Southcoast recently entered the world of social media, creating presences on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The three channels are designed to work together and in tandem with Southcoast’s public Website to help increase community health awareness and keep people up-to-date on happenings at Southcoast. Jim Rattray, Vice President of Marketing & Public Affairs, recently chatted with Coastlines about the importance of using social media channels to give Southcoast patients and the entire community a new way to communicate with Southcoast Hospitals.

What brought about the decision to venture into the world of social media?
We are keeping up with the way people get their news and information. Television, newspapers and even radio stations are changing the way they cover news, downsizing their staffs and their coverage. It’s important for Southcoast to change with the times and continue to find ways to keep community members and the media up to date on local health care issues. Social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube help us do that.

Southcoast has a Website; isn’t that enough?
Our Website is very important, but social media channels help us communicate and educate the community in a more intuitive, efficient and effective manner. They also are an important tool for us when there are emergencies in the community. We can post — or “push” — updates in real time, such as severe weather cancellations, emergency or mass casualty events in our region. That way people have access to them immediately instead of having to look for them on the Internet or in the news.

Do you think people in the South Coast region are interested in using the Internet to get information on health care?
We have reason to believe that more and more of our neighbors are using the Internet for health information. Traffic to the Southcoast Website has more than doubled in the last few years. In fact, page views are approaching two million a year. Our monthl electronic newsletter, Southcoast eNews, now has more than 13,000 subscribers with the list growing every day.

Southcoast patients also seem interested in participating in online discussions on specific issues. Many of our weight loss surgery patients asked us to create an online space where they could communicate. We built them a forum where they discuss diet, recipes, exercise and their recovery. It’s a great way for them to get the support they need, and offer support to others who are on the same journey.

What types of social media tools is Southcoast currently using?
We have a YouTube channel where we post videos, including our recruitment videos and some of our television ads. There is a Twitter feed, which we use to remind followers of the location of the Southcoast Health Van every day and keep people up to date on emerging issues. For instance, we “tweeted” [the word used for entering information on Twitter] updates on the H1N1 virus when the outbreak became of great concern. We also have a Facebook page that anyone with a Facebook account can become a “fan” of. The Facebook page is “social media central” for us. Our YouTube posts and “tweets” are automatically posted there. The Facebook page also contains our Wellness Calendar and posts all emerging news and press releases where they can be easily found. We also use the page to share links with relevant health information on other Websites.

We are in a budget crunch right now. How can we justify using resources to support social media?
The use of social media is actually very cost effective. We pay nothing to have a presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The Marketing & Public Relations team already creates and maintains Southcoast’s public Website and it takes just a few minutes to also post on these sites.

Using these social media tools is generally one of the most cost effective, convenient and efficient ways to get and receive updates from the public, the media, common interest groups and local community organizations.

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