Tips to help you choose between Twitter, Instagram and others
Today, there are 4.5 billion social media users worldwide.
In healthcare, HCPs are rapidly adopting social media. Currently, 85% of oncologists and PCPs use social media. By 2026, 75% of clinicians will be digital natives who grew up watching YouTube on iPhones.
For HCPs, the top platforms are Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. Here’s an overview:
Social media platforms overview
Twitter (now rebranded as "X") is the real-time conversation platform for HCPs. In this example, surgical oncologist Dr. Ted James shares his views on contralateral prophylactic mastectomy:
Instagram helps HCPs build their brands with images and video. Medical oncologist Dr. Isabella Tavares posts a story on thyroid cancer:
LinkedIn lets HCPs highlight their careers and reputations. Cardiologist Dr. Christopher Cannon shares a study update on finerenone:
Facebook is the spot for news, groups and more. OncoDaily shares an interview with Medical oncologist Dr. Narjust Duma from WCLC 2023:
With so many platforms, how do you choose? How do you prioritize?
The answer: choose the platform with the most HCPs with a significant audience and influence in your disease category.
(Interested in learning more about audience and influence? See this post on 3 ways to find Digital Opinion Leaders).
How to prioritize social media platforms
To assess each platform, follow these steps:
First, search Google for disease hashtags such as #bcsm or #breastcancer. Use "site:twitter.com" or "site:instagram.com" to narrow your search to a single platform.
Next, try searching for key words or phrases based on your strategy. For example, if your disease category is breast cancer, try searching for "ER+," "HER2-positive," "HER2-negative" or "breast cancer."
You can also search for conference hashtags such as #ASCO21 or #ESMOBreast21.
Save your results in a spreadsheet. Enter each platform in a separate column.
Now, assess your results. Prioritize the platform with the most HCPs with a significant audience and influence in your disease category.
(In the above example, we’ll prioritize Twitter since it has the most HCPs with a significant audience and influence in breast cancer.)
Start with one platform. Once you’re pleased with your results, consider adding another platform.
Ready to get started? Let’s go!
Helpful tips:
Start with Twitter. As the real-time conversation platform for HCPs, Twitter is usually your best source of insights.
If you’re in dermatology or surgery, pay attention to Instagram. Dermatologists and surgeons love the visuals on Instagram. (See this list of tips for IG).
Reassess every few quarters. Social media evolves rapidly, so don’t miss out on the next new platform.