Social media is a natural fit for healthcare. It creates an unique opportunity to extend the idea of the support group to the online world and eliminate the geographic barriers. Look at sites like patientslikeme.com and caringbridges.com. These tools are designed to empower the health care user and allow them to connect with others and share in the ups and downs we face during a health journey. Healthcare has an amazing opportunity to leverage social technologies to improve the healthcare experience; an opportunity to truly become a partner with patients in their healthcare journey. While healthcare is notoriously a late adopter of new communications, social media is quickly gaining a footing in the healthcare communicators toolkit.

As healthcare organizations embrace open social media to engage patients can they take the next step and identify social business strategies as part of the this new model of healthcare delivery. Can we leverage our network of patients, caregivers, medical professionals and resources to deliver an integrated care experience that truly helps people to connect and learn to live well. I think we can. It’s the right thing to do. It’s how we will deliver on our purpose: to help people live well.

I’m embarking on a large social business project within a healthcare environment. I’ll be sharing my experiences and insights along the way and hoping to gain your thoughts and input. At the end of the day, I think the social business of healthcare will be a better overall health experience.

• Computer: Apple Mac Mini MC816LL/A Desktop (NEWEST VERSION)
• Monitor: Samsung P2770HD 27-Inch 1920×1080 5ms 16.7M LCD HDTV Monitor
• Mouse/Keyboard: Apple Magic Trackpad
•  Apple Time Capsule 2TB MD032LL/A [NEWEST VERSION].

There is no governing body for social media like there is for other communications organizations such as the Public Relations Society of America and the American Marketing Association. Therefore, standards, credentialing and oversight are limited which make a social media certificate difficult to standardize and measure ; but necessary nonetheless. That being said, it’s my belief that social media has come through its season of buzz and now individuals and organizations are trying to understand how to truly integrate social into the marketing/communications mix and align it to their overall business goals.

That’s where the course that I’ve developed with UWM comes in. It’s a business strategy course. It’s about taking long-term business goals and building your social media program from there. It focuses on strategies that align with business objectives, are measurable and integrate into the organization. I’ve provided a video below that talks in more detail about the course so you can determine if it’s right for your or someone in your organization.

I’ll be doing my best to provide more information about the course as well as the importance of proper planning for a robust social business strategy for your organization. I want to share what I know with you based on my real-world experience. I’m open to you at any time for questions, concerns and debate about social business strategy as well as the validity of a social media certificate program.

Virgin is now my airline of choice moving forward.

It can be as simple as a flight from one destination to the next or it can be a journey. One we’re taking together. A complete experience. The airline industry is much maligned and notorious for poor customer service events that get broadcast over the social media universe. Virgin has taken the opportunity to make travel an experience rather than simply moving people from one destination to the next.

Consider the experience:

It started with the call to board: “We’re ready to board starting with passengers in section A. That’s ‘A’ for awesome”. The flight wasn’t full so the crew was helpful and encouraged us to move to seats with leg room (I have very long legs!). The in-flight safety video was an animated piece that was entertaining and humorous. I can’t imagine how grateful the attendants are.

Then the exploration begins with the interactive display that features tv, movies, music, games and on-screen ordering for food and drinks. There’s also inflight wi-fi and google maps tracking of the flight.

Virgin has put the flyer at the heart of their decision-making and built an entire experience around my needs. They’re leveraging their entertainment knowledge into a travel event for each passenger.

For healthcare, or any other service industry, we have to think the same way. The patient/consumer needs to be at the center of every decision we make. I know healthcare is a difficult thing to experience sometimes, but how do we seize on the collection of little things to create the highest quality patient experience.

We’re now seating for section A and A is for awesome; that’s the section I want to be in.

Virgin America Safety Video

The new digital environment doesn’t require us to over think. It calls us to produce and deliver. It calls us to ship as Seth Godin states. It’s time for me to ship. I’ve begun to think about the things I see around me as content. I’m going to stop thinking and ship.

While I wrote this for the healthcare audience, it can easily be applied to any business looking to integrate social media into their communications program.It’s exciting to see healthcare organizations and their supporting agencies adopt social media as an integral part of their communications program. Our patients not only expect it, the deserve it. If you’re a SHSMD member, head over and check it out.

An overview from the SHMD website:

• Ben Dillon on the types of social media available, with tips on when and how to use each one effectively
• Brian Bierbaum on how to get C-suite buy-in for your social media initiative
• Jamey Shiels on a four-step process for implementing a strategic approach to social media in your organization
• Marcus Gordon on trends in social media marketing, with emphasis on mobile marketing


So, moving forward, I’ve declared that all year in review posts require proof. While trends are important, show me why you think so. Demonstrate the value, tell me what worked, tell me how it failed. While you can’t give away the keys to the kingdom, give me enough strategy and execution information to make it valuable. Use this approach as an opportunity to position yourself as a thought leader and valuable resource to your community.

Now that I’ve said it, I need to put my money where my mouth is. I’ll be exploring overviews of digital and social media work I’ve participated in this past year with both successes and failures. My goal is to provide value to my community through strategic insights for developing social media strategies that align with corporate goals and support the business.

Time to prove it!

I received a complimentary copy of Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees, and Grow Your Business (Amazon link) and am providing my honest opinion on the book. Please watch the video or have a quick read on my thoughts.

Social Nation, by Barry Libert, is a good read that provides an overview for the evolution of business and how to create and harness a social nation to help power your business. This is a great read for managers or individuals new to social technologies and looking to introduce these concepts into an organization or team. It provides a method to identify your social skills and lays out a roadmap with 7 rules and 10 pitfalls to avoid in building your social nation. While good for those new to the concepts, some may be frustrated that there is not a clearer step by step process for some of the items. The steps the author presents are good overviews but don’t have the detail tactical items some may wish for. It will also be refresher material to those individuals who have already embraced social media and are using it for their business.

An interesting note is the authors description of the evolution of business models at the beginning of the book. Mr. Libert provides an overview of the shift from physical strength to informational to emotional and now social. This topic could warrant it’s own book because it’s key to understanding that the Social Nation is upon us and why we need to understand how to develop and create and harness the power of our own social nation. I would say this book is a precursor to the concepts being put forth in talk around social business design.

The author lays down three reasons to read this book in the preface:

1. Assess and learn about your social skills – a critical requirement in today’s networked world
2. Benefit from the 7 rules for building your own nation of fans, friends, and followers using social media that you can create a community that you grow and innovate
3. Provide you the steps to get started including the 10 pitfalls to avoid

As a leader in an organization I think item number one is very important. Having a clear understanding of your social skills and building a team that compliments each other with unique skills is critical to success. The skills assessment is easy to take and gives you a starting ground to work from.

Overall, Social Nation is a good read and I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to new managers or individuals who are looking to introduce social business concepts into their organization.

More information: Seth Godin’s blog and Triiibes website