HANDOUT: Connecting with your Community through Social Media

Connecting with your Community through Social Media

Learn how social media tools could help your organization connect in new, different, and interactive ways
with the communities you serve. We will explore tools like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc., with a focus on
how to get started and drawing examples from other public health campaigns. We’ll discuss some of the
challenges of implementing social media in a public health organization, and provide resources for free
online training.

Through this session, we will:

• Identify opportunities for social media in public health
• Describe potential roadblocks to successful social media use
• Learn how to get started with common social media tools
• Explore ways social media tools can help you learn more about your communities
• Examine best practices in social media for public health
• Increase awareness of free online resources for training in social media

Warming Up: Questions to Consider

1. To be successful, a social media campaign takes at least 3 hours/week.

True False

2. Facebook records a lot of information about the people who visit each page, but I
can’t get that information unless I pay for it.

True False

3. What is a hashtag?
A) Used to identify a topic in Twitter
B) Used to separate a portion of a Blog
C) Used to tag friends on Facebook

4. What is “crowdsourcing” and how does it relate to social media and public health?

5. What is this? What can I do with it?

August 22, 2012 Lorelei Woody, MLIS
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Spectrum Health: 5 Annual Community Health Worker Conference loreleiwoody@gmail.com
Grand Rapids, MI www.slideshare.net/loreleiwoody


What is Social Media?

“Social media” can describe any web-based technology that allows two-way communication
and creation or sharing of content. Online communities, such as Facebook, are examples of
social media; so are customer reviews on retailer websites.
MORE INFO: Social Media in Plain English http://www.commoncraft.com/video/social-media

Who’s using Social Media for Public Health?

Geographic distribution of Public Health Department Facebook Pages
found via web survey August 2010.

Who’s using Social Media?

• Use of social networking sites is most popular with those ages 18-49, those with some
college education, and those with a household income of less than $30,000 per year.
• Slightly more women (66% of online users) than men (60%), use social media
• In 2012, 48% of online adults use social networking in a typical day (increase from 43% in
2011, and 27% in 2009)
• Of social network users, 92% were on Facebook; 29% used MySpace; 18% used LinkedIn;
and 13% used Twitter. Use of Twitter has quadrupled since 2010.
MORE INFO: PEW Internet: Social Networking, May 31, 2012: http://bit.ly/H10jDy
MORE INFO: Use of Facebook among Public Health Organizations, 2010: http://slidesha.re/NDq4sj

What are they using it for?

• Most users on social networking sites say the desire to connect with old friends is the
primary reason they use social media.

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• While 80% of adult internet users (59% of all adults) have looked for health information
online, only 15% of social network users (7%) of all adults have gotten health information via
social network sites.

• 34% of internet users (25% of all adults) have read someone else’s personal commentary or
experience with a particular medical issue in an online news group, website, or blog

• 27% of internet users (20% of all adults) have tracked their weight, diet, exercise routine or
some other health indicators or symptoms online.

• 25% of internet users have watched an online video about health or medical issues.

• 23% of social network users (11% of all adults) have used a social network site to share
their own health experiences or follow a friend’s medical condition

• 18% of internet users (13% of all adults) have gone online to find other people who have
health concerns similar to their own
MORE INFO: PEW Research Center: The Social Life of Health Information, 2011: http://bit.ly/jFjzD4
MORE INFO: PEW Research Center: Why Americans use Social Media, 2011: http://bit.ly/tVTeel

What are they talking about? Word cloud from ten most recent wall posts from
public health department Facebook pages combined (August 2010)

Why use Social Media for Public Health?

We know an audience is there. We know the majority of Americans look for health
information online. We know that daily use of social media is growing. We know that users
are interested in connecting with other people like them, or with similar concerns and
interests. We can help facilitate this by being present; disseminating our own content, and
engaging with our local communities within the social media realm!

