Shielding Your Hospital's Reputation On Media Platforms
By Barbara C. Carey and Mike McCall, RN
When healthcare consumers search for a healthcare provider, they use many digital resources that are influential...
Who are the Influencers?
Google and Bing drive traffic to healthcare information resources – about 72% of adult internet users searched online for healthcare information and issues in the last 12 months. Only 1% linked to health and science sites. (Pew Research Center)
Other sources report that 85% of their study respondents sought medical information using search engines. Out of these 72.8% additionally searched for information through social media.
In another study, 50% of people searching social media for healthcare information thought that health information from those sources was reliable.
TCI’s experience with our clients is that Facebook is the most powerful driver of traffic to hospital websites. It far outpaces other social media platforms in terms of influencing website traffic.
Facebook also is an excellent tool for disseminating healthcare information and creating awareness of healthcare issues because of its reach and influence. However, the accuracy of information posted on individual and group Facebook pages is not held to the same standards as traditional media. Facebook has repeatedly said they do not consider themselves as a news organization.
In addition, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and WhatsApp are also sources of healthcare information and networking.
How do you "Shield" your hospital or clinic's reputation on these influential platforms? The first step is to daily monitor digital and traditional news platforms and analyze the information.
Can a few bad reviews by disgruntled patients or employees spread throughout thousands of potential patients? Yes, and this happens daily. Psychologists tell us that something that is repeated many times, no matter if it is true, tends to be believed. Some studies suggest that the more “novel” the information, the faster it spreads and fake news and negative information can be quite “novel.”
Healthcare leaders need to know what is being posted about their institutions- the good, the bad and the ugly on all platforms- social media and traditional news organizations.
Once trends are identified and issues exposed, actions can be taken. Audience attitudes and preferences change at a rapid pace, so vigilance is very important.
TCI has the capacity to monitor traditional and social media platforms as many PR firms do. We think that our advantage is the amount of attention that we pay to analyzing and summarizing the information, saving leaders time and focusing their attention on the most critical issues.
Whether it is a community hospital with a well-defined primary and secondary market or a large hospital system, consistent monitoring can expose cracks in an institution’s reputation that need attention. The sample below reflects the results of a TCI reputation building campaign for a client hospital. It is a Sentiment analysis that is standard in our reports.
In Summary...
Reputations are the “coin of the realm” in patient and employee choice. Unfortunately, false information, rumors and fake news seriously erode reputations over time. It is a “war of words” and each institution must have strong weapons and utilize them consistently.
Contact us about our “Reputation Shield” program. It is Affordable, Comprehensive and Scalable!
We Help Our Clients Understand Their Environment and to Find Solutions.
Call Us 1-888-922-2824 or Email barbara@tciconsults.com
