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6 Google+ Positives for Healthcare
The keystone feature Google+ is the ability to sort your contacts into groups. Large systems with multiple hospitals could send out one message to every contact in the system or just a handful of volunteers at one small hospital. To all patients or only to those who are interested in one particular topic.
The ability to customize these “circles” is endless. Internal circles could include employees, referring physicians, or major donors, for example. You could have circles customized by service line—one for cardiac patients, another for ortho, for example. Or for patients who are interested in health and wellness circles.
If all of this sounds a bit overwhelming, you’ll appreciate that all of the circles can be managed from one page with a fairly simple interface. You don’t have to log into one account to post diet tips and then another to send neighbors a construction update.
When a patient checks in with your Facebook page, there’s no doubt that they’re looking at a Facebook page. Although at this time there is no way to brand Google+ pages, they do have a lot of white space and a clean, streamlined look and feel. And you control what your posts look like—you can format text and post photos in a variety of sizes—both things you can’t do on Facebook and Twitter.
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Comments are moderated. Please be patient.
Gienna Shaw (7/25/2011 at 4:19 PM)
Dan[INVALID]agree on all points. Kevin[INVALID]You can add anyone you want to a circle[INVALID]if they do not add you back nothing you send will reach them (much like Facebook). Another solution may be to have patients opt-in[INVALID]they would sign up for one or more of your circles.
Dan Hinmon (7/22/2011 at 10:55 AM)
Bring on the competition! So many of these features could be easily incorporated into Facebook. If nothing else, the entry of the Google+ gorilla will push Facebook even harder to innovate. For now, though, most healthcare marketers are fetter fishing where the fish are (Facebook) than chasing this shiny new object.
Kevin (7/13/2011 at 11:26 AM)
As stated, "The keystone feature Google+ is the ability to sort your contacts into groups" and send "to all patients or only to those who are interested in one particular topic." But what about your contacts' rights to not be included? Maybe that does not matter for social interactions, but if this is going to be used in healthcare, shouldn't it be a two-way street, where both parties agree to be in a "circle"? In other words, a patient may not want to be in your Diabetes circle.