1. Social Media for Health Communications Channels, Challenges and Celebrations
Federal Training Center Collaboration
Annual Meeting 2012

2. Diane Brodalski
Social Media Team Lead

3. Social Media Definition
Internet-based tools for sharing and discussing information.
Refers to activities that integrate technology and social interaction.
59 % of people who go online in the US look for health and medical information

4. Social Media Quick Facts
More than 350 million active Facebook users access through their mobile device.
Source: Facebook, 12/2011
Social media accounts for one out of every six minutes spent online in US. Source: comScore,7/2011
20% of Twitter’s users produce at least 80% of the site’s content.
Source: Problogger, 7/2011
15% of cell phone users in the US utilize the device to look for health information.
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, 5/2011
Mobile use continues to grow.
- African Americans are the most active users of the mobile internet – and their use of it is also growing the fastest.
-Digital divide between African Americans and white Americans diminishes when mobile use is taken into account.
Twitter super users
Why do we care – people are actually looking for health info via mobile

5. Importance of Social Media at CDC
Complements and strengthens traditional CDC health communication
Increases direct user engagement to maintain and increase trust and credibility between CDC and its audiences and stakeholders
Gives CDC the ability to share health information in new spaces
Provides opportunity for CDC to reach new audiences
Allows CDC to listen to its audiences
Allows for rapid and emergency communication
Translates research and policy into actionable plain language
Complements – does not stand alone, complements traditional communications
Keep messages consistent, delivery of content through social media channels reinforces messages
Direct engagement with CDC’s social media fans and followers
New spaces, content is placed where audiences can access,
Reach a new audience, Facebook reaches a younger audience than cdc.gov
Cdc.gov (66% of users are 35 – 64
Facebook – 55% of fans are 18 – 24
Listen – through the monitoring or Facebook posts and comments and Twitter mentions
Emergency – immediate, use of text msg
Plain language, writing for social media is different.

6. Social Life of Health Information
Influence of the internet to change people’s relationships
Significant source of health information
Online sources
Advice from peers
Driving online health conversations
Availability of social media tools
Increased desire for those living with chronic conditions to connect
- The internet has changed people’s relationships
- Doctors and nurses are still the first choice for health info, online sources and advise from peers has increased
- Increased activity among people with chronic conditions to connect with each other (patients like me).
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, The Social Life of Health Information, 2011, Accessed May 31,

7. Social Media Tools Overview

8. Social Media Continuum
- Found in the CDC Toolkit
Source: CDC. The Health Communicator's Social Media Toolkit. August 2010

9. Social Media Toolkit (released July 2011)
Introduction
Overview
CDC’s Top Lessons Learned
Social media tools
Overview of a variety of tools
Buttons, widgets, online video, podcasts, social networks
Social Media Campaign Example
Vital Signs
Resources and Worksheets
Found at cdc.gov

10. Buttons
Buttons - Graphics embedded in websites, blogs and social networking sites
Include a call-to-action message and a link for more information
Ability to share health information about campaigns and causes, increase awareness about health topics and show support for a cause
HTML code copied
Graphic elements that contain:
Image
Short Call to Action
Link for more info
Differences:
Buttons – created to be shared, posted on web pages, link for more info

11. Widgets
An application that displays the featured content directly on your web page.
Content can be embedded on personalized home pages, blogs, and other sites.
No technical maintenance is required. CDC.gov updates the content automatically.
- Provide interactive information and fresh content with minimal user maintenance. The content in a widget can be updated automatically, ensuring access to up-to-date and credible health and safety content.

12. CDC Widgets
CDC’s complete gallery of widgets can be founds at cdc.gov/widgets
Salmonella Peanut product recall
Done in conjunction with the FDA
Allowed users search the FDA database by UPC code, production description or brand name to identify recalled products.

13. Online video
Used by partners to share tailored health communication messages
Most popular online video sites are YouTube, MSN and Yahoo
Online video sharing:
Exchange info, share personal stories and engage audiences
Only need internet access to upload, view, share and comment
A powerful mechanism to assist you in distributing current and accurate science and health messages
Use of video sharing doubled from 2006 – 2009
-YouTube -48 hours of video are uploaded every minute, resulting in
nearly 8 years of content uploaded every day
Over 3 billion videos are viewed a day
- Mobile online viewing continues to grow
CDC’s official YouTube channel, CDC Streaming Health, contains videos on a variety of health topics.
Partners can also easily upload a number of CDC-produced videos to their websites or other social media spaces, like a blog or Facebook page.

14. Blogs A blog is a regularly updated online journal
Readership varies – some target a small audience, others may have national readership comparable to national newspapers.
Allows readers to leave comments and engage in conversation.

