Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Using Social Media For Good Healthcare

Read the full article on Business 2 Community


Social media has been pigeonholed as only appropriate for certain industries, when it's uses could serve a much greater purpose.
Yes social media is an excellent way for clothing, entertainment and food brands to stay connected to their fans, but that only scratches the surface of social media's capabilities. With the power to connect with millions of users online in an instant, there are infinitely better  uses for the medium than tweeting out humorous photos. Revolutionaries use twitter to organize movements in unison. New breaks faster now and comes directly to each individual in their pocket. Why not translate that system to people's health? Without breaching HIPPA regulations and revealing too much personal information, social media can help individuals with medication and reminders, lowering costs and creating a more personal touch between physicians and their patients. 

"Hospitals can take advantage of social media, just like any other company can. It’s an excellent way to market to their geographical audience and keep the hospital name in front of a wide range of people on a regular basis.  It can also benefit those in the community who are connected to the hospital. For many reasons, social media is the perfect way for a person to feel connected to their caregiver in between visits. How can such a big, regulated organization get in on all the sharing and liking? Here are just a few ideas."

Read the full article on Business 2 Community
Monday, February 11, 2013

Stop Trying To Game Social Media

Read the full article on Social Media Today

There are no shortcuts in the business realm, and that translates into social media marketing
If you hired a business to do anything for you, let's say to come in and clean your office; if they told you that they were just going to make your office appear as though it were clean to everyone else outside of your company, while not actually doing the job, you would laugh in their face. Who can honestly justify trying to take shortcuts for mere appearances? Well unfortunately a large portion of social campaigns and, "social media experts," are selling just that, a product which doesn't actually connect with users online and simply maintains the appearance of engagement. Social media marketing has been getting a bad rap lately because of the way it is being utilized, not the medium itself. If done correctly, people can engage with companies and traffic can again become relevant without spamming or buying fake followers.

"For those who sell things online, social media seems like any other game of Monopoly; a vast community of users with property for sale that you want to occupy with your product. Unfortunately though, the easiest way with social media marketing is the wrong approach and effectively gaming the system is equivalent to rolling doubles three times in a row. It’s no secret that the old cowboy days of optimization meant a lot of lawless tactics. Subverting the system was the best way to maximize search results, and who was keeping score anyway? Those hoping to translate their mastery of algorithms to a new type of site quickly learn though that things don't work the same way. Instead of a blind algorithm that can easily be fooled, you’re now dealing with real people who have more intelligent reactions to your efforts. Don’t buy utilities, understand railroads are risky, and know that shortcuts in the game of Social Media will get you sent to jail. The only way to succeed is to play the master of the house’s rules, and these days, the master is the average user. "

Read the full article on Social Media Today