Here are some general ways in which the power of Social Media can be harnessed to promote your hospital:

• Promote your hospital’s services lines, new technology, association with new doctors, awards, events, etc.

• Monitor and protect your brand reputation. What are patients and consumers saying about you? By monitoring certain Social Media channels, you can find out. And then decide how or even if to respond.

• Follow what consumers are saying about your competition. In addition to following what is being said about your hospital, you can follow what is being said about your competitor as well.

• Follow what your competition is doing. Know immediately what service lines, events, new technology, etc your competitors are promoting.

• Communicate with the media. Journalists and reporters use Social Media as a source for breaking stories earning your hospital opportunities for articles and publicity.

• Manage a crisis. Communicate important information with the public in the event of a crisis. The information is immediate. The information is correct as it is coming straight from you – the source.

• Recruit new employees. Elevate the level of applicant by moving some of your recruitment efforts out of the classifieds and into Social Media.

• Retain good employees. Use Social Media to give “props” to high-performing employees. Instills pride in other employees too.

• Establish focus groups to gain more knowledge and insight. What are the community’s needs or expectations? How effective will a particular message be if used in traditional media? Find out quickly and honestly.

• Use Social Media to establish subset support groups. Form and keep communication open with expectant moms, diabetics, or heart patients. Send specific groups reminders about meetings, medication, healthy habits, etc.

• Raise funds. There are tools on several Social Media sites that can be used to raise money for your hospital’s cause.

• Plan an event. Social Media channels can be used to plan, promote, and even monitor RSVPs for events at your hospital.

Most importantly, use of Social Media to promote your hospital establishes relevance to the community. Hospitals that aren’t participating in Social Media will soon be seen the same as companies without a website – irrelevant, behind the times, and outdated.