15. Reasons to Blog
To share content in a way that allows readers to leave comments and engage in discussion.
To discuss a topic that may be too complex for a tweet or Facebook post.
To give your topic or program a more personal and engaging presence than a website allows.

16. Twitter A real-time information network
Twitter users send updates, or “tweets,” that are 140 characters or less in length, and can follow other users’ posts.
13 percent of the American adults who use the internet are Twitter users.
High level users:
Young Adults 18 – 29
African Americans and Latinos
Urban residents
- Watch Twitter in Plain English (From: CommonCraft)

17. Why Use Twitter? Immediate communication Reaches engaged user networks
Fosters collaboration and partnership building
Expand research on the health impact of social media
Twitter Guidelines and Best Practices:
- Opportunity to communicate rapidly with a wide audience of engaged users.
Expands reach:
Allows us to put CDC content out into channels where users are already going to get information, instead of relying on users coming to CDC’s website for their information.
Provides opportunities to listen – Twitter’s search engine:
Great tool for monitoring conversations on any given topic on Twitter – it is generally limited to the past 2 weeks of public tweets.
Professionals use Twitter
to network
build relationships
look for mutually beneficial collaboration opportunities - we can reach out to partners to help us spread our messages and they can in turn reach out to us.

18. Twitter Trends Expanded use – beyond simple message posting
Twitter Chat
Often includes Q & A sessions
Twitterview
Interview with short-form responses
Twitter Town Hall
Followers submit questions on a specific topic
Live Tweeting
Tweeting live from an event, often utilized for conferences
Chat – Scheduled events allow users to communicate with followers
Ex – Twitter chats with EIS officers after the release of Contagion
View – exchange, followers can ask questions at the end.
Town Hall – submit via twitter, responses delivered via tweets, video or live stream.
Ex – President’s Town Hall in July, questions on jobs and the economy.
Live Tweeting – often done at conferences

19. Recommendations Establish a posting schedule Post frequently
Link back to resources for additional information
Promote your profile on both traditional and social media
Post (retweet) relevant content
Evaluate
Track click-throughs
Analyze influence
Influence – who’s following you?

20. Social Networking Sites
Online communities where people can interact with friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances and others with similar interests.
Most sites provide multiple ways for their users to interact such as chat, , video, voice chat, file- sharing, blogging, and discussion groups.
 Facebook User Profile:
- 52% female (CDC)
Age gap is narrowing (Pew Research Ctr – Internet and American Life Project)
From Dec 2008 – May 2010:
45 and older doubled their participation

21. Facebook 845 million monthly active users Largest website in the US
User audience: 57% female, 43% male
One in every five page views online occurs on Facebook
Average visit to Facebook is 20 minutes
Visit share by age group has evened out
Source:
Source:

22. Social Network Trends Facebook and Linkedin most popular
Growth trends – increase in social networking among users over 35
92% of social network participants use Facebook
US Facebook users total million
35% of Facebook users have a college or advanced degree
Significant increase of sites via mobile devices
Facebook – 750 million users
50 % of active users log on to their site everyday
Mobile – 350 million access FB via their mobile device.
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, Social Networking Sites and our Lives, 2011, Accessed May 31,

23. CDC Facebook Page
194,000+ Fans since launch
May 1, 2009

24. Recommendations Allocate resources Develop an posting calendar
Link back to resources for additional information
Promote your page on both traditional and social media
Create content worth sharing
Develop a comment policy
Resources
Facebook Guidelines and Best Practices
Allocate resources – not only for posting but for monitoring
Post frequently
Tie into health events such as World AIDS Day, Free HIV Testing days, Wellness Events, etc.
- Comment policy to cover
If and when comments will be deleted, for instance:
Vulgarity, hate speech, name calling/personal attacks, endorsements, links to other sites
Repeat violaters

25. What is mHealth?
mHealth or mobile health is the use of mobile technologies – mobile phones, text messaging services, or applications – to support public health and medicine.
Personal and portable
- Personal and portable
- Rise in mobile access to the internet

26. Significance of Mobile
Unique Characteristics
Simplicity – suitable for regularly scheduled events with a minimum number of steps/clicks
Immediacy – instantly delivers content to users
Context – Delivering services relevant to a user’s location
Mobile usage is on the rise
93% of the American population have mobile devices
35% of American own a smart phone
Significant increase of sites being accessed via a mobile device
Mobile websites are on the rise.
WHY – more advanced handsets, mobile browsers and cellular networks
Content is optimized, easy to view and navigate menus and text, minimal use of images
More Americans own smartphones than own motorcycles or have passports.
Increase of sites being accessed via mobile - Daily social networking sites accessed by smartphones: in the US, mobile (49%), online (58%)
In Japan, web access of social networking sites, mobile access and online is equal.
Source: CTIA Wireless Association. Wireless Quick Facts. CTIA. [Online] October [Cited: January 2011.]
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project. Smartphone Adoption and Usage. [Online] July 11, 2011: [Cited: October 2011]

