Written on January 31st, 2012 by tasha
In our on-going series on social media policies, I’m turning my attention to a policy for handling negative comments. This seems to be the number one fear, after HIPAA, that I hear from leadership. If you have a policy in place, it will help everyone to feel more prepared should someone say something disparaging about your business.
Let’s start with a few acknowledgements:
- People may be saying bad things about your business on the Web already, you just don’t know about it. This is not as likely for elder care providers as it is for Comcast, AT&T or Microsoft, but still… Have you done a Google search lately? You may be surprised. To borrow a line from the Godfather, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Better to have people post negatives about you where you can easily find them (on your own Web presence) and respond than to have negative comments floating out there on the Internet with no redress at all.
- When you do a public presentation, you risk someone publicly saying something negative. Part of live interaction with the public is taking the risk that you may have to deal with an uncomfortable bit of criticism. No one would say you shouldn’t do presentations, or shouldn’t be interviewed on a radio call-in show. Why run away from social media for this reason? The solution is to be prepared with a reasonable way to respond.
- In elder care, the overwhelming amount of comments are positive. I have taught workshops where some of the early adopters of social media were in attendance. After several YEARS of blogging and doing Facebook, one said that she literally had 300 positive comments before anyone posted a negative comment. I’ll take those odds!
- You do have the ability to delete negative comments. While it is not in the spirit of the open dialogue and engagement inherent in social media, it is always your prerogative to get rid of a posting that you think is completely off-base or inappropriate.
What are the comments you can/should just delete?
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Tags: HIPAA, Social Media and Hospice, Social Media Policies
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Social Networking, Twitter, YouTube
Written on January 3rd, 2012 by tasha
In a previous post, we wrote about Social Media Policies even if you don’t do social media. While your business may not be involved in social networking, odds are, your employees are engaging in Facebook or Twitter, YouTube or writing a blog.
You need to be sure they do not violate HIPAA nor say things even in their personal posts that reflect poorly on your company.
In the next few blog entries, I am turning my attention to the legal risks of publishing online. After HIPAA, I would say the next most likely transgression has to do with intellectual property violations.
Intellectual property rights apply to anything you publish (in print, or on your website, blog or Facebook page). Many companies, rightfully so, encourage employees to Like, Share and Comment on the company Facebook page or blog. And certainly your official “post-ers” are employees. In that light, be sure you are clear with everyone about what can and can’t be posted from a legal point of view. You don’t want a lawsuit!
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Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Social Networking, Twitter, YouTube
Written on May 25th, 2011 by tasha
In my last blogpost I spoke about realistic expectations for social media success. Many people expect the moon from this new medium. Not gonna happen! And remember, social networking is NOT sales. But there are some reasonable outcomes to anticipate as a result of your social media endeavors. And they do contribute to your overall marketing mix in a way that can eventually impact revenues.
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Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Social Networking, Twitter
Written on April 12th, 2011 by tasha
The big concern about Facebook and other social media is that it takes time. Indeed, the purpose of a Fan page, blog or Twitter account is to develop relationships and community with your fans, subscribers and followers. Just as it takes time to have meaningful conversations, it takes time to create engaging posts. And you don’t develop trust and rapport by simply talking about yourself. Like any good friend, you need to be giving out at least as much energy as you are taking in.
You need to regularly offer content that inspires or educates your target audience.
According to an ExactTarget social marketing study:
- 38% of Fans will UNLIKE you because your posts are boring or repetitive
- 24% of Fans will UNLIKE you because your posts are too self-promotional
Even as a non-profit, if your hand is always out asking for money or time, more than you are giving away information and useful resources, you will lose followers.
So how do successful social marketers create engaging content in a manageable amount of time?
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Tags: classic, content marketing, Social Media and Hospice
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, GCM Marketing, Home Health Marketing, Hospice Marketing, Private Duty Marketing, Social Networking, Twitter
Written on January 18th, 2011 by tasha
The Pew Internet and American Life project just released a report in December on the impact of the Internet on patients with cancer, and interestingly, cancer research. Drawing on statistics from their on-going studies, the Cancer 2.0 report illuminates some interesting facts:
- 62% of adults living with one or more chronic diseases go online.
- 80% of adults who provide care to their parents or another loved one have Internet access.
- About 20% of all Internet users have gone online to find others who might have the health same condition.
- Of all the chronic disease groups, patients with cancer are the most engaged with their care.
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Tags: e-patient, participatory medicine
Posted in Blogging, Collaboration, Facebook, Research Results, Social Networking, Technology, Twitter
