Launching a New Campaign? Don’t Forget Social Media.

It’s no small undertaking to launch a new marketing campaign. We invest a ton of time, research, and funding to develop and package messaging that will resonate with patients. We carefully select the best channels to reach our target audiences. We adapt our ideas to fit radio, television, print, outdoor, and digital platforms. However, I notice that healthcare organizations often forget about a category that should be a no-brainer: their social media accounts.  In short, social media is often not integrated into the overall marketing program.

Chances are your campaign contains content that easily be repurposed for social media. Rework a patient story to be shared in a Facebook or Google+ post. Upload your commercial or physician videos onto Facebook and Youtube. Tease out key thoughts into several Tweets and include a link your followers can use to find more information. You’ve already done the difficult work of developing your message – this is just a matter of reformatting it.

Remember, every opportunity you have to increase your brand’s visibility and reinforce your messaging is valuable. When your fans Like, share, Retweet, or comment on your posts, they are publicly re-affirming their loyalty to your organization and introducing your campaign to their own social networks. Sharing your campaign on social media creates additional opportunities to increase the reach and impact of your campaign, whether through interacting with your followers or reaching new audiences.