Advancing Science • Reducing Risk • Improving Lives www.etr.org

Better Health: Maximizing Engagement Through Twitter

Laura NorvigSocial Media Strategist

@LNorvig

Advancing Science • Reducing Risk • Improving Lives www.etr.org

• What?• Who?• Why?• How?• Where?• When?

Agenda

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• An information source• A community builder• A content curation mechanism• A content disseminator• A conversational tool

• … A marketing tool

What Is Twitter?

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Who, me? Yes, you!

Who Should Tweet?

• Everyone at your organization can benefit from Twitter

• CEOs, researchers, educators and practitioners should tweet

• The org should tweet• Others may choose to listen to

constituents and gather information from professional and news sources

Advancing Science • Reducing Risk • Improving Lives www.etr.org

• Twitter is Huge• Twitter is Useful• Twitter is a Tool that can be used to:– Implement your organization’s

outreach strategyeducation strategymarketing strategy

– Find and strengthen partnerships

Why Twitter?

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• 554 million users (that’s over half a billion)statisticbrain.com/twitter-statistics/

• You see it everywhere – celebrities, news shows, TV shows, sports, politicians, businesses, government agencies.

• During breaking news or popular events, all eyes are on Twitter.

Why Twitter?

Twitter is Huge

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• It’s an information source. Get timely information fast. Find new studies, new legislation on Twitter first.

• You can engage with stakeholders and with your audience, one-to-many and one-to-one.

• It can showcase your organization’s expertise/products/services.

Why Twitter?

Twitter is Useful for Organizations

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• Access professional development opportunities. Learn things, get links to PowerPoints, articles, webinars, videos.

• Attend conferences virtually (by using a hashtag).

• Make connections with professional peers.• Establish your expertise.

Why Twitter?

Twitter is Useful for YOU!

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Source: http://www.slideshare.net/amcunningham/why-does-a-twittering-doctor-tweet

(or health education)

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• Set up an account.• Don’t get hung up on creating content

– start by learning to use it to listen and learn.• Then build relationships by following,

re-tweeting and tweeting.• Build lists if you have diverse interests.• See who others follow.

How – Getting Started

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Source:cogdoghouse.wikispaces.com/TwitterCycle

How – Don’t Give Up!

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• Learn the lingo and practices:– handles– following– re-tweets (RTs)– “at mentions” (@mentions)– hashtags

• bit.ly/twit-begin – excellent infographic that explains how to use Twitter

How – Next Steps

Advancing Science • Reducing Risk • Improving Lives www.etr.org

• Use a link-shortener such as bit.ly to track your reach and leave more room for your thoughts.

• Be polite and be generous.• Share good content, answer questions,

and re-tweet often to build social capital.• NEVER retweet a link you haven’t clicked and read

(or skimmed) first.• Tweet at least once a day, even if it’s only a re-tweet

– keep your stream active!

How – Best Practices

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How: Follow SuggestionsPublic/General Health@CDCgov@PublicHealth@NIHPrevents@RWJF@RWJF_PubHealth@JohnsHopkinsSPH@CPHSSR@Hlth_Literacy@samhsagov@nlm_news@HRSAgov

@healthfinder@minorityhealth@nphic

HIV/AIDs@CDC_HIVAIDS

@AIDSgov

@CDCNPIN

@RedPumpProj

@amfAR

@AIDSHealthCare

@theKCteam

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Sexual and Reproductive Health / Youth@theNC@Guttmacher@APPCNC@YTHorg@healthyteen@teenhealthgov@girlology

How: More to Follow

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• #HealthEd• #mHealth• #reprohealth• #SexEd• #HIV• #AIDS• #teenhealth

Discover more with:The Healthcare Hashtag Project

How: Hashtags to Follow

Engagement example that resulted in a fan spreading the word for a project

The original tweet

Project replied quickly – was monitoring constituents in real time

Fan posted a pic of staff showing the project’s resources during a session at their conference

• Engagement to enhance professional connections: Congratulate, thank, amplify, enhance or comment to get a response.

• In this example I am congratulating.

• I use a trending hashtag and “@ mentions” to get attention.

• The result is favorites, retweets and replies from prominent “tweeps”.

My initial tweet

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• Tweeting is convenient – tweet from your desktop or laptop, using the regular website or a tool such as TweetDeck or HootSuite. (These can also schedule tweets to go out at specific times.)

• The above tools are available as apps for tablets or smart phones as well.

• You can even tweet by texting with a “dumb” phone.

Where?

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Make connections fast by finding out when a Twitter chat that interests you will be held. Chats happen in “real time” – put it on your calendar and join the conversation.

• #hcsm – Global health care, Sundays, 8 p.m. CT• #CDCchat – times vary• #HCLDR – Health Care Leadership, Tuesdays,

8:30–9 p.m. EST• #Mhchat – Mental health, Wednesdays, 8 p.m. UTC

Learn More: The Quick Guide to Twitter Chats

When?

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• NPIN’s Twitter for Public Health Slide Deckbit.ly/NPIN-PPT

• Gillian Mayman’s Twitter for Health Education Slide Deckbit.ly/healthed-ppt

• CDC Social Media Worksbit.ly/SocMedWorks

• Follow the hashtag #SM4PH

Learn More

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