3 Things the Ice Bucket Challenge Can Teach Hospital Marketers

A campaign to promote awareness and funds for ALS research has gone viral on Facebook. Though it wasn't orchestrated by marketing pros, there are three key take-aways for hospital marketers considering an interactive social media campaign.

This past weekend I attended a friend's pool party, expecting to spend the day eating barbeque and lounging in the sun. Instead, I wound up spending a good amount of time recording video of people dumping ice water on themselves.

As it turns out, many of my friends had been tagged in the Ice Bucket Challenge, a viral social campaign promoting ALS research and taking over Facebook newsfeeds everywhere.

If you've somehow managed to escape it, the Ice Bucket Challenge was started by a 29-year-old man in Massachusetts who was diagnosed with the disease in 2012. He presented a challenge to his friends and followers on social media: either dump a bucket of ice water on your head, post proof on social media, and donate $10 to ALS research or, if you can't hack the cold, donate $100 to the cause.

Since the challenge launched in late July it has exploded online. Celebrities such as Martha Stewart, Matt Lauer, Lance Bass, and Elizabeth Banks have accepted the challenge, and the number of A-list participants is continuing to grow; just this week Ethel Kennedy challenged President Obama to join in.
The White House responded on Twitter.

While word isn't in on just how much the viral movement has raised, the director of the ALS Therapy Development Institute in Massachusetts told the Boston Herald that donations are ten times higher than usual.

The challenge is one of the most successful viral fundraisers this year and, though it wasn't orchestrated by a marketing department, there are several take-aways for hospital marketers who are considering an interactive social campaign.

1.Play to Human Nature
While I'm sure many people participating in the challenge would like to give credit to their altruistic nature, much of the campaign's success comes down to the fact that people like posting about themselves on social media. The Ice Bucket Challenge not only lets social users upload an amusing photo or video of themselves, but they get to say they're doing it in the name of a good cause.

So, with any viral campaign, it's critical to consider what the participant gets out of it. Are they entered into a raffle if they post a photo of their healthy meal? Will the hospital Twitter account re-tweet everyone who checks-in to the blood drive? Will the most creative reimagining of your logo win a prize?

By considering the motivations of social media users when crafting the campaign and incentivizing accordingly, you will likely improve user participation and help ensure the campaign's success.

2. Maintain Strong Branding
The Ice Bucket Challenge is also successful because each participant is prompted to state in his or her video or photo that they have accepted the challenge to raise money and awareness for ALS research.

It might seem like an obvious step, but otherwise this campaign could quickly have become an Internet trend of people posting videos of themselves doused in ice water because it's summer and everyone else is doing it. (If you're skeptical, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "Selfie Olympics")

The key to branding a viral campaign lies in the hashtag that will be used across social platforms. Creating a good hashtag—like #icebucketchallenge—may be more difficult than you'd think. It should include your organization's name, be easy to remember, relate to the specific campaign, and not mistakenly spell something else when the letters are put together.

3.Include a Call to Action
Once you've crafted an incentivized social campaign with a fine-tuned hashtag, all that's left is to weave your call-to-action into the effort. In the Ice Bucket Challenge, participants are asked to donate to ALS research if they accept the challenge or not, and to challenge others, by name.

Whatever your social campaign is promoting, whether it be a fundraising push, blood drive, or wellness campaign, the next step for users should be clear throughout the process. Since word counts on social media are often limited, this may be easiest achieved by driving users to a campaign microsite where you can include more information.

With each of these three elements in place, your social campaign will be poised to become your region's next Ice Bucket Challenge. And who knows, maybe the President will get involved, too.