Social Media Marketing: Employee Involvement Can Make the Difference

Author:  Laurel Skurko, Marketing Director, UCSF Radiology and Biomedical Imaging

We all know Facebook is great for sharing that birthday cake photo and connecting with that long-lost middle school buddy. But social media also plays a role as a professional tool. It can elevate your professional visibility and simultaneously amplify the reach of your organization. Social is most effective as a collaborative effort. It’s not just the marketing department managing your organization’s official accounts. It’s also every member of your team getting involved. This collaborative approach benefits not just the institution, but also the individual careers of employees who participate.

Employees have more reach than you realize:

• Employees have an average of 1,090 social connections.
• Employees have 5x more reach than corporate accounts.
• Employee social followers are 7x more likely to convert.
• 84% of people trust recommendations from friends, family and colleagues over other forms of marketing.

Actively encourage everyone to be involved

Present employees with a simple way to link to all of your organization’s social accounts. Chances are that already exists in one convenient place at the bottom of your website.

Show employees how to follow, like and share. This may sound simplistic, but some people need to be walked through these steps. Even those familiar with using social media can use a reminder of how to maximize their reach.

Encourage each team member to create their own LinkedIn profile.

Social media as a communicaton tool 

Lastly, don’t let your employees (or your organization) overlook the power of social media as a listening tool.

Of course, social media is for broadcasting, but it’s also for listening. It breaks down into two types of listening - internal & external. Make sure you and your team members use it for both. Hear what your customers are saying, but also what your colleagues are saying.

How to listen on social media:

• Follow your stakeholders
• Follow your competitors
• Listen to what your fellow team members are saying
• Surveys are great listening tools
• A tool for leadership to tune into your team

Check back for more articles on social media marketing as it relates to health care.