Using Social Listening and Web Traffic Analysis Following Major Media Health Events to Inform Public Health Campaigns

Background:  Disasters, deaths or illnesses of major media figures, epidemics, and related public health events happen on a regular basis.  If health communications organizations are prepared for these events, they can play a major role in improving the public's health literacy by offering critical, timely information on a given topic when the public needs it the most.  To understand overall impact of a messaging campaign, health communications analysts provide an important service by monitoring websites, apps, social media, and public health campaigns to discover the trends that are taking place. These invaluable analyses can go a long way to inform future efforts by decision-makers.  If necessary, agile organizations can develop new content to stay current and meet emerging needs.

Program background:  Four case studies will be presented as examples of how major health-related media events can be monitored to provide critical data to health communications professionals.  The case studies include monitoring a website for content needs following a celebrity’s statement about contracting a chronic disease, monitoring the aftermath of a school shooting via an eblast campaign in order to understand the need for publications, utilizing social listening tools to monitor an important social and mental health issue, and utilizing site monitoring metrics to measure the impact of suicide and the need for suicide prevention content.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  Each case study provides a step-wise progression of strategy in order to inform agencies of an emerging need.

1. Determining the issue/need as it’s emerging.
2. Determining the pervasiveness of the issue/need in order to establish priority.
3. Listening to the chatter and monitoring site responses on an ongoing basis to determine the trend.
4. Providing data and information to agency decision-makers so responses are measured and accurate.

Conclusions:  These four case studies outline the necessity of ongoing digital and web monitoring of public health issues in order to provide timely and needed content updates and information.  The feedback provided by monitoring systems also provides decision-makers with data on the pervasiveness of a health need or issue, and thus can give input into the priority of the issue.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Digital and web monitoring of health needs and issues can be provided by health communications and marketing analysts and should be a regularly used tool for government agencies and officials in public health.  These tools will progressively become more sophisticated and comprehensive over time, thus providing a finer degree of monitoring.  Additionally, such monitoring can cover the gamut of digital channels, including websites, blogs, social media, public health improvement campaigns, and mobile apps.  A well-built listening system can provide a substantial data input into policies, the development of regulations, and the development of strategy for rapidly trending issues.  If the goal is for government to listen to the public and understand and meet their needs, such proactive monitoring is one of the best strategies available for quick response.