Sometimes it's difficult to choose which type of media you'll tell your story with - photos, video, writing only. Sometimes the subjects dictate what they're most comfortable with and the decision is made for you.
It's my feeling that if you can tell a story through video, that's the route to go. Giving a face, and voice, to a subject matter is akin to inviting the viewer into the story. The nuances you can capture through visual storytelling or information sharing can trump even the most well-written piece. We recently had a situation where a patient, who is a very gifted photographer, didn't want to be filmed, but was more than okay providing a voice-over for his personal photographs. We edited it all together, and the subsequent four-part video was very well received in all mediums it was posted to.
On the flip side (no pun intended), not everyone is eloquent or comfortable in front of the camera, and hitting all points can be difficult, especially when you're dealing with illness and healthcare. If this is the case, then perhaps an article with accompanying photos do the story more justice than a video can.
What it all comes down to is this - plan. Before you step out the door with a camera, or a Flip, or your DAT, talk to your interviewee if possible to see what they're comfortable with. Determine what, if any, ancillary material you'll need such as additional interviews or supportive information. Play out the story in your head, and attempt to determine how you would like to receive the information.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Partnership
Social media is just that - social. And working for a large hospital, one can get caught up getting social outside of the office, ignoring those within.
One of the biggest challenges that an inside social media strategist can has is finding time to partner with their coworkers or complimentary departments. Take, for instance, the gal who is in charge of the intranet, the biggest source of employee information. I interact with her in one way or another daily, not just because our duties overlap, but because she is a very cool gal. Yet it took months for us to really start talking about collaboration on a social media front. Another excuse would be that working on multitudes of social media campaigns is taxing and she has her own objectives - we're both uber busy.
Social media is not just for the community at-large. What defines a customer when it comes to social media? Everyone your organization touches, including it's employees, is a customer. We get so many tips on hospital happenings, stories and news from our employees, yet we've been slow to partner with those whose sole focus is reaching those employees on an immediate and comprehensive basis.
I am attempting to rectify this challenge as quickly and completely as I can. I'll let you know how it goes...
One of the biggest challenges that an inside social media strategist can has is finding time to partner with their coworkers or complimentary departments. Take, for instance, the gal who is in charge of the intranet, the biggest source of employee information. I interact with her in one way or another daily, not just because our duties overlap, but because she is a very cool gal. Yet it took months for us to really start talking about collaboration on a social media front. Another excuse would be that working on multitudes of social media campaigns is taxing and she has her own objectives - we're both uber busy.
Social media is not just for the community at-large. What defines a customer when it comes to social media? Everyone your organization touches, including it's employees, is a customer. We get so many tips on hospital happenings, stories and news from our employees, yet we've been slow to partner with those whose sole focus is reaching those employees on an immediate and comprehensive basis.
I am attempting to rectify this challenge as quickly and completely as I can. I'll let you know how it goes...
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Are you in or are you out?
Many companies see the need for social media strategy but due to budget concerns or lack of information, they don't make the jump to bringing someone on board. For some, they contract out the strategy to an agency or individual.
In my opinion, this is the complete opposite of what an organization that's concerned with their quality of outreach, PR and customer service should do. By trusting this new and delicate type of engagement to a relative outsider, they are short-changing not only the end user, but themselves as well.
TRUST
The value of having an actual employee manage the day-to-day social media interactions is the trust that results from this level of involvement. Whether it's a physician, patient, employee or neighbor, closing that gap and having that face-to-face connection (when you can) is essential to getting it right. You'd be amazed at how much someone is more prone to open up if you have built that short yet tangible connection. The end result is the story gets told from a very personal outlook - as it should. You do right by the interviewee and by your employer - win/win.
CREDIBILITY
Additionally, getting out to film the stories yourself lends credibility to the task and the position. Not only do people start to trust you, but they trust in the medium, in the process. The word gets spread, and "social media" starts getting a better rap, and in turn is more valued. I'm all about education, and have recently helped other departments and entities under our corporate umbrella understand the value of and get set up to begin social media strategy. This interconnectedness within the organization can only be nurtured by someone on the inside.
INVESTMENT
Finally, the value of investment is realized by having an insider. I like my job, and want to keep doing what I do, so I am heavily invested in doing all I can from an engagement standpoint. Yes, there is overhead when you hire someone, but the cohesiveness and personal investment (from the employee) far outweighs what little you might save by contracting out the position with an agency or individual. Agencies and freelancers are probably juggling multiple clients, and you can be sure that you're not in that #1 position for very long.
So, the question is - are you in, or are you out?
In my opinion, this is the complete opposite of what an organization that's concerned with their quality of outreach, PR and customer service should do. By trusting this new and delicate type of engagement to a relative outsider, they are short-changing not only the end user, but themselves as well.
