22 Aug How a Kidney Transplant Can Make You a Better Social Media Marketer
If you were hoping to read about some controversial surgery that could enhance your tweeting abilities, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. However, what you will find is something much, much better.
Mercy Health, a regional medical system located in Western Michigan, live tweeted a kidney transplant surgery recently. During the five-hour operation, the @MercyHealthWM Twitter served as a fantastic example of how to use social media. So, what can you learn from this exercise? Read on to find out.
Good morning! Tune in at 7:30am as we outline a kidney’s amazing journey from donor to recipient.
— Mercy Health (@MercyHealthWM) August 19, 2013
Social Media is a Superb Forum for Education
In the mountain of instagrammed espressos and cat videos, it can be easy to forget that social media is a fantastic avenue for educational purposes. When your brand’s product or service isn’t automatically intuitive, it can be challenging to inform your audience. And sometimes, like in the case of surgery, it can actually scare people. Proper education can prove to be the road to success, and social media is a great vehicle.
Mercy Health excels here. The live tweets provided followers with interesting facts, concise breakdowns of complicated procedures and amazing behind-the-scenes photographs.
The doctors are making a hole large enough to retrieve the kidney by hand. “Kidneys are often larger than a hand.” pic.twitter.com/hgvV1ulWdo
— Mercy Health (@MercyHealthWM) August 19, 2013
Two doctors are needed to retrieve the kidney. One to navigate the cavity with a hand and camera, the other to use a cauterizer and clamp.
— Mercy Health (@MercyHealthWM) August 19, 2013
The surgeons are working from what they see in person and this scan taken before surgery. pic.twitter.com/JHu9yoAkKA
— Mercy Health (@MercyHealthWM) August 19, 2013
After the surgery was over, the hospital used the opportunity for a great call to action and directed followers to facts and FAQs about organ donation.
Yesterday’s surgery was amazing, becoming an #organ #donor is an extremely personal decision. Learn more: http://t.co/5CAZhSuUFX — Mercy Health (@MercyHealthWM) August 20, 2013
But if G.I. Joe taught me anything, it’s that knowing is merely half the battle.
Don’t Forget to Respect Privacy
Even though it seems like people will share just about anything online, there is still an expectation for privacy. This is especially true in medical field where privacy isn’t just an expectation, it’s the law. I’m sure waivers were signed and both the donor and recipient were all aware that the hospital would be tweeting pictures of the procedure. It’s important to let followers know how seriously privacy is taken, especially in sensitive situations.
To protect the patient’s privacy, we won’t be showing or telling any identifying features. #patientprivacy
— Mercy Health (@MercyHealthWM) August 19, 2013
Recognize Your Advocates
Remembering that social media isn’t just an outlet to spread your message, Mercy Health made sure to engage followers during the surgery.
@grmagazine thanks for the mention! #livetweet#kidney#transplant
— Mercy Health (@MercyHealthWM) August 19, 2013
The hospital also made sure to share a very important message of someone who has benefitted from this very procedure.
So thankful for the kidney transplant program & how it helped my family! >>MT @MercyHealthWM The highest success rates in the state.
— Heather Goodale (@HeatherMBS) August 19, 2013
Although your brand’s advocates might not have as big a platform as you do, their opinions will almost always carry more weight. Make sure the people that talk positively about your brand are heard.
Humor Can Be a Powerful Tool
Just like when a doctor cracks a joke during your visit to help you relax, humor can be a powerful tool when it comes to alleviating a stressful situation. In this instance, Mercy Health took an opportunity to respond to some captivated fans with a hilarious Seinfeld reference (I was so impressed, I almost broke out the slow clap when I was reading it, but then I remembered I was in a Starbucks… and people might stare at me).
@alexfluegel @KristinMCoppens popcorn sounds great! Except maybe not the safest for us here in the OR. #juniormintsringabell? — Mercy Health (@MercyHealthWM) August 19, 2013
Don’t forget to have a sense of humor. A lot of brands take themselves too seriously. People have trouble connecting with nameless, faceless corporations. If your followers feel like there’s a person behind the tweets instead of a process, they are much more likely to interact.
Conclusion
At this point, the more cynical-part of you might like to point out the fact that Mercy Health only has about 200 followers. Did this exercise light up the Twittersphere? No. But it does serve as a shining example of top notch social media and it shows that you don’t have to have a multi-million dollar budget to implement a well-executed social media strategy. It’s much more effective to be smart, creative, and know how to properly use the networks.
How have you seen social media used in unexpected ways?