MORE INFO: Can Facebook Make Us Adopt Better Health Practices? http://bit.ly/NbSbRM
MORE INFO: On Social Marketing and Social Change http://bit.ly/gB5Oeo

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Potential Barriers to Social Media Use:
Privacy Concerns: Questions to ask before
Whenever health information comes up, privacy you start:
concerns enter the picture. It is important to note that you
can control who can post to your social media sites and WHY use social media?
can monitor content other people add. View examples of Meet a particular need; solve a
Social Media policies and guidelines from Public Health specific problem; reach out to a
organizations here: http://bit.ly/MZ5wzR target audience? Have a
definition of success so you can
Technical Difficulties maintain buy-in and support and
IT support is needed to allow network access for many track your progress
social media sites that might normally be blocked within an
organization. WHO is your audience?
Different demographic groups
Time Commitment are known to be heavier users of
Dedicated time must be invested in maintaining your different technologies. Research
organization’s social media presence, yet it need not be and determine which tools are
substantial. Use cross-sharing tools to make your social more likely to engage your target
media most effective! Of the public health departments we group
surveyed regarding Facebook use, nearly 2/3rds of those
who felt their Facebook campaigns were successful spent HOW will you engage with your
1 hour or less per week maintaining their site! communities?
(http://slidesha.re/NDq4sj) Do you want to solicit
responses, ideas, or feedback
from your communities? Do you
Unfamiliar Technology
want primarily to broadcast your
Allow time for staff to play! Let members of your
own message? Will you be
organization experiment with social media tools while at
sharing mostly text, audio, video,
work – perhaps on one particular ‘training day’ if this is not
or all of the above? Some tools
typically permitted. The more diverse voices you bring to
are better for specific types of
the table, the more effective your social media strategy can
media of messages
be at reaching your various audiences!
(http://slidesha.re/OY8hgp)
WHAT do you want to
accomplish?
Plan for Sustainability Is your goal simply to be visible
Consider WHY? Why are you using social media? Is in the social media realm? Are
there a particular population you are trying to reach? What you looking for strategies to
message do you have to share? How will you keep it effect behavior change through a
going? To be effective, your use of social media must social media intervention? Your
meet a real need. goals will drive your choice of
tools and your strategy for
Define Success getting there.
How will you measure the impact of your social media
efforts? Number of friends? Number of comments? HOW much time will you
dedicate to this effort & WHO will
maintain it?
Basics of Social Media ROI (http://slidesha.re/9Fi0QY)
ROI Calculator (www.frogloop.com/social-network-calculator)

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Getting Started with Social Media Tools
Facebook: A social networking site that allows users to create personal profile
pages that display select information such as employer, photos, links, and status
messages. Users can plan events, share links, photos, and comment on each
others’ activities. Organizations and businesses can create profiles and
interactive pages to share information with potential customers or clients, or
solicit feedback or comments.

Learn more about online social networks: http://www.commoncraft.com/video/social-networking
Create a business or organizational page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
View other public health Facebook profiles here: http://bit.ly/MZ5PuB

Tips:
• Photos are an easy way to let your fans see who you are and what you do; adding a
personal face to an organization. Letting users submit their own photos is another way to
encourage them to engage with you on Facebook
• Successful pages use a variety of content: embedded videos, question polls, comments,
events, shared links. When sharing links, customize the title, description and thumbnail
to emphasize the important points of the shared article and add your own comments
explaining why you think it is important or relevant. The personal touch is often what
engages the audience!
• Promote your Facebook page! Add a Facebook link to your website; suggest that your
friends become a ‘fan’ of your page. Consider buying advertising within Facebook.

Twitter: A social network and microblogging site that allows users to create
a minimal profile and share content in a message called a “Tweet.” Tweets
can be up to 140 characters and may include links to other websites, news
stories, and photos. Users interact with each other by replying, following, or
re-tweeting messages.

Learn more about Twitter: http://www.commoncraft.com/video/twitter
How to use Twitter: http://www.howcast.com/videos/149055-How-to-Use-Twitter
Create a Twitter account here: https://twitter.com/signup/
View tweets about #PublicHealth: https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23publichealth

Tips:
• Find people to follow. Identify key organizations or individuals with similar interest and
sign up to “follow” them to easily view their tweets.
• Use appropriate #hashtags in your tweets to have your messages easily found and
shared or picked up by others. Search for key terms related to your interests and save
the search to easily find and view new tweets on a particular topic.
• Use the @ symbol to respond to other’s comments or questions, and use RT to “re-tweet”
or share someone else’s message under your own profile.
• Make links shorter with an online application like: https://bitly.com/ or http://tinyurl.com/

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Blogs: A type of website that allows for easy creation, customization, and
hosting. Blogs are quick and easy to update and are characterized by the
ability to create “posts” that contain new content for the site. Like entries in a
journal, posts are arranged in reverse chronological order so that the newest
content appears at the top of the page. Usually has an option for comments or
other participatory reader features.

