Hospitals aren’t using Facebook very well.
Conceptually, we seem to be in agreement that Facebook offers opportunities to engage patients, build strong online communities and develop brands.
However, according to a new study by Verasoni Ah Ha! Insights, only a few hospitals are doing a good job of truly using Facebook to their advantage.
The research examined various types of Facebook activities including:
- an analysis of the size of the network;
- frequency and types of posts; and
- use of the integration tools available on Facebook.
“Just because a hospital is on Facebook doesn’t mean that they are building a meaningful Facebook experience for both the hospital and the patient,” said Abe Kasbo, CEO of Verasoni Worldwide, co-author of the study.
Here are some key findings from the study:
- Only eight of 120 hospitals (6 percent) had more than 10,000 fans
- Less than 40 percent of hospitals posted daily
- Those who posted daily had many more encounters with current and prospective patients as well as caregivers.
- Less than 50 percent used Facebook’s event calendar to promote health or hospital events
- 80 percent of hospitals did not use Facebook’s discussion board, while those hospitals that did were rewarded with a high degree of engagement, adulation and recommendations from members.
- Seventy-six hospitals (63 percent) had no unsolicited feedback or questions on their pages.
- Thirty-eight hospital Facebook pages (32 percent) included unsolicited feedback from their Facebook members
I think this is a good list to use in planning future Facebook strategies. How many of these things are you doing?
