Social Media for Advocacy

In today’s environment, social media platforms are some of the most powerful communication tools that medical professionals have harnessed for both personal and professional use. The number and variety of those platforms offer abundant choices for each individual (asamonitor.pub/4aUs005). Among the many professional uses, social media can be utilized to discuss novel research ideas, find collaborators, embark on innovative studies, and disseminate impactful findings (Anaesthesia 2023;78:906-10; Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim (Engl Ed) 2018;65:103-7). In a similar vein, social media can be especially effective for education, networking, branding, and advocacy (Anesth Analg February 2024).

In general, the term advocacy is typically defined as building and gaining support for an idea or initiative and/or giving voice to a group or cause (asamonitor.pub/3UBqPx5). As social media platforms have evolved to become a primary source of news and other information for Americans, there is a growing need to have authentic voices on social media to support science and truth in health care (asamonitor.pub/3UD4nUf). Social media offers local, national, or worldwide platforms for extended reach of messages, which can be delivered through free or paid processes. While misinformation about science and medicine have long been present online, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically amplified the public consumption of misinformation through social media channels (J Med Internet Res 2022;24:e38944; asamonitor.pub/4bdY3YO).

As physicians are one of the most respected professions in society, they and their medical organizations have an imperative to advocate for important public health and medical matters. It is crucial, therefore, that social media strategies for advocacy be developed (asamonitor.pub/4aX1ZgH). It’s important that physicians and medical organizations serve as subject matter experts to counterbalance the onslaught of medical misinformation pervasive in social media and leverage their roles as advocates for patients. An effective strategy should establish long-range objectives but also be nimble enough to respond to health care issues or crises in a timely fashion. Dialogue on social media can move incredibly quickly, and it is critical for users to be able to deliver strategic messages in a timely manner, as well as weigh in on trending topics, respond to comments, and engage in real time conversations. National organizations such as ASA and the American Medical Association have provided good examples of crisis communications through social media, with engagement on drug and supply chain shortages, the importance of personal protective equipment for health care workers and other public safety measures during COVID-19, proposed scope-of-practice expansions that challenge the role of physicians, and continuing cuts to Medicare physician payments.

Social media can be used in both organic and paid pathways. Through organic distribution methods, organizations or individuals can post content that is viewed and shared by friends, followers, and contacts. The greater the level of engagement on a post, the more it will be viewed and amplified; however, the level of visibility of the post is dependent upon the varying algorithms driving content delivery on different platforms. A paid digital strategy allows a social media user to target specific audiences and greatly increase the reach and visibility of their desired content. Implementing a paid digital strategy allows a user to target audiences by selected characteristics so that ads follow that user around their internet browsing or social media consumption, or to directly elevate the post visibility on selected social media platforms. Audience targeting can be done by geography, interest, job title, search history, or direct ad placement on selected news websites. When using social media for advocacy purposes, including a paid strategy to elevate content will dramatically increase the reach and visibility of the message.

Designing and deploying a long-term strategy for using social media as part of advocacy is mission critical for health care advocacy organizations. The California Society of Anesthesiologists’ (CSA) social media strategy is nested within the CSA Committee on Professional and Public Communication. For the past three years, the CSA has executed a targeted digital ad and social media campaign. The main objectives of this effort have been to raise the level of public awareness and education about the medical specialty of anesthesiology, the special skills and training of anesthesiologists, and the critical role of anesthesiologists in improving patient outcomes and health care value. This social media campaign has sought to not only educate hospital administrators/health care audiences and policymakers about the value of anesthesiologists, it has also helped to demonstrate an association’s leadership role as a vocal advocate, which reinforces member value and affinity toward the society. Without greater public understanding of anesthesiology, the high-priority policy issues that physician members care most about could not be effectively advanced. CSA’s leaders unanimously agreed that a public messaging campaign should be positive (“pro anesthesiologist” and “pro physician”) and should emphasize “who we are” rather than “what others are not.”

Key audience groups for this social media and ad campaign included health care leaders, hospital administrators, physicians, other health care workers, legislators, policy influencers, and the general public. CSA collaborated with KP Public Affairs to generate new, high-quality digital content in the form of static ads (Figures 1 and 2) and short video segments (CSA YouTube Channel) (asamonitor.pub/3xTrLns). For static ad design, developing both landscape- and portrait-oriented graphics is useful since one format may be preferred for a specific social media platform or website. For each of these ads, a “click” linked back to the CSA website with a landing page designed as public education on the role of anesthesiologists.

To reach the various target groups, creative content was posted through Google and multiple social media platforms such as X, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn, given known age group preferences for social media (asamonitor.pub/4aUs005). Keywords, topic and website searching, and location were also factored into the campaign, which launched in fall 2021 prior to the ASA annual meeting that was held in San Diego, California. Targeting this geographic location during the time of the conference was intended to generate awareness and interest among the anesthesiology community worldwide, as the ASA annual meeting attracts international attendees as well as anesthesiologists from around the country. Building upon this initial rollout, the social media and digital ad campaign was applied to other geographic regions within California at various times, targeting “hot spots” for health care provision, training programs, and legislative activity. Such a campaign requires active management: monitoring engagement level and clicks, shifting investment between platforms depending on ad performance, adjusting keyword selection and ad timing, and generating new content.

The CSA’s intentional investment in social media strategy has resulted in millions of impressions across social and digital pages. Due to effective and engaging content and successful targeting, the ad campaigns generated click-through rates and video-view completion rates that were consistently well above industry averages. There were thousands of clicks taking people to the CSA website to learn more. One CSA video explaining the critical role of anesthesiologists has been viewed over 300,000 times (asamonitor.pub/3JHUqhY). Effective advocacy using social media does not happen by accident. It requires intentional, ongoing effort, time, and resources. Given the intrinsic link between communications and advocacy, CSA continues to promote social media and digital ad outreach alongside face-to-face meetings with legislators and health care executives.