Learn more about blogs: http://www.commoncraft.com/video/blogs
Create a Blog via: WordPress (www.wordpress.com) or Blogger (www.blogger.com)
View other public health blogs: http://bit.ly/NBzBU5

Tips:
• Post often! Keep content fresh to keep readers coming back. Incorporate images and
media clips as well as text.
• Enable commenting to allow your readers to respond to your posts. This two-way
communication is what social media is all about.
• Invite several people to be authors: blogs are easier to update than traditional web pages,
and writers can be distributed in various locations.

YouTube: YouTube is a video sharing site that allows
members to upload, organize and share content. Anyone
can access public content. The format of a YouTube
video makes it easy to share via other social media sites
such as Facebook or to share links in email.

Learn more about customizing your own YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/FPwsfj
Create a YouTube account: www.youtube.com/create_account
View examples of public health campaigns on YouTube: http://bit.ly/NoQ6ov

Tips:
• Consider hosting a video contest, inviting submissions from your community. Many cell
phones, laptops, and digital cameras have video functionality; no special equipment is
needed! Great way to increase engagement with your community and generate free
content for your website at the same time.
• Create a distinct and consistent “brand” for your channel. Customize the look and feel of
your page by adding your logo and colors. Be sure to use appropriate tags to make your
channel “findable”!
• Include descriptions for each video you post and choose appropriate tags. Make sure
your video is set to “Public.” Be mindful of the title you set; this is the “Headline” for the
video clip.
• Be timely in your comment responses. This lets users know that the channel is actively
supported, and someone is listening.

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Pinterest: An online bulletin board where users can create themed collections
of web content linked through images on page. Similar to Twitter, users can
follow people with similar interests, and can re-pin material from each others’
boards onto their own. To add something to one of your Pinterest boards, look
for a “Pin-It” button. If you don’t find one, you can copy/paste the URL into your
Pinterest account and add it directly.
Learn more about Pinterest: http://onforb.es/L62Qx7
Create a Pinterest account: http://pinterest.com/about/help/
Follow other public health organizations’ pins: http://pinterest.com/aphl/
Add a Pinterest button to your website: http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/

Tips:
• Add a “Pinterest” button to your website. This will encourage readers to add tips and
images you post to their own bulletin boards, where they can be seen by others –
reaching a much larger audience than your original post!
• Use visually arresting images. Pinterest allows you to add comments beneath items and
it will link to web pages, but it is primarily a visual space.

Augmented Reality: Enhancing real world, real-time environments with
technology is called “augmented reality”. This can be high tech, large
scale (e.g. personal ‘heads up’ display on eyeglasses; applications using
GPS on your smart phone to recommend local restaurants, farmers’
markets, sightseeing, or educational trivia) or lower tech, smaller scale (e.g. codes located
throughout your building to give people a direct link to more information about particular
resources or services; codes embedded on a menu to pull up full nutritional information)
Learn more about Augmented Reality: http://www.commoncraft.com/video/augmented-reality
How it works: http://www.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality.htm
Find a QR code generator you like: http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
More about QR codes: http://www.commoncraft.com/video/qr-codes

Tips:
• Make sure that the technology you want to use is accessible to your population. QR
codes can be read by nearly any mobile device with a camera and internet connection.
Consider embedding information at point of need.

Make your Social Media Tools work for you!
Connect your social media accounts: have your twitter feed appear on your website. Make your
blog posts show up on your Facebook. There are many free administrative tools or mini-applications
called widgets to connect your accounts and streamline your social media workflows. Make your
social media content pull double-duty!
Hootsuite: Learn more: http://help.hootsuite.com/home Get started: http://hootsuite.com/
TweetDeck: Get started: https://support.twitter.com/articles/20169620-getting-started-with-tweetdeck
RSS Feeds: Learn more: http://www.commoncraft.com/video/rss
Widgets: Example: http://www.cdc.gov/Widgets/ More: http://mashable.com/2009/01/26/blogger-widgets/

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Learning more about your Community and Assessing your Impact:
You know all the information you fill out to whenever you create a profile online? Social
media tools track that kind of information, and can provide you with some pretty powerful
insights about the audience you are actually reaching with your social media efforts. Nearly
every social media tool comes with some element of “analytics” built in to it. You can also use
several free, third-party applications to track your audience across social media platforms.
Don’t forget: a very easy way to learn more about your communities is to pay attention to the
comments they leave and the kinds of topics they respond to! Leverage the collaborative,
interactive features of social media to initiate two-way communication with your community.

