By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    The Hidden Epidemic of Nursing Home Abuse
    February 16, 2021
    Smiles Make the World Go Around
    August 25, 2017
    Those Pesky Tension Headaches
    September 12, 2017
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 20, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 20, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 20, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Hospitals and Social Media: Are You Engaging the Right Audience?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Social Media > Hospitals and Social Media: Are You Engaging the Right Audience?
BusinesseHealthSocial Media

Hospitals and Social Media: Are You Engaging the Right Audience?

Jonathan Catley
Jonathan Catley
Share
4 Min Read
Hospital Social Media, Patient Engagement, Healthcare Marketing
SHARE

Many hospitals are using social media as part of a broader marketing strategy with the goal of engaging patients. A recent study, however, suggests that hospitals that actively manage their online presence may not be attracting the audience they had hoped to reach.Hospital Social Media, Patient Engagement, Healthcare Marketing

Many hospitals are using social media as part of a broader marketing strategy with the goal of engaging patients. A recent study, however, suggests that hospitals that actively manage their online presence may not be attracting the audience they had hoped to reach.Hospital Social Media, Patient Engagement, Healthcare Marketing

The 2012 study, titled “Active Social Media Management: The Case of Health Care,” which was conducted by Amalia R. Miller of the University of Virginia and the RAND Corporation and Catherine Tucker of MIT, suggests that actively managed Facebook accounts tended to engage hospital employees more than patients because their content was not specifically focused on patients.

Boosting user-generated content

More Read

American Recall Center New Resource for Consumers [VIDEO]
Mobile Health Around the Globe: Empowering Rural Health Workers with Mobile Video
Kinect Technology Saves Having to Rescrub!
Digital Patient Recruitment Tips the Scales for Clinical Trials
FCC Ponies Up for Telemedicine But Marks Down Subsidy

The study suggests that hospitals that actively manage their social media accounts, Facebook in particular, are successful in creating more user-generated content—one of the main goals of social media.

The study found, however, that this boost in user-generated content was being created by employees of the hospital, not patients.

Why? When hospitals posted more neutral content, such as achievements, general observations, or events, this content tended to engage employees rather than patients.The study suggests that users who already had strong ties to the organization were more likely to be interested in this type of content. When hospitals posted more patient-centric content, employee-related posts were lessened or eliminated.

Marketing—or something else?

Engaging employees is not necessarily a bad thing. Keeping employees happy and developing a sense of camaraderie is important to maintaining a positive work environment.

While this phenomenon may benefit the company as a whole, social media is usually considered a part of a hospital’s marketing budget. Additionally, this effect calls into question whether a hospital’s social media presence is serving its desired purpose.

By focusing content on patient-centric topics, marketers can re-focus their efforts to engage patients through social media.

Creating patient-centric content

Hospital marketers who want to engage patients should focus their content on clients’ needs and interests, and may want to consider starting a separate, private group for employees.

While it is tempting to post news that is organization-centric, this study finds that content of this nature is more likely to be of interest to users who already have a close tie with the organization—namely employees.

Patient-centric content may include:

  • Health information
  • Testimonials
  • Photos of facilities
  • Interviews
  • Events for patients, such as screenings or wellness exams

This study found that hospitals that actively managed their social media account can greatly reduce employee-centric engagement by shifting their focus to information that matter to patients. Managing your social media accounts should be approached similarly to creating content that adds value to your website.

Ask your patients what issues are most important to them. Patient surveys are an invaluable tool to gauge what information your patients are seeking. Use their answers as a roadmap to create content that will keep patients engaged with your social media presence. Creating patient-centric content will help hospital marketers focus their efforts on engaging patients and meet their conversion goals.

TAGGED:marketing
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Image
eHealthHealth ReformMobile HealthSocial Media

Clinical Trials Could Get More Help From Social Media

July 20, 2013
HIPAA Privacy Rule Overview
Medical Records

A Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule

April 27, 2014

There’s No Business Like the Healthcare Business

August 5, 2014

CMS Proposed Payment Changes for Outpatient Procedures

August 21, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?