Viewpoint Social Media and Nutrition Education: The Food Hero Experience Lauren N. Tobey, MS, RD1; Melinda M. Manore, PhD, RD2 ABSTRACT Social media can be a quick, low-cost, direct way for nutrition educators to broaden the scope of their targeted programs. The authors’ viewpoint is that for social media to be effective, strategies for its use should follow ‘‘best practices’’ guidelines. This viewpoint suggests social media best practices based on experience gained from the Food Hero social marketing campaign. Understanding of how nutrition educators can take advantage of social media as a new mechanism for reaching their target audience is needed, including best practices for implementation, management, and evaluation. Key Words: Internet, social marketing, low-income, health communication, social networks (J Nutr Educ Behav. 2014;46:128-133.)
INTRODUCTION Social media can be a quick, low-cost, direct way for nutrition educators to broaden the scope of their targeted programs. However, the authors' viewpoint is that for social media to be effectively used within nutrition education, it should follow some ‘‘best practices’’ guidelines to ensure that educators are successful and the educational venue of social media is truly vetted.1 This viewpoint suggests social media best practices based on experience gained from the Food Hero social marketing campaign. Visit any popular social media site, such as Facebook or Twitter, and search for ‘‘nutrition.’’ The number of responses will be overwhelming. This level of interest and following makes it is easy to see why social media is appealing to nutrition educators. However, to use this resource effectively, it is important to understand how to provide timely and evidence-based nutrition and health information to the public. First, this viewpoint will give an overview of social media, describing
1
users and giving examples of how social media is used to promote health. Second, 5 practice-based suggestions are provided on how to effectively create and manage a social media project; these suggestions are taken from the Food Hero social marketing campaign experience.
Social Media Overview Social media is a fast-growing medium, yet it still lacks a common definition. In general, social media is a method of communication used to facilitate social interaction on Internet-based sites, including mobile sites. Ahlqvist et al define social media as ‘‘a means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.’’2 Currently, 3 of the most popular social media sites, all free of cost, are Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest (Table 1). Social media requires access to the Internet. In the US, online usage depends primarily on age (eg, being # 65 y old), followed by level of edu-
Nutrition, Extension Family and Community Health Program, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 2 Nutrition, School of Biological & Population Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR Address for correspondence: Lauren Tobey, MS, RD, Extension Nutrition Education Program, 106 Ballard Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331; Phone: (541) 737-1017; Fax: (541) 737-0999; E-mail: [email protected] Ó2014 SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2013.09.013
128
cation (eg, at least a high school degree), and household income.7,8 Currently, gaps in each of these categories are shrinking. For example, for US adults with a household income of < $30,000/y, the percentage who are online has grown from 28% in 2000 to 67% in 2012 and was reported to be 76% in 2013.7-9 In contrast, 79% of US adults with a household income of > $75,000/y were online in 2000 compared with 96% in 2013.8,9 Finally, researchers now report that language preferences may also be predictors of online usage (eg, those who prefer survey interviews in English vs Spanish).8 Overall, 67% of US adults who are online use social networking sites.9 For low-income households, Facebook is the most popular social media site (68%), followed by Twitter (16%) and Pinterest (10%); these numbers are similar for adults of higher income levels, at 67%, 16%, and 15%, respectively.3 Those segments of the population found to be using social networking sites the most include adults < 50 y (77%–83%), those with a household income < $30,000/y (72%), and women (71%).3 Research indicates that between 55% and 67% of US adults go online for health and wellness information, and half of all online health inquiries are made on behalf of someone else.10-12 In addition, social media is used by 20%–34% of those searching for health-related topics.10,13 Public health professionals and health care providers are using social media in a number of ways. Social media is
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Table 1. Description of 3 Popular Social Media Sites Social Media Platform
Description
Active Users
Top User Demographics3
US Adults Using Site (%)3
Facebook
Users share and interact with stories, images and video
845 million users, resulting in 100 billion friendships4
Women, especially ages 18–29 y
67
Pinterest
Online pinboards on which users collect and group photos of interest, each of which links to the Web site source
48.7 million5
Women, adults under 50 y, whites, those with some college education
15
Twitter
Microblogging: users send messages of # 140 characters
555 million; 40% do not tweet themselves but watch others tweet6
18- to 29-year-olds, African Americans, urban residents
16
being used by care professionals to improve delivery and availability of health care and to communicate with peers. For example, it is used to facilitate social support groups, deliver educational programs, recruit for services, train students, and help with communication between other health care professionals through workplaces, coalitions, and organizations.14-18 Public health professionals also use social media for similar functions, including electronic-based education and communication for the public; recruitment to programming; training students; and tracking and analyzing data on the group or population of interest.19-26
Food Hero Social Media Project: Background for the Authors’ Best Practice Recommendations Food Hero is a multichannel social marketing campaign created in 2009 by the Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Nutrition Education Program (NEP) to increase the amount and variety of vegetables and fruit consumed by Oregonians. Thus, Food Hero is delivered to the target audience through a number of different ways (eg, channels) that are strategically interrelated, yet focused on meeting behavioral goals. At the initiation of this campaign, only 26% of Oregonians consumed 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.27 The target audience is limitedincome mothers with young children living in the home, who speak English
and/or Spanish, and who use the Internet. Their children are a secondary audience. The goal of Food Hero is to distribute evidence-based research using a learner-centered focus and to provide actionable messages through multiple channels and partners. Core campaign topics include meal planning, shopping, cooking, and safely storing food, and campaign channels include a Web site, community programming kits, purchased media, and a monthly message package within the Food Hero project. A primary objective of Food Hero, beyond the target audience and their family eating more vegetables and fruit, is to empower the targeted audience to share information and champion Food Hero messages within their networks of family and friends. This objective is promoted via all Food Hero channels, including social media. Social media is also used by the Food Hero development team to engage with NEP educators and encourage them to be Food Hero champions.
