Associations and Social Media

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It’s hard to ignore the growing role social media is playing in our lives. Programs like Twitter, Myspace and Facebook seem to be appearing in every second news headline and there is a mad rush to try and find a commercial application for the software.

It’s hard to ignore the growing role social media is playing in our lives. Programs like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook seem to be appearing in every second news headline and there is a mad rush to try and find a commercial application for the software. It seems like no business or organisation, regardless of the market it services, is spared from the lure of social media and the health care sector is no exception.

In this article we are going to review some of the issues around social media and in particular, the impact of this phenomenon on associations in the health sector.

Why is it so popular?

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The reason underpinning the massive popularity of this trend focuses (unsurprisingly) on the social aspects of these applications. Social media brings people together allowing them to share information and interact with each other. In this sense there are a number of other programs that incorporate social aspects without having to use the mainstream programs like Twitter and Facebook. The benefit of using these less prominent programs is that they can be more focused on your target audience and therefore be more applicable to your business / organisational goals.

Associations typically work to serve the interest of their members and community. Some associations will have a dedicated membership of individuals who have elected to become members and pay fees to maintain their status as members, while other associations are given a mandate to look after particular groups of stakeholders who have not necessarily chosen to become members. The latter will typically have a harder time in rallying the interest of their target audience if the audience don’t feel they are connected to the association in some way. This is where programs that foster community engagement (like social media) can be beneficial.

What are my options?

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The first of these programs has been around for years - the Discussion Forum. Discussion Forums work around the premise of people posting topics and fostering a conversation around these topics. Forums are particularly effective when the participants are heavily involved with the subject matter hence they work well for medical associations where members have a keen interest in the topics. Keep in mind that Forums need to be well maintained and regulated otherwise they soon fall by the wayside.

Blogs, News and Articles are another way to keep in contact with your user or membership base and let them know about issues pertaining to them and the association. A great way to make the process more interactive is to allow readers to post responses to topics and articles. By doing this you create a dialogue with site viewers and if they feel they are part of the process then they will be more likely to interact with the organisation. The value of the organisation becomes greater to them as it fosters a sense of community. Dont forget you are also able to create an RSS feed from your news section ensuring flexible delivery to your audience.

There is also the option to setup your own internal Facebook. There is a myriad of tools available that will allow you to create internal networks that work in much the same way as Facebook does on a global scale. Members can share information, post photos and videos and link to each other.

A word of warning though – don’t expect that these programs will instantly engage your user base and bring them closer to the organisation. Many businesses have made this mistake. Social and community based programs take effort and time if you want them to be successful.

Ask Yourself

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Here are some simple questions to ask yourself before you engage a company in building or installing such programs.

1. Is there a definite need for these programs in your organisation?
2. Will your user base really be interested in using such programs?
3. Are you able to maintain and support these programs?

If the answer is 'Yes' to the above questions, please get in contact with us - we would be glad to talk you through the options in more detail.