march of dimes and bixal - using social media to deliver health messages

Using social media to deliver health messages and engage with Latina

moms and families

Lilliam Acosta-Sanchez, MPH,

Director, Latino Outreach

Carla Briceño, Co-founder Bixal

April 10, 2012

Hispánicize

Overview Background & overview of:

How March of Dimes reaches out for health

Nacersano

Target audience for nacersano

Best practices

Audience focus

Design and content

Use of social media

Next steps

Q&A

Questions we'll try to answer...

• How can nonprofits use social media to promote their mission

and increase awareness within their Hispanic community?

• How do you identify key issues and/or messages that are

relevant to the Hispanic community and will help create

conversation?

• Why is high-quality content focused on the needs of your

Hispanic audience important?

• How does the March of Dimes plan to continue building on its

successful experience?

March of Dimes Mission:

To improve the health of

babies by preventing birth

defects, prematurity and

infant mortality.

Carried out through:

• Research

• Community programs

• Advocacy

• Education

About bixal Meaningful Communications and Technology

• Founded in 2001

• 8(a) certified small business working with government,

nonprofit and commercial clients

• Focused on helping our clients in the U.S. and Latin America

use culturally-relevant communications and innovative

technologies to reach their audiences and achieve their goals

Pregnancy & Newborn

Health Education Center

Then (English & some Spanish)

Now (English & Spanish)

Print Print

Call center Web

Email Email

E-newsletters

Video

Social media

Reaching out for Hispanic health

Integrated presence using “nacersano”:

• Print – English, Spanish, bilingual

• Web - nacersano.org (including email)

• Blog - blog.nacersano.org

• Twitter - @nacersano; @nacersanobaby

• Twitter chats - #nacersano; #nacersanobaby

• Facebook - facebook.com/nacersano

• YouTube - youtube.com/marchofdimes.com

We use social media to…

• Deliver relevant health messages

• Engage with our target audiences around their health

information needs

• Build relationships by providing excellent customer service and

enhancing mission awareness

Target audiences Spanish-preferring Latinas who are:

• Planning a pregnancy

• Pregnant

• New moms

Their families

Mission-affected families

Best practices • Audience Focus

• Culturally-Relevant Design and Content

• Effective Use of Social Media

Diverse Hispanic community

• Countries of origin

• Cultural predispositions

• Levels of acculturation

• Language preferences

• Use of technology

• Needs and interests

Audience focus

Design and content • High quality

• Culturally-relevant

• Focused on needs and interests of specific audience

• Publish regularly

• Use various channels

nacersano.org

Attention to quality

Source: AOL Latino Cyberstudy

Social media Using an effective and integrated approach to...

• Publish

• Inform

• Interact

• Listen

• Refine content and messaging

Blog

Latinos and Facebook • Between April 2010 and April 2011, Latinos use of FB grew

167% in contrast to 21% for non-Hispanics.

• Latinos are catching up with the general market: FB has 70%

penetration among Latinos online versus 72% for the general

population.

Source: Comscore

Facebook.com/nacersano

Facebook conversation

Twitter use

@nacersano

@nacersanobaby

Twitter conversation

YouTube Black and Hispanic internet users consume the most video, with

76% of African-Americans and 81% of Hispanics reporting that they

used video-sharing sites.

Source: Pew Internet & American Life

Educational videos

Educational videos

Personalized e-newsletters

E-newsletters

E-mail

Key points to remember • Social media can be a useful tool to promote your mission and

increase awareness of your nonprofit cause.

• Understand your audiences and their specific needs to

develop high-quality content.

• Use social media to listen and refine.

• High-quality content is key to attract your audience.

Next steps • Expand Spanish-language video offerings.

• Redesign nacersano.org.

• iPad app – My 9 months/Mis 9 meses

Questions?

Stay in touch @nacersano

@bixal