Using CDC Twitter Chats to Engage Key Influencers and Extend Reach

Background:Social media channels allow health communicators to reach people where they are searching, browsing, and interacting online. The social media landscape is ripe with opportunity to connect with a larger audience through influencers. Influencers are described as advocates who drive the conversation and engagement around topics. In 2011, CDC initiated Twitter chats to grow its presence with existing Twitter followers and grow new followers. Online influencers with Twitter profiles were invited to participate in the Twitter chats to amplify CDC’s health and safety messages. The objective was to establish engagement with key online influencers who are; advocates for CDC’s health and safety messages, can drive conversations, and amplify messages with their targeted audiences.

Program background:The Division of News and Electronic Media, Electronic Media Branch (EMB) leads and is primarily responsible for organizing digital media across CDC – with emphasis on web and social media. EMB regularly identifies opportunities for innovative and effective use of digital media. EMB works to support Centers and Programs in using digital media through development of guidance, strategies, templates, tools, systems and best practices. Innovation and research within EMB ensure that CDC remains a federal leader in digital media.

Evaluation Methods and Results: Beginning in September 2011, CDC’s Division of News and Electronic Media invited more than 70 of its existing social media influencers to participate in CDC Twitter chats.  They were asked to promote CDC’s chats across their social media profiles and participate by retweeting and asking questions. Metrics assessing reach and influence were collected after each chat.  Sharecare, American Medical Association (AMA), and Vericom were three key influencers who regularly participated, based on their level of engagement during chats. Influencers were motivated by the association with a credible source, CDC’s Twitter reach and potential for retweeting influencers’ tweets. CDC monitored engagement by three influencers that provided electronic health information to health care providers and the general public. CDC discovered the reach was increasing with each Twitter chat. Key influencers extended the reach for CDC’s Twitter chat topics before, during and after chats. For example, during a February chat on the topic of prescription drug overdose, @DrFriedenCDC had a reach of 5,139,239. Key influencer, American Medical Association (AMA) and their 187,753 Twitter followers contributed 33 percent of total reach with 1,689,822. Reach is defined as the number of Tweets posted by the organization multiplied by the number of the organizations followers who were potentially exposed to the hashtag #CDCChat.

Conclusions: Social media alliances with influencers helped increase reach of key audiences and raised awareness of important health messages and available resources.

Implications for research and/or practice:Because of the receptiveness of partner organizations and target audiences, CDC plans to evaluate the effectiveness of these channels, expand the scope and number of social media collaborations, and identify innovative outreach strategies to promote additional collaborations with influencers.   Identifying and engaging with key influencers can convert new audiences who in turn can become influencers , create buzz around health communication campaigns and increase engagement.