1

Twitter for Public Health

#SM4PH

Melissa Beaupierre, NPIN Director and Senior Director for Content Marketing & Partnerships

Erin Edgerton Norvell, Senior Director for Communication Strategy & Digital

2

Webcast Overview

1. Making the Case for Twitter

2. Using Twitter Effectively

3. Helpful Twitter Tools

4. Evaluating Your Success on Twitter

5. Public Health Success Stories

#SM4PH

Watch for these bubbles, join the convo

#SM4PH

3

Brought to You by NPIN

#SM4PH

CDCNPIN.org

Mobile Devices

Community Forums

Interactive Widgets Trainings &

Webcasts

Social Media

4

Making the Case for Twitter

#SM4PH

5

What’s the Big Deal?

#SM4PH

What is it? Twitter is a ‘microblog’ where users create, share, and follow.

Who’s Using it? • In 2013, Twitter will reach 7.1 million U.S. adult users • 15% of online adults use Twitter, 8% on a typical day • African Americans and Latinos have high rates of

adoption

Why do people like it? Twitter provides a real-time stream of breaking news, announcements, and celebrity gossip.

6

Benefits of Using Twitter

Benefits: Engagement

• Immediate engagement

• Increase organization visibility

• Connect stakeholders

• Lower cost

#SM4PH

Pitfalls: Broadcast-Only • Spread information • No cost

7

Twitter for Public Health

• Track conversation on health topics

• Rapid response and crisis communications

• Use popular culture for public health messages

• Engage with target audiences and partners

#SM4PH

Sixty percent of state health departments reported using at least one social media application in 2012. Of these, 86.7% had a Twitter account.

8

Organizational Challenges

#SM4PH

• Lack of support from leadership

• Privacy concerns, security risks, outdated policies

• Understanding and allocation of resources

• Volume of engaging content Tweet your

challenges or solutions #SM4PH

9

Making the Case

• During planning, identify allies at all organizational levels

• Use the organization’s mission to frame your justification

• Develop a strategy:

– Goals and annual objectives

– Staff and time commitments needed

– Process for repurposing existing content

– Editorial calendar and approval for new content

– Routing for incoming questions

– Evaluation plan and reporting schedule

#SM4PH

10

Using Twitter Effectively

#SM4PH

11

Anatomy of a Tweet

#SM4PH

12

Hosting Events

• Town Halls

• TwitterViews • TwitterChats • ChatBlitz

#SM4PH

Check out these regular chats: #hcsm #pubht #NPINchat

Back in 2010 @RedPumpProj held an initial townhall for National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Tweet your favorite events

#SM4PH

13

Best Practices • Leave room for retweets, comments, and additional hashtags

• Shorten and test links before sending

• Include pictures/videos to increase engagement

• Use Twitter management tools

#SM4PH

14

Questions from Twitter & Email

#SM4PH

15

Helpful Twitter Tools

#SM4PH

16

Weekly Email Digest

#SM4PH

17

Twilert

#SM4PH

18

Recent & Upcoming Features

#SM4PH

• Tailored Trends

• Influence Ranking

• Twitter Archive

• Vine

19

Management Tools

#SM4PH

• Hootsuite

• Tweetdeck

• Twitter mobile app

• Link shorteners:

– Bitly.com

– Goo.gl

– Tinyurl.com

– Go.usa.gov (government-only)

Tweet your favorite tools

#SM4PH

20

Evaluating Your Success on Twitter

#SM4PH

21

Measure towards Your Goals

#SM4PH

Goal Metric

Disseminate # of followers # of tweets Potential reach

Engage # of retweets # of @ replies # of clicks on images/videos

Connect # of event participants # of tweets/event # of tweets/participant/event

Influence # of followers # of new followers over time

Impact Qualitative assessment of @replies Self-reported data post-event

22

Twitter Analytical Tools

#SM4PH

• TwitterAnalyzer

• TWInfluence

• TweetStats

• TwitterGrader

• Hashtracking

• Tweetreach

• TwitterCounter

• Radian 6

• Tweriod

• PeopleBrowsr

23

Questions from Twitter & Email

#SM4PH

24

Public Health Success Stories

#SM4PH

25

Success Story: Program Improvement

Philadelphia Office of HIV Planning

@hivphilly

Expanding community workshops with Twitter.

