Are we “social scientists”? … I think so!

We study human behaviour. We know our market share and target specific demographics .. well, at least endeavour to! I think we deserve a new title of “social scientists”! Do you?

According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, a “social scientist” is defined as ::

“Social scientists study all aspects of society—from past events and achievements to human behavior and relationships among groups. Their research provides insights into the different ways individuals, groups, and institutions make decisions, exercise power, and respond to change. They look at data in detail, such as studying the data they’ve collected, reanalyzing already existing data, analyzing historical records and documents, and interpreting the effect of location on culture and other aspects of society. Through their studies and analyses, social scientists offer insight into the physical, social, and cultural development of humans, as well as the links between human activity and the environment. ”

Respect your flock … with TwitterSheep

Did you ever wonder about your Twitter followers? Who are they? What do they do? Why are they following you?

Well now you can find out … TwitterSheep is a fun tool that allows you to see all this in visual cloud of keywords extracted from your followers biography.

To generate a cloud of your own just enter your twitter name and within minutes you can have your own keyword cloud that you can choose to tweet out to your “flock.”

So it is not rocket science but it did allow me to realise that my Twitter followers are professional associates. Check it out  … and remember to respect your flock!

A majority of e-patients access user-generated health information but few are actively writing or creating new health content:

This is a great opportunity for us, as healthcare marketers to lead patients and provide quality health information …

*  only 6% of e-patients have tagged or categorized online content about health or medical issues.
* only 6% of e-patients report that they have posted comments, queries, or information about health or medical matters in an online discussion, listserv or other online group forum.
* only 5% of e-patients say they have posted comments about health on a blog.
* only 5% of e-patients have posted a review online of a doctor.
* only 4% of e-patients have posted a review online of a hospital.
* only 4% have shared photos, videos or audio files online about health or medical issues.

Data extracted from Pew Internet and Life Project Report

Review of US healthcare consumer landscape

60% of e-patients engage with social media

Review of our emerging e-patient landscape ::

• 61% of total population – 83% of online population
• 64% of women; 57% of men
• 65% of whites; 51% blacks; 44% Hispanics
• 72% of 18-29-year-olds
• 71% of 30-49-year-olds
• 59% of 50-64-year-olds
• 27% of those 65 and older are e-patients

Emerging e-patient activities ::

• 47% of adults have used the internet  to get information about doctors or other health professionals
• 41% have read someone else’s commentary or experience about health or medical issues on an online news group or blog
• 38% have gotten information about hospitals
• 33% have gotten information about how to lose or control their weight
• 27% have gotten information about health insurance
• 24% have consulted rankings or reviews online of hospitals
• 12% have gotten information about how to stay healthy on an overseas trip
• 24% have consulted rankings or reviews of doctors
• 19% have signed up to receive updates about health or medical issues
• 13% have listened to a podcast about health or medical issues
• 5% have reviewed a doctor
• 4% have reviewed a hospital

* Data is extracted from the Pew Internet and Life Project Report

How to :: build links through social media

If you have a new website or blog or are just interested in utilising new distribution platforms to gain additional traffic this blog post is for you …

Like me, if you work on a blog you will need to do something with your posts in order to deliver some links and traffic to your website. Many people dont realise that a blog can be significantly leveraged through a variety of communities, not just to deliver traffic but also build a loyal following. If your content is good and your audience is accurate blog posts will act like a fishing rod to bring in traffic.

Here are some tips which I will be sharing at the Strategic Social Media for Healthcare Conference next week in NYC.

Blog Commenting ::

First advise is not to worry about follow and no follow links. I have seen no follow links show up in Google webmaster tools blog. A link doesn’t have to just be looked at as “link building” but it should be viewed at as a bridge to your business or blog. If a link is there you are giving people an opportunity to find you.

By commenting on other related blogs you are endorsing the receiver and also creating an opportunity to market your own blog. Bloggers welcome feedback and comments and will usually return the favour – in time increasing visibility to you and your blog.

