Making Healthcare Social Media More Accessible

Across the country, health plans and health care providers invest tens of millions of dollars in their social media programs. Most have at least one individual on staff whose role is to generate and organize social media content. Many have teams of marketers and agency partners using social media as a key part of their outreach strategy. It makes sense – 82% of Americans have a social media profile and 8 in 10 healthcare consumers search for healthcare information online.

Scrolling through the social media accounts of health plans around the US, you will find backpack giveaways, smoking quitlines, foodbank events, healthy recipes, heat safety tips, breastfeeding benefits, health plan renewal information, and more. There is an abundance of educational content out there.

What you can’t easily find is accessible versions of this content.

Why is accessible content important?

1 in 4 individuals has a disability that impacts life activities.

Following mobility, the most frequent disabilities are cognitive, independent living, hearing, vision, and self-care. These same individuals with disabilities are part of the 82% of the country on social media. While they can interact with health care content, their ability to take meaningful actions from that content is limited by inconsistent efforts to improve accessibility.

If accessible social media content improves engagement, why isn’t everyone doing it?

It’s hard.

Much like health care, the answer is complicated. Health and managed care topics are complex, and outreach is governed by robust regulatory and security constraints.

It’s not prioritized.

Many health care organizations view social media as a check-box activity when it in fact is a customer service portal, a community hub, a reputation barometer, a knowledge center – in other words, a live, real-time connection to consumers. While health plans strive to meet members where they are, this approach overlooks an opportunity to be in the literal hands of the consumers.

It’s scripted.

Most marketing and communications teams will place a high value on a content strategy that is timely, engaging, and aligned with key initiatives. Working from an editorial calendar with pre-planned topics, the content feedback loop is small and internal. While efficiency is critical for timeliness (and a marketer’s sanity), the result is a process that is often disconnected from the consumer and content that often misses its target.

It’s disconnected.

Health care organizations ensure that staff who connect directly with consumers have the training and experience necessary for compassionate interaction. They have honed their skills on the front lines. Marketers develop their skills within myriad industries and communication channels. While they understand the complexity of modern outreach, they often lack direct healthcare consumer interaction.

All of these are barriers to a positive and helpful consumer experience on social media. Accessibility can help break down these barriers.

Accessibility Basics

Accessibility comes in many shapes and forms, and there are organizations and websites to reference for specific tools. We love Accessible Social’s guide for social media and The Frameworks Institute’s approach to communications.

At the top of our list of must-haves for creating accessible content is:

• Readability
• Translations
• Captions
• Alt text
• Accessible fonts
• High contrast colors

Rethinking Social Media

Ultimately the tools a team decides to use are only as effective as the culture and commitment behind the effort. Even for savvy marketers, creating consistently accessible content is a journey that requires time, resources, and iteration based on consumer feedback.

Social media continues to be the most dynamic, efficient, and affordable way for the healthcare community to reach consumers. Investing in accessibility to meet consumers where they are will provide a greater opportunity for ongoing engagement and deeper relationships. It’s time for health care organizations to rethink their presence on social media.