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HEALTHCARE, MEET SOCIAL. SOCIAL, MEET HEALTHCARE.

By now you probably realize that a social media component is essential to your marketing effort. But before you simply “dive in,” you need a defined strategy and a means of measuring your ROI. An effective social campaign is not simply about communicating or getting your name out there (although that is a component). It’s about knowing who you want to reach, what you want to tell them and what you want them to do with that information. Then, just as importantly, it’s about tracking your effectiveness. Did you reach the right audience? Did they hear your message? Did they act on it?

Measuring social media ROI in healthcare is not always a straight line between marketing dollar spent and sale of service. It can often be tricky to track and quantify. But don’t let that stop you from trying! You must know if your strategic direction is actually working. You must assess (and continually re-assess!) which social platforms are working for you and what types of posts & ads are generate interest. You must differentiate between short-term returns (i.e. new patients) and long-term awareness (how many new people became aware of your organization, even if they are not immediately becoming a new customer).

You must know if the dollars you are committing to social are reaping a return. Data can answer some of those questions. But a complete picture of social media ROI requires more than a simple monthly click report. It takes an astute business mind, capable of sourcing and synthesizing multiple data sets. Most importantly, it requires a targeted strategy that evolves over time.

Stay tuned for my next post, in which I’ll share some specific do’s and don’ts that I’ve found effective.