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As a CMO or other valued member of your healthcare marketing team, we venture you’re intimately familiar with using Facebook pages as part of your social media strategy. But what about Facebook groups? Not yet? Let’s look at some new opportunities.
Facebook groups can take your health system, hospital or medical group to the next level by giving you the platform and tools you need to build and strengthen relationships with your consumers. Facebook groups are like virtual offices or dens where you can engage with your customers directly by having authentic conversations centered around your programs, services and events that are of special interest to them. And unlike Facebook pages, Facebook’s algorithm often shows group activity ahead of other Facebook content, meaning group activity is often front and center on the newsfeed when your members log on. That’s free brand awareness!
Let’s look at ways you can put the value of Facebook groups to work for you in your healthcare setting:
Event-based groups: Is your hospital hosting an annual cancer awareness dinner or health fair? How about a NICU reunion or a medical group conference? What about a fitness center member challenge or the grand opening of a new facility? Creating a group surrounding any event will boost your promotional efforts and allow folks the opportunity to ask questions and get the answers they need beforehand. A group also allows them to share their own event photos after the fact to keep interest and excitement going. And if this is an annual event you are promoting, you already have a captive audience to share the news and excitement as next year’s event rolls around.
Support groups – cancer, diabetes, stroke, transplant or any other type of support group: Facebook support groups can be highly effective patient support communities, especially when your members are looking for support outside of regular monthly meeting times. Before you react with “No, we don’t want to go there. HIPAA, blah, blah, blah,” consider what using Facebook groups could mean for your patients: In this article from Becker’s Hospital Review – Can participating in Facebook groups improve patient satisfaction? 4 findings – this study found that 95 percent of survey respondents said joining the group positively affected their care.
Ready to get started?
Six best practices to increase brand visibility and enhance consumer engagement using Facebook groups:
How will you use Facebook groups? Share with us at deedee@corriganconsulting.com.