We have all heard of the phrase “the good old days” when the world was simple and people communicated through US mail, land line telephones and received information from print sources. With the invention of the television, along came the boom of TV stations, cable networks and satellite, to offer innovative ways to communicate with consumers. The internet became a game changer with endless possibilities to quickly and efficiently reach out to consumers all over the world.
In 2004, Facebook and Flicker inaugurated the internet with You Tube, Twitter and Tumbler to follow within years. In 2008, Facebook opened itself up to the world and shortly developed the “LIKE” button. In 2011, we saw Pinterest, Google Plus and Snapchat arrive. By 2012, there were one billion Facebook users and the social media company purchased Instagram.
As of 2014, the following social media statistics were known:
Tumbler – 209 million blogs with 95 million postings
Instagram – 200 million active users and 60 million photos are posted each day
Twitter – 284 million monthly active users with 500 million tweets per day
LinkedIn – 332 million registered users
Pinterest – 70 million registered users with 40 million considered active
You Tube – Over 1 billion users with 6 billion hours of video watched each month
It goes without saying that the use of social media has a tremendous influence on all levels of people in all types of locations with endless needs and uses for what you have to share with them. We live in a world thirsty for information and knowledge so here are a few tips to keep you Cancer Program’s social media relevant to promoting quality cancer care, close to home.
- Keep your source of information compliant, thorough and timely
- Know your competitors
- Use more than one strategy with social media
- Keep the consumer (user) at the center of everything you do
- Don’t rely on using “target terms” for searches
- Use reliable data when making decisions on what to share
- Keep ahead or in-line with news and information that consumers would be searching for
- Invest in your activity of social media, ensure oversight and support
- Identify your most valuable consumers and use the most effective way to target
- Keep information that is applicable to the day as tomorrow it may become obsolete
- Lastly, be creative, flexible, non-reactive and remain current at all times
We encourage you to take this opportunity to self-promote the services and uniqueness of your cancer program. Share your data and historical outcomes with potential consumers who have become increasingly savvy over time. It goes along with the other old phase “keeping up with the Jones’” however, it may now require a virtual treadmill.