This post is the first in a new series called “Ask Living the Path.” With more than 1,000 blog posts, news articles, data summaries, strategy guides and case studies, our knowledge-based online community, Living the Path, is packed with content that will help you stay informed. In this series we demonstrate how the site can help you answer common strategic and tactical questions. Those using Living the Path for this purpose can refer to the wiki and the social news site, the NewsHub.
With many health organizations thinking about or utilizing social media for health purposes, it makes sense that some are asking for evidence supporting its ability to raise awareness and ultimately change behavior in some way. Living the Path contains many resources that can help you address this question.
If I were seeking to answer this question, I’d start at the wiki and type the following search terms in its search engine: social media impact. Conducting this search brings up over 15 case studies, data summaries and articles. The following are some interesting references.
- Dove Campaign for Real Beauty Viral Video Campaign – In the first six months of the campaign, sales of Dove’s firming products increased 700% in Europe. In addition, product sales rose by 600% during the first two months of the campaign. During the first year of the campaign (2004), the company achieved $1 billion in global sales due to the campaign vastly exceeding company expectations.
- Study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research – According to a study published in 2010, Internet-based communications initiatives are an effective means of encouraging people to change their health behaviors (e.g., stop smoking, eat healthier). The most effective Internet-based behavior change initiatives were in the areas of “physical activity, dietary behavior and alcohol consumption.”
- AIDS.gov World AIDS Day – In this case study featured in the AIDS.gov Knowledge Site, AIDS.gov estimated that World AIDS Day 2008 activities directly reached approximately 208,297 individuals through multiple social media channels.
Finally I turned my attention to the NewsHub to locate blog posts or news stories on this subject. I type in the same keywords into its search engine and come up with six excellent references.
Three of the interesting blog posts I found are outlined below.
- Beth Kanter blogged about the PepsiFresh Contest. She highlighted Pepsi’s strategies for tracking and social impact analysis.
- KevinMD.org blogged about the impact of Twitter on health care in 2010. He lists all the hospitals using Twitter and different hashtags.
- John Bell blogged about FTC guidelines and blogger outreach. He discussed watching out for three main things: full/proactive disclosure, facts vs. opinion, and paid bloggers.
As you can see there are many resources available to you on Living the Path on this and other topics. If you have a question, it’s likely Living the Path has answers.
Tip: To quickly search the NewsHub, wiki or other areas of Living the Path, download our browser toolbar.
In the next installment we’ll answer the question: What do social marketing initiatives look like?
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