Google Analytics:
Track visitors to your website and activity by day, time, and location
Get started: http://www.google.com/analytics/
Use Google Analytics to track social media success:
http://bit.ly/Myy6Sk

Facebook Insights:
See which posts generate most user responses (shares, comments, likes);
view information about your fan base (demographics, etc); and see trends in
use of your Facebook page over time of day, week, etc.
Get started: https://www.facebook.com/help/search/?q=insights

Klout:
This application tries to assess the impact of your online activity, across social
media platforms. It tracks how many times your posts are shared, how many
potential viewers it reached, as well as tracking who influences your social
media content.
Get started: http://klout.com/understand/klout

Hashtracking:
Allows you to see trends in Twitter posts from a particular location or other
set of parameters. This can help identify hot topics in your local area, or
find out who else is interested in the same topics as you are.
Get started: http://www.hashtracking.com/

Crowdsourcing & Public Health:
The participatory nature of social media allows new opportunities for data collection, epidemic
tracking, and population monitoring relevant to public health. Check out these crowd sourced tools:
Google Flu Trends: http://www.google.org/flutrends/
Uses search information and IP ranges to chart likely patterns of influenza symptoms around the world.
View more information to see how closely this predictive model matches past CDC Flu data!
World Health Map: http://healthmap.org/en/
Scans local news sources around the globe and relies on individual reports to highlight areas of
potential disease or epidemic worldwide.

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Learning more about Social Media: Resources for Online Training
Michigan Public Health Training Center: Social Media Tools Course:
http://practice.sph.umich.edu/mphtc/site.php?module=courses_one_online_course&id=412
• Designed for the social media novice, contains walkthroughs for getting started with various
social media tools, and examples of use in public health.

Health Information Group: New Media Primer for Health Professionals:
http://www.healthinfogroup.org/newmedia/
• Maintained by Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute and Maternal & Child Health
Library, this site gives an accessible introduction to a variety of web and social media concepts.

The Health Communicator’s Social Media Toolkit (CDC):
www.cdc.gov/socialmedia/tools/guidelines/pdf/socialmediatoolkit_bm.pdf
• Fantastic resource! Includes instructions and best practices for specific tools, and guidance for
developing a social media strategy for your organization. Lots of examples throughout.

Northwest Center for Public Health Practice: Use of social media tools, public health examples:
http://www.nwcphp.org/training/hot-topics/2010-hot-topics/social-media-examples/
• This page offers a recorded audio presentation, PowerPoint slide sets, sample policy documents,
and answers to audience Q & A. Very detailed & accessible, August 2010.

Common Craft video series: http://www.commoncraft.com/
• Simple, clear descriptions of complex social media concepts and technologies.

Learning 2.0 Project:
http://plcmcl2-about.blogspot.com/2006/08/about-learning-20-project.html#contact
• Program material for introducing social media tools and training to staff in your organization

Webicinia:
http://www.webicina.com/public-health/
• Curated list of social media training resources, presentations, and example sites in health care
and public health.

White Paper: Using Social Media Platforms to Amplify Public Health Messages:
http://smexchange.ogilvypr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/OW_SM_WhitePaper.pdf
• From Georgetown University, Center for Social Impact Communication; describes best practices
for initiating social media campaigns; focus on public health.

APHA – Social Media:
http://www.apha.org/about/news/socialmediariskcomm_roundtable.htm
• Collection of material about social media: primer/glossary, guidelines for communicating in
emergency situations, webinar and Q&A about social media for public health

Social Media @ CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/socialmedia/
• Portal to all social media campaigns run by CDC. Very rich content; good for best practices

8 Great Public Health Campaigns Using Social Media:
http://bit.ly/aVn54g
• Examples of successful social media campaigns for public health

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HANDOUT: Connecting with your Community through Social Media

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HANDOUT: Connecting with your Community through Social Media