Social Media ::

Blog posts are one of the most visible ways you can get social media traffic over to your website. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are superb places to pull in highly targeted audience traffic from a strategic manner. Taking each blog post and distributing it through a variety of social channels you are connected with will bring a steady stream of interested inbound traffic. Someone sooner or later is going to also link to that blog post making it even more important to be in this space. I distribute my favourite posts on a series of marketing and health-related LinkedIn groups which I can track with my analytics package. It is worth the effort from a networking and data sharing perspective.

Share Buttons ::

You don’t need a share button for every social book marking website. Twitter, Facebook and Google Buzz are important to distribute your content into every single time you write. Consistency is key with internet marketing efforts. ShareThis is also a great tool for tracking and ease of use.

Social Bookmarking ::

Social bookmarking is not be as popular as it was but we should not avoid it. Sites like Digg and StumbleUpon can still bring sizable traffic to your website which is why it is still important to be visible on their platforms.

Social media marketing is a very powerful force that can really help a business become successful online. With that said it requires applying all the tools with a strategic approach aimed at delivering not just traffic but targeted traffic to your website. Good Luck!

Bi’ curamach, and remember what we are!

Today’s marketing sits in an entirely different sector of blog posts, tweets & status updates. We are now “content marketers”

Content marketing is the idea of distributing relevant and beneficial content to engage potential patients and provide them with something of value. Yes, you read that correctly! Nowhere does it say anything about pitching your services or promoting your hospital. Instead, content marketing focuses on delivering information and services that inform your target markets and enables them to become more intelligent buyers.

Google’s advise on link building efforts

Last month the Google Webmaster blog had an informative post  on what constitutes a “valuable” link and what you can do to get those links.

Read this post to learn the best and worst ways to build your links, directly from the horses mouth ::

Best Strategies ::
• Become an expert in your field and get involved in online communities. Contribute to blogs  but don’t spam with shameless self  promotion for your blog. Quality links come through the relationships formed in the communities, not the comments themselves.
• Publish helpful, interesting content. This could range from a tutorial to a video or tool. Original research or polls attract quality links.
• For an immediate traffic bump, try out some humour. Funny content gets picked up by social media and can attract hundreds of links in a short time. According to Google, this is a quick pick-up rather than a long-term strategy.

Worst Strategies ::
• Buying links – While paid links may provide a small bump, Google states that they are not a positive impact on your site’s performance over time.
• Exchanging links – When addressing this link-building technique, Google’s Webmaster blog uses this serious warning: “If your site’s visibility in the Google index is important to you it’s best to avoid [exchanging links].”
• Google tells Webmasters to submit their site to relevant, topical directories instead of mass-submissions to SEO link directories.

5 twitter tips for hospital marketers

[1] HIPPA compliance :: Dont mention information which can identify patients. Dont write anything where a patient could identify themselves.

[2] Share information :: If you find a good article share it! ReTweet blogs or relevant information. Respond and acknowledge mentions … you have earned them!

[3] Think easy & simple :: Try not to use medical jargon. Patients dont always understand. Dont use a big complicated word when a shorter and simpler one will do. If you need to clarify a complex procedure link to your blog or healthcare website.

[4] Know your patient base :: Determine who your follower will be before you start your blog or website. Aim your posts or articles to align to what they would like to hear. Your twitter account may rank high in search engine results so you want to ensure your messages are appropriate and relevant.

[5] Be engaging :: Work with the superstars in your hospital, your doctors, nurses, researchers, to get more evidence based positive health messages out. Follow, retweet posts and engage them in conversations by replying to their posts.

Social media is competitive so follow the tips above to stay on your game and in front of your patient base. If you dont already have one, create your Twitter account and follow @nicolaziady for updates, tips and health related news.

Doctors and Twitter Podcast

Listen to interviews with 2 physicians discussing how & why they use Twitter

– plus some advise on how to do it safely

Listen to the full podcast “Doctors & Twitter“

NPR “take” on hospital marketing

I came upon this report from NPR regarding our industry and work. My first reaction tended to be defensive but after some consideration and unemotional analysis I reconsidered. Take a few minutes and see for yourself …

Click here to listen to the full podcast Hospital attracts patients with Doctor “speed dating”

Let me know your thoughts … what do you think of this report?