While it's true that the conversation on social media carries on no matter what, the key to a successful social strategy for healthcare is to have champions for the cause inside the organizations.
"The leadership has to set the example, say this is an area where they are going to invest. Otherwise people don't want to take a leap into the unknown," said Katie Wiley, vice president of accounts for Blue State Digital, a digital advertising and marketing agency that works with not-for-profit healthcare organizations such as the American Hospital Association. "The successful cases are the ones where there was interest in innovating in the space."
"This is something that the client needs to genuinely want," agrees Kirsty Piper, senior program director of social marketing at IMRE. "Everybody needs to be swimming in the same direction."
Once this is accomplished, speed is another important aspect to be mindful of with social media. "Be prepared to engage in real time," said John McInerney, director of healthcare digital strategy at Ruder Finn. That might mean setting up a fast approval framework so that social media content can be produced and approved quickly.