Do you have a message about healthy summer living but are unsure how to get the word out? Try social media.
Social media allows you to promote healthy living strategies to an unprecedented number of people quickly and easily. Healthcare organizations of all sizes have embraced the use of social media to promote messages of healthy living throughout the year.
In the old days of traditional media, you had to write “evergreen” material that was relevant any time of year so you could save costs on printing and storing brochures. Now, because of the vibrant and fluid nature of social media, you can use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more to spread the word about healthy summer living during those months when the information is most useful to the people you are trying to reach.
Social Media is Not Just for Fun Anymore
“Social media plays a vital role in public health and is a strong tool for advocacy, communication, and education,” said Alisa Blum director of media and public relations at National Association of County and City Heath Officials. “Many local health departments use social media creatively to engage their communities and it has proven to be an important resource for public health preparedness and local health department response to disease outbreaks, emergencies, and other disasters.”
Mass media campaigns are capable of communicating information, increasing awareness, and affecting large numbers of people. Social media can influence positive health changes by reinforcing healthy behaviors among a large group of individuals.
According to the Pew Research Internet Project, 73 percent of online adults use social media sites. Here is a breakdown of percentages by site, as of September 2013:
- 71 percent of online adults use Facebook
- 18 percent of online adults use Twitter
- 17 percent use Instagram
- 21 percent use Pinterest
- 22 percent use LinkedIn
“The Other Doctors Are Doing It”
Other physicians and medical organizations already use social media sites to promote healthy summer living.
The Skin Cancer Foundation has a Twitter account dedicated to disseminating information about skin cancer. On May 16, 2014, they tweeted, “Stay safe in the sun. Follow our #skincancer prevention guidelines: http://bit.ly/1eJaoGG.”
Not to be outdone, the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery posted information about actor Hugh Jackman’s skin cancer scare and warnings to stay out of the sun on their Facebook page. Each of these postings were “retweeted” and “liked” multiple times, spreading the message to hundreds or thousands of other net denizens.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are masters of social media. This organization has multiple Twitter and Facebook accounts to disperse information about health, safety, and flu updates.
Promoting Your Healthy Summer Living Ideas on Social Media
You can take advantage of the virtually unlimited power of social media to spread the word about your healthy summer living strategies. Signup is free for most social media sites, although you can pay for advertising on Facebook.
One of the best strategies is to post health information blogs on your website then post links to these blogs on social media outlets. If you are not a writer, you may want to hire a freelance writer to write them for you. You can schedule your postings on most media sites to catch the attention of readers any time of day.
Improve the lives of people in your community and across the globe by promoting healthy summer living on social media.
Lynn H is a medical writer and content marketing specialist. She works with B2B and B2C organizations to promote brand awareness and increase sales.
