Taking part in social media is one thing, but how you promote your involvement is another.
Last night I found myself taking a look at a few different hospital Web sites; one of which was Moses Cone, a large hospital in my hometown of Greensboro, NC. This is what you see when you first arrive to the Moses Cone homepage.
If you scroll down a bit you might happen to see four small icons – one for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Linkedin.
When I noticed the hospital was using social media I thought to myself, “Hey, that’s cool.” Then, not even one second later I thought, “Oh, that’s not good.”
Rather than ask you to go to their Web site and try and figure out what made me say that last statement, I’ve copied the social media links they are sending people to and hyperlinked them here for you (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Linkedin). Go ahead, give them a click.
When you clicked the links you may have noticed that you were taken to each respective Web sites homepage. This wasn’t a mistake on my part – that is where they are dropping people off at. I can only imagine that this was an oversight, but it’s one that I would highly recommend fixing.
When promoting social media you need to send your audience to the exact location you want them to visit. If not, there is simply no telling what they will see when they visit X Web site or if they will ever find your page. For example, when I clicked the YouTube link on the Moses Cone page I saw what is below.
I seriously doubt they mean to help promote that fact that the TV show nip/tuck is on tonight at 10 pm. There are several other suggestions I have that could easily enhance the hospitals social media program and will share those suggestions if asked.
The Web is a huge space that can be extremely useful for brands, but giving customers/potential customers the proper guidance is crucial to creating a positive experience.
.:Click here to get updates via RSS or email:.