THE AUTHORS’ VIEW ON BEST PRACTICES Current technology makes it easy to host a social media site. Simply visit a social media site, register for an account, and begin connecting with others. This simple strategy may be successful, but it may not lead to optimal results. Food Hero created a successful social media campaign by collecting and incorporating participant feedback into the project and
searching the research literature to see what has worked for others. Below are 5 key practice-based suggestions learned from the Food Hero experience.
Practice Suggestion #1: Conduct a Needs Assessment Food Hero was first funded to create a social marketing campaign to increase fruit and vegetable intake within the limited-income population of Oregon. As with any nutrition education intervention, the first step of this process was an extensive needs assessment, including a careful examination of the relevant research literature. This step was followed by collecting data from the target audience using 8 focus groups (n ¼ 50) and a phone survey (n ¼ 1498). Each of these steps informed the campaign channels employed, including the social media project. A major finding from the focus groups was that participants valued recipes and cooking information and used online resources to get this information. The focus groups also selected the logo and helped identify and settle on the term ‘‘Food Hero’’ as a way to empower mothers and their children (Figure). The phone survey, which asked to survey the person in the household who does most of the grocery shopping and cooking, provided a more specific picture of the target audience's needs. Results showed that 86% were female, they wanted information via the Internet about health and eating (53%), and
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Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 46, Number 2, 2014 made when needed. These same themes could be used by others engaging in social media work.
Practice Suggestion #2: Select Social Media Sites
Figure. Food hero logo.
they were currently finding useful cooking tips and ideas from family, friends, or the Internet (53%). Finally, 47% of participants identified themselves as mothers who did the shopping and dinner preparation without help, hence the desire for recipes that were simple to prepare. Using the data from the needs assessment, the Food Hero development team created campaign communication strategies that focused on actionable tips and tools. For example, based on data from the phone survey and focus groups, the authors focused on the importance of serving healthy meals vs eating more fruits and vegetables or the drawbacks of not eating them. The results also showed that mothers wanted healthy recipes to overcome the time and cost barriers they faced in feeding healthy food to their families. The strategy was strongly reinforced in the research literature, including several online federal education toolkits that emphasized the importance of providing actionable information in plain language.28-33 The Food Hero strategy was developed using 6 reoccurring themes that emerged from the needs assessment: (1) identify the target audience and provide clearly focused messages; (2) provide actionable information in small segments explaining what the user can do and how to do it; (3) write for lower literacy in plain language; (4) be positive and realistic in writing style; (5) provide research-based information; and (6) track social media measurement data so changes can be
The social media sites strategically selected by Food Hero are Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.21 These sites are used to post information related to the Food Hero campaign because they effectively reach the target audience and can be managed with current staff. Facebook was selected by the Food Hero team because it is the social media site used most by limited-income users, is popular with women, and can be used as a social networking site for building online communities in which the target audience can talk to each other and with Food Hero educators.3,13 Facebook users are actively engaged with their friends and family. Hampton et al estimate that at least 1 or 2 days a week, 53% of Facebook users, who average 229 friends each, comment on other users' statuses, and 49% comment on a photo contributed by another user.34 Twitter was selected as the site to reach NEP educators and stakeholders with actionable messages they can deliver within targeted communities. Twitter limits postings to 140 words, thus, the messages are short and on point. A Twitter feed was placed on the NEP staff homepage to provide quick and easy access to this information and promote the Food Hero messages. Finally, a Pinterest site was created based on the emphasis Pinterest places on sharing and organizing photos onto pin boards and that an account is not required to view content. Using this site, Food Hero topic areas could be highlighted and promoted in a simple, yet visual way. The intended audience for Pinterest is NEP staff and the target audience. All of Food Hero's social media sites continue to increase in membership and engagement. The authors track this growth each month, which helps to determine return on investment in social media staffing. For example, in the past year, the Facebook community has grown 47% and referrals from Pinterest to FoodHero.org have
increased by 98%. Data from these sites are helping the Food Hero team to organize and strategize within the campaign (Table 2).
