With every day that passes, it seems like yet another health or fitness-focused startup is throwing its hat into the social ring. This is great for users looking for a variety of apps and gadgets to help them get fit, but it’s also an area that could stand to use more authoritative names. It’s potentially an excellent outlet for healthcare facilities and brands to get involved in, but few seem to be taking that step. Wondering how your healthcare facility could use social to connect with patients and promote well being? Check out the examples below for a little inspiration.
Facebook based groups for patients.
Facebook groups are a great way for brands to allow patients to connect with each other and the facility as a whole. Creating groups based on patient needs (from expectant mothers to cancer survivors), and allowing the facility to run, moderate and oversee group admissions, can give users a feeling of security, prevent the group from being spammed, and also allow users to connect with others they can relate to and get advice from. Hosting it on Facebook also makes it easier for users to find and easier for the brand itself to maintain.
Promote wellness with healthy recipes and tips.
Use your social spaces (including your blog) as an area to spread general healthy tips and resources about food. Make it a point to share a healthy recipe once a week, along with various healthy food-related “hacks” and tips (like healthy versions of favorite junk foods, or healthy substitutions for fatty ingredients). Most searches that take place on Facebook are for cooking, food, nutrition and fitness, so you can easily adjust your strategy to share that kind of content while promoting wellness. Speaking of which…
Promote wellness with fitness and nutrition apps.
This is a little more complicated, but it can be an excellent element in a long-term plan to help patients and members commit to being fit. The facility can create its own fitness/nutrition tracker program or app (either web-based or mobile) or partner with a tracker app that already exists. As an example, Walgreens’ Balance Steps program allows users to set goals, track activity and receive rewards for every goal achieved. It can be recommended to patients who are put on a specific exercise regimen to provide incentive to get up and move. Rewards like points or badges also provide incentive to track activity, and giving them the ability to share their accomplishments across their social accounts can help keep them accountable.
Looking to boost your healthcare brand’s visibility online? We have five great strategies to accomplish just that.
