry Examples

Here are some examples of great Facebook Pages from different healthcare industry segments:

• Children’s Hospital Boston
• Emeritus Senior Living
• Catholic Healthcare West Careers
• North Shore LIJ Health System
• Aurora Health Care

If you know of other healthcare, hospital, senior living, LTC, home care, or hospice company Facebook Pages worthy of recognition, I would love to know about them. Please share in the comments below.

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