27. Challenges Establishing goals and strategy
Social media is part of a larger integrated communications plan
Identifying a Social Media Champion in your organization
Leadership buy in
Approval
Justification
Provide examples of similar organizations utilizing social media
Security Issues

28. Challenges Content creation
Writing for social media is different than traditional audience
Consider clearance procedures
Embracing and understanding social media’s open platform
The nature of an open platform
Allow for healthy debate
Monitoring is essential
Comment policy

29. Celebrations: Integrated Social Media: Flu
Extensive message promotion
Twitter 165,578 followers), Facebook, YouTube, m.cdc.gov, text messaging updates through CDCgov and CDCFlu
Interactive tools
Pledge, IQ Quiz
CDC flu app challenge
Spanish channels created
Flu social media evaluation
Web-based pledge that could be shared on the user’s FB or Twitter account
Quiz, FB based application allowed user to take quiz and share results
Flu app challenge – Challenge.gov, participants created an app to share or track flu information
Social media evaluation under way – to determine if CDC’s social media has an impact on flu vaccination behavior for moms and healthcare providers

30. Celebrations: Expanding Reach: Vital Signs
Total social media reach Jan – Dec 2011: million
Full range of social media products
Facebook posts
Tweets
Buttons, badges, widgets, eCards, YouTube videos, podcasts
Digital press release
Social and traditional media monitoring and web analytics
Vital Signs – monthly program focusing on a single, important public health topic providing a call to actions
Social media used to
Highlight and complement the monthly releases
Encourage participation
Communication of key messages to influence health decisions.
Topics:
Asthma
HIV Testing
Tobacco use
Teen Pregnancy

31. Celebrations: Leveraging Timely Events: Contagion
Over 30 Facebook and Twitter posts
Leveraged video blogs on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter
Promoted blogs and website
Hosted 3 Twitter chats:
350 participants
Over 87 questions answered
Gained 615 new followers
Partner participation by APHA, State Health Departments, Dr. Besser and ShareCare.
On September 16, Dr. Jenni McQuiston, Cathy Young, and the OADC social media team held a live Twitter chat on how CDC investigates deadly diseases and protects against their spread.
3 Twitter Chats:
Outbreak Investigations
IES Officers
Real world Disease Detectives to answer questions.

32. Developing a Social Media Communications Strategy

33. Social Media Communications Strategy
Step-by-step template for strategy development

34. Before you get started: Listen
Listen to your audience and do the following key activities:
Monitor social media channels
Identify opinion leaders
Determine knowledge gaps, “hot topics,” and any misconceptions that could be addressed in your communication
Become familiar with how messages are constructed for the medium

35. Social Media Communications Strategy
Key Points
Define the target audience(s)
Define the target audience(s) you want to reach. Be specific as possible.
Determine objectives that are:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable/Achievable
Relevant/Realistic
Time-bound
SMART

36. Social Media Communications Strategy
Message development
Consider objectives, audience and audience communication needs
Pretest if possible
Resource needs
Staffing, budget and time requirements

37. Social Media Communications Strategy
Identify social media tools and channels
Determine what tools will effectively reach your target audience.
Match the needs of the target audience with the tools that best support your objectives and resources.

38. Social Media Communications Strategy
Define audience communication needs:
People access information in various ways, at different times of the day, for different reasons. How does your audience use social media?
Resources:
Pew Internet and American Life Project
HubSpot
comScore
Goal Integration
How do your objectives support your organization’s mission and /or overall communications plan?

39. Social Media Communications Strategy
Identify key partners
Identify key partners to promote and support your social media efforts
Identify new potential partners
Define measures of success and develop evaluation plan
Develop plan before you implement
Identify measures of success

40. CDC Resources: Health Communicator’s Social Media Toolkit
Available on CDC website: olsTemplates/SocialMediaToolkit_BM.pdf
Provides guidance and lessons learned.
Contents include information on developing communication objectives, overview of social media tools, resource section, and campaign examples.

41. CDC Resources Gateway to Health Communication and Social Marketing
Contains information from CDC and other public and private resources to help you build social marketing or health communication campaign or programs.

42. CDC Social Media Guidelines

43. Diane Brodalski
@djdowski