This is the first of six interactive webcasts in the series, In the Know: Social Media for Public Health. Each webcast focuses on a different social media channel and provides basic information, tips, success stories, and discussion on how best to use social media to promote public health and expand outreach initiatives.

1. #SM4PH
Twitter for Public Health
Melissa Beaupierre, NPIN Director and Senior Director for Content Marketing & Partnerships
Erin Edgerton Norvell, Senior Director for Communication Strategy & Digital
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2. Webcast Overview Watch for
these bubbles,
join the convo
#SM4PH
1. Making the Case for Twitter
2. Using Twitter Effectively
3. Helpful Twitter Tools
4. Evaluating Your Success on Twitter
5. Public Health Success Stories
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#SM4PH

3. Brought to You by NPIN
Mobile Devices
Interactive Widgets Trainings &
Webcasts
CDCNPIN.org
Community Forums
Social Media
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4. Making the Case for Twitter
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5. What’s the Big Deal?
What is it?
Twitter is a ‘microblog’ where users create, share, and
follow.
Who’s Using it?
• In 2013, Twitter will reach 7.1 million U.S. adult users
• 15% of online adults use Twitter, 8% on a typical day
• African Americans and Latinos have high rates of
adoption
Why do people like it?
Twitter provides a real-time stream of breaking news,
announcements, and celebrity gossip.
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6. Benefits of Using Twitter
Benefits: Engagement Pitfalls: Broadcast-Only
• Immediate engagement • Spread information
• No cost
• Increase organization visibility
• Connect stakeholders
• Lower cost
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7. Twitter for Public Health
Sixty percent of state health departments reported using at least one social
media application in 2012. Of these, 86.7% had a Twitter account.
• Track conversation on health topics
• Rapid response and crisis communications
• Use popular culture for public health messages
• Engage with target audiences and partners
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8. Organizational Challenges
• Lack of support from leadership
• Privacy concerns, security risks, outdated policies
• Understanding and allocation of resources
• Volume of engaging content
Tweet your
challenges or
solutions
#SM4PH
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9. Making the Case
• During planning, identify allies at all organizational levels
• Use the organization’s mission to frame your justification
• Develop a strategy:
– Goals and annual objectives
– Staff and time commitments needed
– Process for repurposing existing content
– Editorial calendar and approval for new content
– Routing for incoming questions
– Evaluation plan and reporting schedule
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10. Using Twitter Effectively
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11. Anatomy of a Tweet
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12. Hosting Events
Back in 2010 @RedPumpProj held an
initial townhall for National Women
& Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
• Town Halls
Check out these regular chats: #hcsm
#pubht #NPINchat
• TwitterViews
• TwitterChats
Tweet your
favorite events
• ChatBlitz #SM4PH
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13. Best Practices
• Leave room for retweets, comments, and additional hashtags
• Shorten and test links before sending
• Include pictures/videos to increase engagement
• Use Twitter management tools
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14. Questions from Twitter & Email
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15. Helpful Twitter Tools
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16. Weekly Email Digest
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17. Twilert
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18. Recent & Upcoming Features
• Tailored Trends
• Influence Ranking
• Twitter Archive
• Vine
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19. Management Tools
• Hootsuite Tweet your
favorite tools
• Tweetdeck #SM4PH
• Twitter mobile app
• Link shorteners:
– Bitly.com
– Goo.gl
– Tinyurl.com
– Go.usa.gov (government-only)
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20. Evaluating Your Success on Twitter
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21. Measure towards Your Goals
Goal Metric
Disseminate # of followers
# of tweets
Potential reach
Engage # of retweets
# of @ replies
# of clicks on images/videos
Connect # of event participants
# of tweets/event
# of tweets/participant/event
Influence # of followers
# of new followers over time
Impact Qualitative assessment of
@replies
Self-reported data post-event
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22. Twitter Analytical Tools
• TwitterAnalyzer
• TWInfluence
• TweetStats
• TwitterGrader
• Hashtracking
• Tweetreach
• TwitterCounter
• Radian 6
• Tweriod
• PeopleBrowsr
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23. Questions from Twitter & Email
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24. Public Health Success Stories
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25. Success Story: Program Improvement
Philadelphia Office of HIV Planning
@hivphilly
Expanding community workshops with Twitter.