Practice Suggestion #3: Create a Plan Creating a theory-based posting plan encourages meaningful interactions and relationship building with the target audience.21,35 Much like offline relationships, regular and meaningful communication is necessary to build a social media relationship; researchers report that online health promotion interventions based on theory have greater impact.36-39 In social media, thoughts and feelings about one's daily lives are shared with others, thus, nutrition education posts need to be timely, pleasant, and meaningful to resonate with users, not simply communicate information. Furthermore, at the heart of social media is the 2-way exchange of information, ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Thus, postings must be fresh and engaging, and the content open ended and actionable to encourage conversations and interest. For example, with Food Hero, recipe photos have been effective in encouraging engaging conversation among followers. Besides posting, follow-up responses to comments and regular engagement with champion followers is required for success. Listening to members of the target audience is an effective way to determine what is pleasant and fresh to them, which will vary for different communities and topics. The Food Hero social media project regularly communicates with the target audience with a goal of being pleasant, friendly, and empowering in a way that encourages the building of relationships and a community. Finally, at the core of all Food Hero channels are principles from the social cognitive and marketing exchange theories.40,41 The timing of posting is also a key determent of social media success and is best gauged by tracking and analyzing a social media project's measurement data (Table 2). For example, Facebook Insights, a measurement data-tracking tool, compiles data on the days and times followers are online and shares this information
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Table 2. Social Media Measurement Data Examples From the Food Hero Campaign Analytic Source Social media sites
Tracked Analytic Registered followers per site
Potential Use or Output Site growth trends
Google Analytics, an online service that tracks data and provides summary statistics associated with assigned web based content such as a Web site/s, blog, Facebook page, or RSS feed. The service is free for Web sites with < 10 million visitors/mo.
Number of Web site visits referred from various social media sites
Tracks trends in Food Hero; sending traffic to FoodHero.org
Identification of top landing pages on Web site referred from social media. Specific social media pages that endorsed Web site content and a link to the content.
Tracks social media based popular Web site content. Tracks organizations or groups that are championing FoodHero.org and what content they find to be important.
Facebook Insights, a free service of Facebook to users who have page accounts and > 30 likes. Personal timeline and group Facebook accounts do not include Insights.
Reach: total general reach/post and total reach/post by site followers. Engagement: the number of unique people who clicked anywhere on a post. Virality: the percentage of people who created a story from a post (such as liking, commenting, or sharing) of those who saw it.
Tracks trends in popular posts, such as recipe ingredient type, time of day, day of the week, or season.
Pinterest Analytics, a free service of Pinterest accounts that have verified Web site connected to them.
Reach daily average: average number of people who saw pins on Pinterest from a specific Web site. Repin daily average: average number of times pins from a specific Web site were repinned on Pinterest. Links to most-repinned and most-liked content, and content that has gotten the most click-throughs back to the Web site.
Site growth trends relative to successfully pinning engaging content.
with page account holders. These data are not available to those with personal or group accounts. Frequent postings increase the likelihood of connecting with existing social media followers by increasing the chance they will see a post and demonstrating an active presence to potential followers.21 However, there may be an upper limit to frequency of posting, as at least 1 report indicates that the number of followers dropped off with too many posts.42 The goal of Food Hero is to post at least once daily on all campaign sites and during times when the target audience is thought to be most active. Social media and Web site data-measurement programs provide user activity data and help determine when followers are most likely to visit FoodHero.org and what content they find interesting
(Table 2). The Food Hero development team uses HootSuite, a social media aggregator, to reduce staff burden by automatically uploading prewritten posts at strategically set dates and times.
Practice Suggestion #4: Integrate the Social Media Team The Food Hero social media team is made up of the coordinator, campaign recipe manager and recipe testing team, graphic designer/photographer, Web designer, media buyer, and students who post content. All team members are integrated into the social marketing campaign through regular interactions and the sharing of content.
Comprehensively shows the most popular pins from FoodHero.org, which helps define popular topics, photo styles, and characteristics of successful pin descriptions.