• Large service area (9 counties in 2 states) • Twitter extends conversation beyond the room • In advance, invite participation on Twitter • Live tweet workshop with updates and pictures • Share workshop consensus on Twitter for virtual feedback • Incorporate Twitter in every workshop • Use feedback for program development

#SM4PH

26

Success Story: Campaign Promotion

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

@CDCemergency

Incorporating Twitter into a multi-channel emergency preparedness campaign.

• Zombie Apocalypse an ongoing campaign to engage new audiences on emergency preparedness

• Took advantage of zombie trend in popular culture • Started as a blog post in 2011, developed into multi-channel campaign • Included educators website, posters, graphic novella, and use of Twitter

and other social media • Developed content syndication, badges, widgets, etc. to spread content

(kinda like zombies) • Promotion on the CDC Emergency Twitter Feed

#SM4PH

27

Success Story: Increase Media Coverage

Shelby Co. Health Department TN

@ShelbyTNHealth

Using Twitter as part of press strategy.

• Follows local print and TV networks and major reporters • Uses #nowfollowing hashtag to let reporters and media know the

health department is following them • Includes Twitter handle in email signatures of department officials, in

press releases and talking points • Repurposes press release content -- tweets highlights immediately after

release • Regularly receives RTs from reporters. Recent release on norovirus had

four reporters RT which expanded health department’s public reach • Has Twitter enabled on staff mobile device so can tweet while on the go

#SM4PH

28

Questions from Twitter & Email

#SM4PH

29

Success Story: Popular Culture for Public Health Messages

American Public Health Association

@publichealth

Using popular event hashtags to promote public health • Day before: began tweeting about healthy snacks, including link to CDC

post on healthy #SuperBowl. Followers RTed & replied with their own tips

• Game day: APHA reminded people about dangers of drinking & driving • During the game: tweeted about flu vaccination & highlighted CDC

partnership with NFL players • Unexpected opportunity of the blackout got most response. APHA

tweeted “Power outages can disrupt more than football games. Know how to be prepared with our @getready fact sheet: goo.gl/6BtSs #SuperBowl”

#SM4PH

30

Success Story: Respond to Disease Outbreak/Emergencies

#SM4PH

Philadelphia Dept. of Public Health,

Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness Program, @PHLPublicHealth @PDPHFlu

Responding to H1N1, Hurricane Sandy

• Disseminated information about H1N1 vaccines • Monitored public sentiment • Identified a problem when a mother tweeted about one of their clinics

saying children couldn’t be vaccinated • Reached out to her, identified clinic and retrained staff by end of day • Hurricane Sandy, used Twitter to support first responder agencies like

police, fire and emergency management, and to publish original content around topics of food safety, injury prevention, flood clean up, and mold removal

31

Success Story: Community of Practice

CDC NPIN @CDCNPIN

Hosting monthly TwitterChats to engage partners and build a community of practice.

• #NPINchats bring CBOs, health departments, health communicators and public together to discuss specific topics

• Subjects chosen based on relevant topics, new research or resources, observance days

• NPIN using TwitterChats since innovative Twitter Town Hall meeting in 2010

• Last #NPINchat on Twitter for Public Health had 551 tweets containing hashtag. Potential reach of 7,115,868 followers and probable reach of 711,586 (10%) exposed followers

• Chats over time developed into community of practice

#SM4PH

32

Questions from Twitter & Email

#SM4PH

33

Special Thanks

#SM4PH

• National Association of County and City Health Officials

• Office of HIV Planning, Philadelphia

• Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness Program, Philadelphia Department of Public Health

• Shelby County Health Department TN

• American Public Health Association

• Participants in January #NPINchat on Twitter for Public Health

34

Want more In the Know?

• LinkedIn & SlideShare for Public Health - March 12th

• Gaming & Mobile – April 2nd

• Facebook & Image-sharing – April 23rd

• Google + & YouTube – May 14th

• Measurement & Evaluation – June 4th

#SM4PH

Have a tip or success story to share? Tweet “I’m in the know” to @CDCNPIN to learn how you could be

featured in an upcoming webcast

#SM4PH

Stay tuned to learn about upcoming special guests Each session is from 2 – 3pm ET

www.cdcnpin.org

Thank You! www.cdcnpin.org

@CDCNPIN