• Large service area (9 counties in 2 states)
• Twitter extends conversation beyond the room
• In advance, invite participation on Twitter
• Live tweet workshop with updates and pictures
• Share workshop consensus on Twitter for virtual feedback
• Incorporate Twitter in every workshop
• Use feedback for program development
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26. Success Story: Campaign Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
@CDCemergency
Incorporating Twitter into a multi-channel emergency
preparedness campaign.
• Zombie Apocalypse an ongoing campaign to engage new audiences on
emergency preparedness
• Took advantage of zombie trend in popular culture
• Started as a blog post in 2011, developed into multi-channel campaign
• Included educators website, posters, graphic novella, and use of Twitter
and other social media
• Developed content syndication, badges, widgets, etc. to spread content
(kinda like zombies)
• Promotion on the CDC Emergency Twitter Feed
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27. Success Story: Increase Media Coverage
Shelby Co. Health Department TN
@ShelbyTNHealth
Using Twitter as part of press strategy.
• Follows local print and TV networks and major reporters
• Uses #nowfollowing hashtag to let reporters and media know the
health department is following them
• Includes Twitter handle in email signatures of department officials, in
press releases and talking points
• Repurposes press release content -- tweets highlights immediately after
release
• Regularly receives RTs from reporters. Recent release on norovirus had
four reporters RT which expanded health department’s public reach
• Has Twitter enabled on staff mobile device so can tweet while on the go
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28. Questions from Twitter & Email
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29. Success Story: Popular Culture for
Public Health Messages
American Public Health Association
@publichealth
Using popular event hashtags to promote public health
• Day before: began tweeting about healthy snacks, including link to CDC
post on healthy #SuperBowl. Followers RTed & replied with their own
tips
• Game day: APHA reminded people about dangers of drinking & driving
• During the game: tweeted about flu vaccination & highlighted CDC
partnership with NFL players
• Unexpected opportunity of the blackout got most response. APHA
tweeted “Power outages can disrupt more than football games. Know
how to be prepared with our @getready fact sheet: goo.gl/6BtSs
#SuperBowl”
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30. Success Story: Respond to Disease
Outbreak/Emergencies
Philadelphia Dept. of Public Health,
Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness
Program, @PHLPublicHealth @PDPHFlu
Responding to H1N1, Hurricane Sandy
• Disseminated information about H1N1 vaccines
• Monitored public sentiment
• Identified a problem when a mother tweeted about one of their clinics
saying children couldn’t be vaccinated
• Reached out to her, identified clinic and retrained staff by end of day
• Hurricane Sandy, used Twitter to support first responder agencies like
police, fire and emergency management, and to publish original
content around topics of food safety, injury prevention, flood clean up,
and mold removal
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31. Success Story: Community of Practice
CDC NPIN @CDCNPIN
Hosting monthly TwitterChats to engage partners and
build a community of practice.
• #NPINchats bring CBOs, health departments, health communicators
and public together to discuss specific topics
• Subjects chosen based on relevant topics, new research or
resources, observance days
• NPIN using TwitterChats since innovative Twitter Town Hall meeting
in 2010
• Last #NPINchat on Twitter for Public Health had 551 tweets
containing hashtag. Potential reach of 7,115,868 followers and
probable reach of 711,586 (10%) exposed followers
• Chats over time developed into community of practice
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32. Questions from Twitter & Email
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33. Special Thanks
• National Association of County and City Health
Officials
• Office of HIV Planning, Philadelphia
• Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness
Program, Philadelphia Department of Public Health
• Shelby County Health Department TN
• American Public Health Association
• Participants in January #NPINchat on Twitter for
Public Health
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34. Want more In the Know?
• LinkedIn & SlideShare for Public Health - March 12th
• Gaming & Mobile – April 2nd
• Facebook & Image-sharing – April 23rd
• Google + & YouTube – May 14th
• Measurement & Evaluation – June 4th
Stay tuned to learn about upcoming special guests
Each session is from 2 – 3pm ET Have a tip or success
www.cdcnpin.org story to share? Tweet
“I’m in the know” to
@CDCNPIN to learn
how you could be
featured in an
upcoming webcast
#SM4PH
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35. Thank You!
www.cdcnpin.org
@CDCNPIN