The Dream of Social Media

[Patrick Singson]

“The dream of social media is that in 10 years we will have no more crappy products.”

I heard that at a panel discussion on Social Media at the Search Engine Strategies (SES) conference in NYC. Like most profound things it was both simple and elegant. And isn’t that the truth? Isn’t that what hospitals and doctors dream of? A world with no complaints? There’s a real fear of social media/networking as well. It’s not: ‘What if they write that I suck?’ The real fear is: ‘What if I suck, then they write about it?’ Remember, what is written on the web is forever. Just ask ‘Cisco Fatty.’

But, the dream of social media is that problems get addressed – in real time. Especially when you deal with health issues when the worst case scenario is death. Death is the ultimate negative. It’s the nuclear option. You can’t, as they say, put a price on a human life. People take that kind of stuff seriously. So when some blogger/tweeter/guerrilla-columnist-du-jour outs incompetence, true or not, the fear is that your gene pool, life source, cash flow, will dry up and come to an ignominious end. This fear of online complaints is often an illusion preventing your hospital from delving into social media. Rather than hiding your head in the sand, it is best to simply address it as you would any complaint. Thinking that going to social media will open a can of worms is an illusion. Social Media already exists – your only concern is if you want to have a seat at the table. This fear of engaging in social media is an illusion. But fear of illusion is real.

Feel the fear, and do it anyway

This is the new paradigm, love it or hate it. Social networking is about radical transparency. Institutions and businesses need to act as if their clients have x-ray vision into the inner workings of their business – warts and all. The only remaining question is: how will your hospital deal with it?

Here’s the new paradigm:

• Consumer crave information and power
• If it can be known, it will be known by all (the web causes transparency)
• If it can be rated, it will be rated
• If it can be free, it will be free
• Professionals who are active players in the new vertical marketplaces win
• There can be no vertical marketplace without community
• The digital media model rules (local is giant)

~ from Rich Barton, of Zillow

If you are not part of the dialogue that’s out there, the dialogue will go on without you. What are ways that businesses deal with this social networking phenomenon?

Here are the new rules of engagement:

• Respond
But first you have to listen for the pin dropping. Do you have anyone monitoring Twitter? Blogs?

• Create brand equity and goodwill
Do you know the answer about how to create brand equity through PR and Marketing? One story at a time. Social Media allows you to put your side of the story out there.

Comcast is known to be actively listening on Twitter (@comcastcares), with several “listeners” with Comcast corporate Twitter accounts responding to Tweets with the keyword ‘Comcast.’ Comcast, once pilloried as having horrible customer service is now doing such a good job that there are reports that folks get better Comcast service on Twitter than they do with the phone reps. Their dual goal is excellent customer service, but also putting the smoke out before it can become a forest fire.

Traditional Marketing is about top down broadcasting. Social Media is about ‘bubble up’ word of mouth. Traditional Marketing is about control: controlling the message, the image, the Brand. Social Media Marketing is less about control, and more about containment, response and vital change.

Remember the dream of social media? No more crappy products. How is that dream realized? Through actively listening to the repeated gripes, complaints and insults, (and occasional praise), and responding in a way that is diplomatic, professional , and satisfying to the griper/praiser.

What if the problem is systemic, ingrown, “part of the system?” Well then, change the system. I’m not being flippant here (not completely, anyway ;-)). Make the change that’s necessary so that your hospital will be seen as responsive and service oriented. If your hospital is not doing its best, the news will out itself anyway. In today’s socially connected world, that news just comes out faster. Social media is a whirlwind. Twitter is not just ‘what are you doing now.’ It is also: ‘Socially-proofed recommendations expressed in real time.’ Learn to ride the whirlwind. Be at one with the quality you know your hospital can demonstrate, and become part of the dream of social media.

Your customers will love you for it.

Love to hear your thoughts, please comment below, and/or follow me on Twitter @patricksingson

[Sheila Nava]

That's a great point Chris... I'm sure you're right that anonymous posts are here to stay. And as with many innovations in social media, all things abhorred eventually gain acceptance.

[Christopher Boyer]

Sheila, as you probably know from reading my other posts out here, I am a big proponent of anonymous reviews/posts. While it is true that anonymous postings prevent the business from contacting the patient back directly, given the way the "traditional" healthcare business model is - doctors and hospitals have either developed a strong and trusting relationship with their patients (thus effectively circumventing the need for the patient to post online anonymously), or have effectively isolated the patient from their healthcare process.

The latter is, unfortunately, more common place than the former, hence the rise in anonymous online ratings.

The widespread adoption of social media isn't the cause of anonymous online ratings - it's merely the tool that patients use. And if these disenfranchised patients aren't able to find a way to post their reviews/ratings online anonymously on your site, they'll just as easily find a different site. Or just tweet, blog or Facebook about it.

Anonymous ratings are here to stay, and the more that hospitals and doctors realize this, and begin embracing them, the better off their staying power will be in this new media paradigm. For more on my opinion, see: http://hospitalonlinemarketingeducation.ning.com/profiles/blogs/online-ratings-are-actually

[Sheila Nava]

Wow - what a great post! It caused me to wonder how the tide will go with registered posts vs. anonymous posts. While businesses can (and should) listen to their user base and correct patterns of inadequacy, anonymous posts prevent businesses from responding to (and rectifying) specific problems for specific customers. Do anonymous posts equate to newspaper headlines with no bylines (and no accountability)? Hmmm... I'm not sure I know how I feel about that. Interested to hear your opinion.

[Patrick Singson]

Eric - "co-operative brand building" is a great term. Sometimes our greatest brand champions were once detractors that got turned around through addressing their issues and concerns.

Jim - Yes, at base, Social Media is just another venue for customer service. But if you don't have your Twitter Search, Google Alert, social-media-ear turned on the conversation will definitely go on without your participation. There's a certain amount of background noise, but if you hear the same thing 10 times over, that is probably a clear indication to get involved. And if you hear nothing at all you have to determine if this is a good - or bad thing.

[Jim - medXcentral]

Patrick.. nicely done and well put. I continually try to push the point that Social Media (for business) is simply an extension of Customer Service. Of course smart companies bleed a little marketing into their customer service departments. They do it in house... so why not online. That's acceptable behavior, IMO.

However, the core of customer service is managing relationships and perception. And, as you and others have stated; "The conversation will go on with or without you." Call me a control freak...but, I'm getting in on any conversation about my name/brand/reputation/product...etc. I'm guessing most hospitals/businesses would want to do the same.

Great post.
@medxcentral

[Eric Brody]

Thoughtful post Patrick. What holds so many people (administrators) back is the fear of the unknown. The fear that they might no longer be in control. Which they're not. But "co-operative brand building" is tough for some to understand. We do a lot of work in the healthcare/social space - and continue to stress that unless you're in (the conversations), you're going to be out (of people's lives).

[Patrick Singson]

Thanks Shawna! The bare minimum for social media engagement for hospitals is to simply monitor tweets and blogs to see what is being said about your organization - good or bad. This is a blind spot for many organizations. Simply listening for patterns leads to the next step, which is choosing when and how to respond.

[Shawna Freeborn]

Great post Patrick! Addressing the fear is always the first step ; ). By utilizing RSS feeds, hospitals can monitor what the public is saying about them on the internet, good or bad. Also,creating and maintaining a corporate blog allows you to publicly address any negative comments being made regarding your business. Social Media is here whether we like it or not, the key is to not getting left behind.