Team members also understand the project goals, the role of each team member, and that they are the ‘‘face and personality’’ of Food Hero. This is especially the case for those team members who generate the online social media communications that are posted daily. For example, the graphic designer, recipe manager, and photographer seek to create content that is desirable on multiple campaign channels, including the social media sites. This strategy repurposes content, which leads to rich social media content and increases the likelihood that the Food Hero target audience might see messages several times and at increased dosage, and then change their behavior.36,43 Two important tools improve social media team communication: (1) a project management online
132 Tobey and Manore program (ie, Basecamp); and (2) a collaborative and detailed ‘‘live and learn’’–based Food Hero Social Media Guidebook. This Guidebook is used to document and share information, feedback, and guidelines among social media team members (eg, the best time to post information, which photos can and cannot be posted). The guidebook is protected from public view and housed on a Wiki (ie, Google Sites), making it editable by all team members.
Practice Suggestion #5: Regularly Collect, Track, and Use Social Media Measurement Data Use social media measurement data to understand the demographics of followers, how to best engage with and learn about followers' wants and needs, and to keep a project fresh and relevant. Site data measurement programs instantly compile data points as connections occur with the target audience. Food Hero uses collected data to track whether program objectives are being met and to investigate interesting findings (Table 2). For example, social media data measurement tools informed the Food Hero team that the Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese Skillet Meal recipe was being pinned thousands of times on Pinterest. Tools were also able to identify the original pinners of the recipe and where and when it was pinned. This information provided data that the recipe might be effectively promoted in other channels of the campaign. In support of that finding, social media measurement data from Food Hero indicated that chicken-based recipes are the most popular Food Hero recipe category, making them good choices to promote in all channels of the campaign. The gathering of social media measurement data is helping the Food Hero team make informed decisions related to content management and long-term planning.
IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH AND PRACTICE Understanding about how nutrition educators can use social media as a
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 46, Number 2, 2014 new and creative mechanism for connecting with their target audience is needed, including best practices for implementation, management, and evaluation. Based on the Food Hero experience, incorporating social media into a nutrition program requires being strategic in the approach, consistent in creating and maintaining the social media project, and making sure the format in which information is shared is done effectively and is relevant to the target audience. A simple way to begin contemplating the integration of social media into a nutrition education project is to explore different nutrition and public health–focused social media sites that relate to the project, listen to conversations on those sites, and start engaging on them to learn more about how your target audience interacts.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT The Oregon Department of Human Services and USDA SNAP-Ed funded portions of this project.
REFERENCES 1. Barnes M, Hanson C, McIntyre E, Neiger B, Thackeray R, West J. Use and acceptance of social media among health educators. J Health Educ. 2011; 42:197-204. 2. Ahlqvist T, B€ack A, Halonen M, Heinonen S. Social Media Roadmaps. Espoo, Finland: VTT Tiedotteita; 2008. research notes 2454. 3. Duggan M, Brenner J. The demographics of social media users–2012. Pew Research Center Internet and the American Life Project Web site. http:// pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Socialmedia-users.aspx. February 14, 2013. Accessed June 12, 2013. 4. Facebook, Inc. Form S-1. US Securities and Exchange Commission Web site. http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/ 1326801/000119312512034517/d287954ds1 .htm. February 1, 2012. Accessed June 12, 2013. 5. McBride S. Start-up Pinterest wins new funding, $2.5 billion valuation. Reuters. February 20, 2013. http://www.reuters .com/article/2013/02/21/net-us-fundingpinterest-idUSBRE91K01R20130221. Accessed June 12, 2013.