TRUST
The value of having an actual employee manage the day-to-day social media interactions is the trust that results from this level of involvement. Whether it's a physician, patient, employee or neighbor, closing that gap and having that face-to-face connection (when you can) is essential to getting it right. You'd be amazed at how much someone is more prone to open up if you have built that short yet tangible connection. The end result is the story gets told from a very personal outlook - as it should. You do right by the interviewee and by your employer - win/win.
CREDIBILITY
Additionally, getting out to film the stories yourself lends credibility to the task and the position. Not only do people start to trust you, but they trust in the medium, in the process. The word gets spread, and "social media" starts getting a better rap, and in turn is more valued. I'm all about education, and have recently helped other departments and entities under our corporate umbrella understand the value of and get set up to begin social media strategy. This interconnectedness within the organization can only be nurtured by someone on the inside.
INVESTMENT
Finally, the value of investment is realized by having an insider. I like my job, and want to keep doing what I do, so I am heavily invested in doing all I can from an engagement standpoint. Yes, there is overhead when you hire someone, but the cohesiveness and personal investment (from the employee) far outweighs what little you might save by contracting out the position with an agency or individual. Agencies and freelancers are probably juggling multiple clients, and you can be sure that you're not in that #1 position for very long.
So, the question is - are you in, or are you out?
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Embrace it all
I wanted my first post to be prophetic, profound, progressive, which are three adjectives to describe what social media is (to me).
I decided that I would go with a term I hold in high regard in all aspects of my life - embrace.
I embrace my existence here on earth. I embrace the change that happens every millisecond. I embrace the strife and conflict that are a daily part of life. I embrace the fact that I am not perfect, nor is anyone, and therefore slack should be cut.
I am fortunate to work for a hospital that has embraced social media completely. I have been given the tools to do the job to the best of my ability. I also am part of a marketing and PR team that is enthusiastic about social media, understands it, and helps me to educate those that are unsure or afraid. My employer recognizes the need for social media as part of their internal and external communication endeavors. They support. They embrace.
Our community embraces. Our physicians, nurses, hospital employees, patients and neigbors embrace our social media efforts, and the result has been a rate of growth that has exceeded everyone's expectations, including mine. From November 2009 to February 2010 we grew from 323 Facebook fans to over 1,000. Our Twitter friend base has increased also, and we have just added a blog to the mix so that's exciting.
But social media measurement isn't just about numbers - it's about engagement, interactions, and the quality of such. We've experienced a tremendously positive reaction to our patient and employee video stories, which are posted almost daily. We have also garnered favorable feedback from personal posts, photo diaries and podcasts.
The reason for all this is strategy, and embracing change. Some things work, others don't - moving fluidly from one tactic to another, testing, trying all work to our advantage. Listening to our community - what do they respond favorably to? What kinds of posts are mostly ignored? They speak, we listen, we plan, we enact. It's that simple.
To successfully integrate social media strategy into a hospital communications realm, the idea of it must be embraced. And for many, it's difficult to embrace as it's a new type of communication. New = strange and scary. Couple that with the mentality that "if the kids are using it, it's not worthwhile", and you've got a mental roadblock that may never be overcome.
This is a point of view I'd like to explore in later posts. For now, I'll end with this: embrace it all - the known and unknown, and save the judgement for later.
I decided that I would go with a term I hold in high regard in all aspects of my life - embrace.
I embrace my existence here on earth. I embrace the change that happens every millisecond. I embrace the strife and conflict that are a daily part of life. I embrace the fact that I am not perfect, nor is anyone, and therefore slack should be cut.
I am fortunate to work for a hospital that has embraced social media completely. I have been given the tools to do the job to the best of my ability. I also am part of a marketing and PR team that is enthusiastic about social media, understands it, and helps me to educate those that are unsure or afraid. My employer recognizes the need for social media as part of their internal and external communication endeavors. They support. They embrace.
Our community embraces. Our physicians, nurses, hospital employees, patients and neigbors embrace our social media efforts, and the result has been a rate of growth that has exceeded everyone's expectations, including mine. From November 2009 to February 2010 we grew from 323 Facebook fans to over 1,000. Our Twitter friend base has increased also, and we have just added a blog to the mix so that's exciting.
But social media measurement isn't just about numbers - it's about engagement, interactions, and the quality of such. We've experienced a tremendously positive reaction to our patient and employee video stories, which are posted almost daily. We have also garnered favorable feedback from personal posts, photo diaries and podcasts.
The reason for all this is strategy, and embracing change. Some things work, others don't - moving fluidly from one tactic to another, testing, trying all work to our advantage. Listening to our community - what do they respond favorably to? What kinds of posts are mostly ignored? They speak, we listen, we plan, we enact. It's that simple.
To successfully integrate social media strategy into a hospital communications realm, the idea of it must be embraced. And for many, it's difficult to embrace as it's a new type of communication. New = strange and scary. Couple that with the mentality that "if the kids are using it, it's not worthwhile", and you've got a mental roadblock that may never be overcome.
This is a point of view I'd like to explore in later posts. For now, I'll end with this: embrace it all - the known and unknown, and save the judgement for later.
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