#.PDF BASICS FOR TWITTER PDF#

In response to these findings, CDC provides resources to help writers improve communications materials and focus on health literacy issues. About 1 in 3 adults has below basic or basic health literacy skills, which means they would find it difficult to read and follow instructions on a prescription medicine label.Without clear information and an understanding of the information’s importance, people are more likely to skip necessary medical tests, end up in the emergency room more often, and have a harder time managing chronic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure.Nearly 9 in 10 adults have difficulty using the everyday health information that is routinely available in health care facilities, retail outlets, media, and communities.Research indicates that most health information is not presented in a way that is usable by most adults. Laws such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the Plain Writing Act of 2010 require government communicators to make their messages easy to understand, so people can more easily act upon information and make effective decisions about their health. Now more than ever, health literacy matters.

For more information, review the Audience Insights documents at the Gateway to Health Communication & Social Marketing Practice section. They might be more attracted to audio-visual content than written messages.Īppendix A provides key points on several of the audiences the CDC reaches. If limited literacy skills are an issue for the audience you are trying to reach, then find out if and how they use social media. Understanding how people naturally use or participate in different social media channels will help you determine your engagement strategy. Each social media channel is different in the way it engages communities and manages content. Using market research, metrics, and other data to define your audience needs will be important in selecting the most effective channels. People access information in different ways, at different times of the day, and for different reasons. Likewise, understanding your audience will help you select the best channels for reaching specific audiences with your messages. Understanding what’s important to your audience will increase the effectiveness of your social media efforts. You can develop messages that are specific to the concerns, needs, and desires of a particular demographic. One benefit of using social media is audience segmentation. Use social marketing concepts to improve communications.Understand the audience they are trying to reach.To ensure that the reader does take the time to read your messages, social media writers should… If content is dense, long, and jargon-filled, the reader probably won’t find it appealing. A reader often sifts through an onslaught of information, skims topics, and browses sites to determine where to focus his or her attention. Social media presents a particular challenge for communicators because the users don’t focus on a single document. Target Audiences, Health Literacy and Plain Language, and Social Marketing For information on other channels, social networking sites, and microblogs, visit CDC’s Social Media Tools, Guidelines and Best Practices. It is largely tactical, giving you specific ways to write for social media channels.Īlthough a wide variety of social media tools exist, this Guide will focus on three specific channels: Facebook, Twitter, and text messages (short message service, or SMS). This Guide aims to assist you in translating your messages so they resonate and are relevant to social media audiences, and encourage action, engagement, and interaction. Using social media, these messages can reach more audiences and have an even greater impact on the public. What Is This Guide For? How Should It Be Used?Īs a health communicator, you craft health and safety messages that can have a profound impact on the public. This toolkit is intended for a beginner audience, although some viewers with an intermediate level may find parts of the toolkit useful. You will also learn about popular channels you can incorporate into your plan, such as blogs, video-sharing sites, mobile applications and RSS feeds. In this guide, you will find information to help you get started using social media-from developing governance to determining which channels best meet your communication objectives to creating a social media strategy. It was designed to provide guidance and to share the lessons learned in more than three years of integrating social media into CDC health communication campaigns, activities and emergency response efforts. This toolkit was developed by the Electronic Media Branch, Division of News and Electronic Media, Office of the Associate Director of Communication at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

#.PDF BASICS FOR TWITTER PDF#

CDC’s Guide to Writing for Social Media pdf icon

.pdf basics for twitter