Last Wednesday, the AP Style Book released its 2010 edition.  The biggest difference between this edition and its predecessors:  42 social media guidelines.  Another blatant reminder that ready or not, and like it or not, social media has forever changed the landscape of marketing.

And it’s not just the big brands using social media as a means of marketing.  As of January, more than 700,000 local businesses had facebook fan pages.

Meanwhile twitter continues to grow in popularity, with an estimated 180,000,000 unique visitors each month.

As more and more businesses and individuals delve into the world of social media, one sector continues to lag behind in involvement: healthcare providers.  And considering the demographic that social media reaches, this could be a mistake.

Huffington Post released a study today indicating that women (the primary healthcare decision makers) are tweeting 12% more than men.  And 55% of facebook users ( 56 million!) are women, with the fastest growing age groups being 25-34, 35-54,and 55+.

What are women looking for in social media, and how can hospitals reach them?

• Relationships.  By nature, women are relational creatures.  They want to interact with, get to know, and trust the brands that are a part of their lives.  You may not be able be able to form a relationship through a print ad or a billboard, but the interactive nature of social media builds relationships, which in turn builds trust.
• Tips for Simplifying Life. What busy on-the-go woman couldn’t use some tips to make life a little easier?  Whether it be tips for fitting fitness into a busy lifestyle, healthy cooking advice from the hospital chef, or general pieces of information that motivate women to live healthier lifestyles, healthcare providers have a valuable opportunity to offer advice through daily tweets, text, or facebook fan page updates.
• Freebies. Groupon continues to grow in popularity, and many brands offer discounts through twitter and facebook.  Hospitals aren’t in the position to offer buy one, get one services, but you can offer free branded swag (t-shirts, water bottles, etc.-be creative!) You can also announce free healthcare screenings or other hospital events through social media.

Your target audience is using social media to interact with brands.  Is your brand interacting?