Engaging through Twitter

Social media in the UK

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Social Media in the UK

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• Over half of people in the UK use social media sites

• Over half of all people in the UK have a smartphone

• Only 34.2% of people regularly read a traditional paper newspaper (depleting)

‘Social Media is driving the news’

Social Media in the NHS

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• Very well represented on social media platforms

• From system wide change to condition specifics

• Breaks down barriers between public, staff and employers

Twitter…

• One to many engagement

More than 400 million tweets are sent on Twitter every single day…

The benefits of Twitter

1. Find out what people are saying about you2. Stay in touch with your community3. Be on top of hot topics4. Discover content inspiration5. Be smarter, better, more informed

Targeting audiences: using Twitter lists

• Twitter lists can be used to keep Twitter connections organised

• Lists can be used to - – Monitor twitter noise– Watching key influencers– Pitching to others– Placed into search streams-

Hootsuite

NHS England (South) Social Media Project

Aims & objectives – Call to Action• Enhance Call to Action engagement across the South by increasing

the numbers and diversity of people engaging in the debate. • Leverage debate amongst key opinion formers on the future of the

NHS in the South of England.• Deliver meaningful feedback that can be used locally to shape plans

and strategies and feed into the national programme.• Position @NHSEnglandSouth as an authoritative, trustworthy and

engaging Twitter user.• Establish a firm foundation for using Twitter as a long term

engagement tool for NHS England (South) region and area teams.

Using social media to support Call to Action

• NHS England nationally and elsewhere regionally, and CCGs, are already engaging people online around Call To Action. We are using @NHSEnglandSouth to create our own debate, set out our local priorities and build on the noise already online.

• A series of 9 Tweetchats that will start on 21November and run to early February 2014.– A senior leader from each area team will ‘host’ each tweetchat,

supported by a team gathered to general responses for the duration of the tweetchat.

– The tweetchats will each focus on the different themes of Call to Action and are open for anybody to join in.

– A report detailing the feedback received during the tweetchats wil be given to area teams and CCGs to support the development of local plans and strategies. It will also feed into the national Call to Action programme.

Target audience

• Public• Patients• NHS staff• Stakeholders including CCGs, providers, local

authorities, healthwatch, MPs, influential media, health commentators, health networks, voluntary sector and charities

• NHS England (South) region and area team staff

Tweetchat process

Identify spokesperson Set date/time Receive blog Draft promo

Tweets

Identify key stakeholders Put blog onlineStart

promoDraft tweets for

tweetchat

Sign off draft tweets Brief lead

Hold tweet-

chatReport

(Optional)

(Optional)

What a Tweetchat looks like

Tweet chat 21 Nov

Useful online advice

• http://www.digitalengagement.info– Ideas and practical help to use digital and social

media in the public sector

• http://socialmediatoday.com– Loads of info on social media, content marketing,

social business, social media marketing, social customer service and blogging.