APMA News - March 2013 - (Page 54)

Inside APMA’s Social Media Promoting Podiatry: Social Media Goals for 2013 APMA has been using social media outlets as a means of sharing important information with members and the public for almost three years. Thus far, we have focused on increasing the number of followers and group members we have across the board, while still engaging with users about the importance and benefits of foot health. This article details our social media goals so you can better understand how we use various social media platforms to promote and educate the public about today’s podiatrist. Followers, “Likes,” and Members 54 APMA News March 2013 Sharing News, Events, and Videos APMA engages through social media by posting updates and starting conversations about breaking news stories and association events, and by sharing videos and photos that help educate the public. Our strategies for managing Facebook and Google+ are similar because the platforms are alike in structure and in the types of posts that users make and view. APMA wants to promote important events, like the House of Delegates and Annual Scientific Meeting (The National), by posting information and links to APMA.org. Similarly, breaking news stories about the profession and about exceptional people who promote the profession can be shared. Videos and photos are also great ways to engage users and keep them coming back for more information. APMA’s strategy with Twitter is a bit different, as it is a one-of-a-kind platform. Because users are constantly updating their Twitter pages with more information, APMA is committed to updating Twitter regularly and keeping its followers informed about important news, as well as promoting events, especially The National. Our Twitter account will be updated during events with a live feed of information for those who cannot attend. Twitter continues to be one of APMA’s main vehicles of communication during 2013. While YouTube is not a traditional social media platform, it is an excellent place to inform people about podiatry and foot health. This year, we plan to continue posting videos made by both members and APMA that provide entertainment and education. Because Pinterest is a new channel for APMA, we look forward to exploring the many ways we can use our account to promote foot health and our campaign in April. We are eager to engage with all of our members, as well as students, health-care professionals, and others, through our social media accounts, and we hope you’ll keep an eye out for our posts. We hope 2013 will be a great year for social media, not just for APMA but for you as well! n For more information about APMA’s expanding social media activities, contact Anna Erickson at acerickson@apma.org. Social media icons ©istockphoto.com/Logorilla Each social media platform has its own type of follower. Facebook and Google+ call page followers “Likes,” while Twitter calls them “Followers.” Those in our LinkedIn group are considered “members,” and every time someone watches a video on YouTube, we gain a “view.” Each year, we try to create an attainable yet challenging goal for each platform. Our goal for Twitter was to reach 35,000 followers—a considerable increase from our starting point of about 22,000 at the beginning of 2012. As of January 2013, we had about 28,000 followers, and we believe making it to 35,000 followers by the end of 2013 is not out of reach. By the end of January, APMA’s Facebook group page had slightly more than 3,100 “Likes,” which is significantly more than the 2,400 we had at the beginning of 2012. For 2013, we hope to reach or exceed 3,500 “Likes.” LinkedIn is a great professional resource for our members to discuss important health-care issues, and our group page continues to grow. Our goal for the end of 2012 was to reach 550 group members. We have far surpassed that, with a January status of 2,077 members. APMA’s goal for 2013 is to continue growing this group up to 2,500 members. APMA continues to use YouTube as a means of sharing educational and entertaining videos created in-house and by members. As of January, our YouTube channel had logged more than 200,000 views. We would like boost this number to 230,000 views by December. Google+ and Pinterest are the most recent additions to APMA’s social media strategy. Our Google+ page had 75 “Likes” by mid-January. To boost this number, we have decided to increase our number of postings, using the page to promote association events and breaking news stories. APMA’s Pinterest account will officially launch during our April Foot Health Awareness Campaign, which will focus on bunions. Pinterest’s audience overlaps with the intended au- dience for our spring campaign—women ages 35–55—and will be a great way to continue interacting with members and other audiences about foot health. http://www.APMA.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - March 2013

APMA News - March 2013
In This Issue
Contents
Incoming APMA President Matthew G. Garoufalis, DPM, Urges Members to Devote Time Each Week to Advancing Vision 2015
Meet the Candidates Participating in Elections at This Year’s Meeting of the APMA House of Delegates
State Advocacy in Focus: Public Education and Outreach
New Physicians in 113th Congress Will Face Challenges to Health Care
The Future of Podiatric Medicine is Now: An Interview with Nichol Salvo, DPM
Sequestration, the “Doc Fix,” and the Future of the Medicare Provider Payment Formula
Updated List of Seal Holders
2012 Podiatric Practice Survey: Gender by Practice Arrangement Type
Bet on Vegas for a Features Good Time at the National
Annual Scientific Meeting Registration Forms
Team APMA 5K Run/Walk
Annual Scientific Meeting Sponsors
Affiliate Recognition Task Force
Federal Advocacy Forum
APMAPAC Chair Report
Seeking Award Nominations
IT Consultant
Call for Abstracts
Resolutions Deadlines
Inside APMA’s Social Media
Website Wisdom
Small Business 101
CPME Update
On the Road with APMA
In Short
Worthy of Note
New Members
Affiliates Corner
APMAPAC Update
Development Update
Classified Advertising
Dates to Remember
Advertising Index
10 Questions
Your APMA

APMA News - March 2013