Social Media and Online Reviews: How Do They Affect Your Brand and PowerScore?
// By Marlene Kurban //
Hospital marketers have to be active on social media and online review sites, right? We know the answer is ‘yes,’ but who is it for and how do you do it well? A recent national consumer survey conducted by Wax Custom Communications showed surprising results about who follows social media channels and to what extent consumers’ health care decisions are influenced by online reviews.
Five hundred respondents across the country in different age groups and income levels answered questions concerning their use of social media accounts, their perceptions of hospitals that use social media, and their experiences with online review sites.
Amanda Herriman, marketing manager, Wax Custom Communications
Eighteen percent of respondents reported that they follow their hospitals on social media, with the largest group those in the 18-29 age range, of which 63 percent are female. This cohort of young people was the most likely to read and leave online reviews about their experiences and to communicate with their hospital via online messenger.
“They may not be a huge target for a hospital, but they are the ones who should be — and will be — a main target,” says Amanda Herriman, marketing manager at Wax Custom Communications.
Herriman presented during a recent Strategic Health Care Marketing webinar, “Social Media and Online Reviews: How Do They Affect Your Brand and PowerScore?” with co-presenter Craig Fairfield, managing director at Wax Custom Communications. Based on the research, the two weigh in on these questions and more:
- What should a hospital post on social media?
- How should hospitals keep abreast of consumer preferences?
- How important are online reviews for consumers deciding which hospital to choose?