The growth in the number of hospitals using social media has skyrocketed in just the past few years. In 2010, only 18 percent of hospital had a Facebook account. Today that number had grown to 99 percent. In contrast, only about 50 percent of hospitals today have a Twitter account.

So why are hospitals making Facebook the center of their social media campaign. The advantages are many:

• 25 percent of Facebook users check their account at least five times a day. That’s real engagement by your audience on a regular basis.
• 1 million websites have integrated with Facebook. Every time another website links to Facebook, it multiplies the number of potential viewers to your Facebook page exponentially.

• 80 percent of users prefer using Facebook when connecting with brands. In other words, consumers expect to find your hospital on Facebook.

Obviously, hospitals realize the importance of communication with patients outside of conventional clinical settings through other channels other than direct mail or the phone. But having a Facebook account and making the most of your social media efforts are two entirely different situations. If you don’t think your hospital is maximizing its social media, call Brentwood Communications at 615-425-0821 and learn more about how we can create, manage, target, track and analyze your social media to maximize your ROI.

Next Post: What BCI brings to the table to improve your social media platform.