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Essay / The explosion of specialized and general social media
The use of social media is growing rapidly. The power of social media and the impact it can have on marketing is incredible. Thanks to Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, it's easier to grab people's attention and get them interested in a business. Social media is also useful for advertising and is a great way to get the word out about a business. The explosion of general and specialized social networks on the Internet has allowed patients and practitioners to talk to each other and to each other in myriad ways that might have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Mention social media marketing in general and it's likely you're referring to Twitter, Facebook or one of the other major players in the social media space. However, when talking about social media marketing in healthcare, there are other options in the social sphere. The explosion of general and specialist social networks on the Internet has enabled patients and practitioners to communicate with each other in a multitude of ways that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago (Hume, 2012). While Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Youtube are all quite commonly used by doctors and healthcare services for B2C communication, there is a strong preference among doctors for a closed community when connecting with their peers. The doctors-only social network, Sermo, facilitates confidential and optionally anonymous discussions between doctors nationwide on a range of topics related to 68 medical specialty groups. (Hume, 2012)Sutter Health, headquartered in Sacramento, California, is a nonprofit community health care network comprised of hospitals, physician organizations, home health and care palliatives...... middle of paper ...... interfere with work activities. State that all other organizational policies (e.g., harassment, ethics) are applicable to social media communications. State that individuals are personally responsible for all social media posts. State that employees should not expect privacy on social media. They must also define consequences for violating policies. (Cain, 2011)In conclusion, social media is a great idea for marketing. I think this is a great strategy, seeing as how everyone uses some type of social media these days. It is an easy way to advertise, connect with others and also interact with others. It can provide feedback, networking and a way to get the attention of someone who is unfamiliar with a company or rather has never heard of it. I like the idea of using social media for healthcare marketing. I think this could definitely help a company's marketing strategy.