With social media becoming a more critical strategic tool every day, our healthcare IT clients often ask how to best approach this new space to maximize their message. Although there are many networking sites to choose from, one popular site commanding a lot of attention right now is Twitter, which functions as a service to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages.
Here are four techniques to become a successful Twitterer:
- You have only 140 characters to capture the attention of your followers, so tweet about interesting subjects. Updates do not always have to be work related, but writing about your pet all the time is not something others necessarily care to hear about.
- Linking back to your blog or your company’s blog every day is also not appealing to your followers. Remember they can subscribe to your RSS feeds if they want to read your blog.
- Don’t follow hundreds of people who you don’t know on Twitter, just because you can. Follow people you are truly interested in because they are talking about topics you care about (whether it’s healthcare, technology, or your love for a certain sports team).
- When your company decides to create a page, nominate a spokesperson from upper management to actively update and maintain it, so the page accurately reflects the corporate perspective and a positive image.
A great example of an organization taking advantage of this social medium is HIMSS. They used Twitter a great deal before and during the recent 2009 HIMSS Conference to keep attendees informed and in the loop about everything that was taking place.
While Twitter, Facebook, Digg and similar sites have not replaced phone calls or e-mails, they are certainly providing new ways for the healthcare industry to conduct business, connect with consumers and reach different audiences. Maybe it is time to give it a try.
Some content based on Bulldog Reporter’s webinar on 4/2/2009: Journalists Speak Out on Twitter for PR: Top Reporters Reveal How the Press Uses Social Media Networks to Generate Story Ideas and Buzz.
