Social Media Case Study Executing a Social Media Plan

A thoroughly researched and well planned social media strategy provided senior management the comfort to proceed with a social media plan that would support their offline brand initiatives.

The client is one of the largest U.S. providers of hospice and palliative care for people of all ages. We were engaged by this client to develop a social media strategy. Their plan from the beginning was to engage an agency to build the strategy for them with the intent of executing the plan through their internal staff. We convinced them to broaden our scope to develop an overall digital strategy with emphasis on social media, but to also include other aspects of Internet marketing such as SEO. This social media case study focuses on the importance of developing a strategic plan that considers all aspects of marketing including offline marketing initiatives. For more detailed information on this client’s social media case study , please contact us.

Client Objective – Change Brand Perception Through Social Media Engagement

A hospice is a service no one ever wants to need for themselves or a loved one. The client’s brand marketing communication programs in recent years has been primarily focused on print, radio and television. They intentionally ignored social media to avoid the potential risk of reputation backlash for unwarranted criticism associated with news coverage surrounding a previous patient. In particular, the CEO feared greatly the ability of the public having free access to leave comments on social media accounts associated with their brand. Their goal was to develop a methodical social media plan that would unfold slowly to allow for a learning curve in online engagement.

Social Media Planning Challenges

In spite of executive management’s reluctance to engage with online communities, the client also realized the negative publicity received years ago was a small minority of sentiment. The vast majority of public sentiment toward their brand is exceptionally positive. The client wanted a social media plan that would allow management of the possible negative engagement, while providing patient’s families to express their appreciation for the caring provided to their loved ones. Additionally, the client is very active in their community participating in numerous events, some of which are branded in their name. Overall, their brand is favorably accepted but they feared the worse from a small number of potentially hostile people.

Social Media Strategy

We performed thorough analysis of their target customers. While the patient is the end user of their service, the research identified many personas that influence the decision process in the selection of a hospice ranging from family members to neighbors to other health care professionals to local charitable organizations. We developed a content strategy that addresses the interests of each of their highest priority personas. We identified the digital channels to reach and engage each persona which included traditional social media channels as well as email communication. One surprise that emerged in the planning process is the prominence of LinkedIn groups where the client can engage with people around relevant topics. In addition to addressing brand perception, the client also has an interest in attracting new clientele…Yes, the hospice market is competitive like any other market segment…Therefore, calls to action were identified to convert online contacts into offline conversations with their palliative care specialists. The final deliverable social media strategy document included competitive analysis and persona analysis to build a case for social media engagement. And, it outlined a recommended plan of action with details for their internal staff to execute.

Social Media Case Study Results

As described above, the purpose of this social media strategy is to provide a roadmap for their internal staff to execute. The client presented the social media strategy internally to the CEO and other members of the management team for approval. The approval was received to proceed, albeit at a conservative pace in order to monitor progress and to allow for proper response from potential critics. This client will continue to evolve their social media strategy conservatively. Without a well-researched strategy comprised of a methodical roadmap their management team would have remained unwilling to proceed with a social media strategy. They would not be any further along in their desire to engage online with the community in relevant ways to support their brand building goals.

We can not disclose the name of our client in this social media case study to protect their identity from competitors. Please contact us if you would like more information about how we developed this marketing  plan if it is relevant to your situation.