The document summarizes Lee Aase's presentation on how Mayo Clinic is using new media like social media, blogs, and podcasts to promote health information and medical news. It discusses how Mayo Clinic launched podcasts in 2005 and saw huge growth, and later created news, podcast, and sharing blogs. It provides examples of how social media facilitated mainstream media coverage. It also shares a case study of a video posted online that went viral and was widely shared, with lessons about having infrastructure to support virality.

1. Using New Media to Promote
Health & Medical News
Lee Aase
Manager, Syndication and Social Media
Mayo Clinic
National Press Club
May 7, 2009

2. About Lee Aase
• B.S. Political Science
• 14 years in politics and government at
local, state, national levels
• Mayo Clinic since April 2000
• Media relations consultant
• Manager since 2004
• Media Relations/Research Comm
• Syndication and Social Media
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3. Disclaimers
• These results not typical
• Use as directed
• Read and follow label directions
• Side effects may include vertigo, watery
eyes, crackberry thumb and iPhone
application addiction
• Social media tools are an essential part of a
balanced communications diet
• If insufficient media coverage persists,
consult your communications doctor
• Your mileage may vary
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4. If You’re Tweeting, Use This Hashtag
for Questions, Comments, Discussion
#allhealth
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5. Mayo Clinic’s Origin
http://tinyurl.com/32xbjx

6. Sources of Information Influencing
Preference for Mayo Clinic
Word of mouth 84
Stories in the media 57
MD recommendation 44
Advertising 27
2006 Study
Internet/Websites 26
Personal experience 24
Mailings to home 18
0 20 40 60 80 100
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7. Mayo Clinic Medical Edge
News Media Syndications
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8. First Foray in New Media
• Existing Medical Edge radio mp3s
• Launched Sept. ‘05; Downloads up
8,217 percent Oct. vs. Aug.

9. Step 2: More, Longer Podcasts
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10. 10

11. Step 3: podcasts.mayoclinic.org
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12. 12

13. 13

14. newsblog.mayoclinic.org
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15. 15

16. sharing.mayoclinic.org
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17. Mayo Clinic’s “Magazine Rack”
• News Blog - Breaking research news;
“Hard” news - Like U.S News, Time
• Podcast Blog - Evergreen “news you
can use” - Like Prevention
• Sharing Mayo Clinic - Features;
behind the scenes at Mayo Clinic,
and stories from patients in their own
words - Like People
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18. Key Tool: Flip Video Camera
• Affordable for all campuses (and you)
• Recording interviews (with tripod)
improves existing processes
• Authenticity without writer’s cramp
• Provides potential blog resources
• Audio of full interview
• Video excerpts
• Limited group of video editors to
ease adoption, ensure quality
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19. Two Case Studies of Mainstream
Media Facilitated by Social Media
• Wall Street Journal Health Blog
• Pitched via Facebook
• Previewed on News Blog
• Embedded from YouTube
• CBS Radio Network
• Flip audio downloaded from news
blog made national network air
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21. In the last two weeks...
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22. 22

23. 23

24. Don’t (just) pitch the media.
Be the media.
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25. Virality Case Study
• Alerted to interesting video of 90 y.o.
couple playing piano in Gonda atrium
• Embedded in Sharing Mayo Clinic,
posted to Facebook, Tweeted on
4/7/09, one month ago today
• Video had been seen 1,005 times in six
preceding months since upload
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26. The next day...
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27. Six days later...
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28. April 22
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29. May 1
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30. Sunday, May 3
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31. 31

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33. May 4
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34. Cinco de Mayo
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35. Yesterday
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36. 36

37. Lessons
• You can’t manufacture virality, but
you can prepare for, contribute to it
• Developing infrastructure gives you
a platform for launch
• Mainstream media coverage will
make this even bigger
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38. Retroactive Roadmap and
Philosophy for Future
• Start with current activity extensions
or high-probability pilot
• External consultants and case
studies help build internal buy-in
• Build on success step-by-step
• Take advantage of cheap technology
• Facilitate with small core team, but
make social media everyone’s job
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39. For Continuing Education ...
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40. 40

41. Contacting Me
• Google Lee Aase or SMUG U to find
SMUG
• Twitter: @LeeAase or @mayoclinic
• Friend me on Facebook
• aase.lee@mayo.edu
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