6. Twitter Statistics. Statistic Brain Web site. http://www.statisticbrain.com/ twitter-statistics/. Updated May 7, 2013. Accessed June 12, 2013. 7. Zickuhr K, Smith A. Who’s not online and why. Pew Research Center Internet and the American Life Project Web site. http://pewinternet.org/ Reports/2013/Non-internet-users.aspx. September 25, 2013. Accessed June 25, 2013. 8. Zickuhr K, Smith A. Digital differences. Pew Research Center Internet and the American Life Project Web site. http://pewinternet.org/Reports/ 2012/Digital-differences.aspx. April 13, 2012. Accessed June 12, 2013. 9. Trend Data (adults). Pew Research Center Internet and the American Life Project Web site. http://www.pewinternet.org/ Static-Pages/Trend-Data-%28Adults% 29.aspx. Accessed June 12, 2013. 10. Elkin N. How America searches: health and wellness. January 2008. http:// www.icrossing.com/icrossing-has-healthwellness. Accessed June 13, 2013. 11. Fox S, Jones S. The social life of health information. Pew Research Center Internet and the American Life Project Web site. www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/ 8-The-Social-Life-of-Health-Information .aspx. June 11, 2009. Accessed June 12, 2013. 12. 2010 Survey of Health Care Consumers. Deloitte. http://www.deloitte .com/view/en_US/us/Insights/centers/ center-for-health-solutions/consumer ism/2010-survey-health-consumers/c2e 18aac79948210VgnVCM200000bb42 f00aRCRD.htm#. 2010. Accessed June 13, 2013. 13. National Research Corporation. 1 in 5 Americans use social media for health care information. February 28, 2011. http://hcmg.nationalresearch.com/public/ News.aspx?ID¼9. Accessed June 13, 2013. 14. Cavallo DN, Tate DF, Ries AV, Brown JD, DeVellis RF, Ammerman AS. A social media-based physical activity intervention. A Randomized Controlled Trial. AM J Prev Med. 2012;43:527-532. 15. Gamble KH. Just a tweet away. Healthcare informatics. May 2009. http://www .healthcare-informatics.com/article/justtweet-away. Accessed August 15, 2013. 16. Peregrin T. Pin it to win it: using Pinterest to promote your niche services. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012;112:1930-1934. 17. Seher CL. Social media and dietetics education: what’s not to ‘‘Like’’ about it? J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012;112(Suppl 3): A18.
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 46, Number 2, 2014 18. Bower GG, Frimming RE, Polsgrove MJ. Evaluation of a health and fitness social media experience. J Health Educ. 2011;42:222-227. 19. Mayer AB, Harrison JA. Safe eats: an evaluation of the use of social media for food safety education. J Food Prot. 75:1453–1463. 20. Albrecht JA, Larvick C, Litchfield RE, Weishaar C. Lefovers and other food safety information for iPhone/iPad application (‘‘smartphone’’ technology). J Nutr Educ Behav. 2012;44:469-471. 21. McNab C. What social media offers to health professionals and citizens. Bull World Health Organ. 2009;87:566. 22. Merchant RM, Elmer S, Lurie N. Integrating social media into emergencypreparedness efforts. N Engl J Med. 2011;365:289-291. 23. Lohse B. Facebook is an effective strategy to recruit low-income women to online nutrition education. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2013;45:69-76. 24. Kapp JM, LeMaster JW, Lyon MB, Zhang B, Hosokawa MC. Updating public health teaching methods in the era of social media. Public Health Rep. 2009;124:775-777. 25. Chunara R, Andrews JR, Brownstein JS. Social and news media enable estimation of epidemiological patterns early in the 2010 Haitian cholera outbreak. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012;86:39-45. 26. Dredze M. How social media will change public health. Intell Syst. 2012; 24:81-84. 27. Oregon Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Nutrition. 2009. https:// public.health.oregon.gov/BirthDeath Certificates/Surveys/AdultBehaviorRisk/
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INTRODUCTION Social media can be a quick, low-cost, direct way for nutrition educators to broaden the scope of their targeted programs. However, the authors' viewpoint is that for social media to be effectively used within nutrition education, it should follow some ‘‘best practices’’ guidelines to ensure that educators are successful and the educational venue of social media is truly vetted.1 This viewpoint suggests social media best practices based on experience gained from the Food Hero social marketing campaign. Visit any popular social media site, such as Facebook or Twitter, and search for ‘‘nutrition.’’ The number of responses will be overwhelming. This level of interest and following makes it is easy to see why social media is appealing to nutrition educators. However, to use this resource effectively, it is important to understand how to provide timely and evidence-based nutrition and health information to the public. First, this viewpoint will give an overview of social media, describing
1
users and giving examples of how social media is used to promote health. Second, 5 practice-based suggestions are provided on how to effectively create and manage a social media project; these suggestions are taken from the Food Hero social marketing campaign experience.
Social Media Overview Social media is a fast-growing medium, yet it still lacks a common definition. In general, social media is a method of communication used to facilitate social interaction on Internet-based sites, including mobile sites. Ahlqvist et al define social media as ‘‘a means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.’’2 Currently, 3 of the most popular social media sites, all free of cost, are Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest (Table 1). Social media requires access to the Internet. In the US, online usage depends primarily on age (eg, being # 65 y old), followed by level of edu-
Nutrition, Extension Family and Community Health Program, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 2 Nutrition, School of Biological & Population Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR Address for correspondence: Lauren Tobey, MS, RD, Extension Nutrition Education Program, 106 Ballard Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331; Phone: (541) 737-1017; Fax: (541) 737-0999; E-mail: [email protected] Ó2014 SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2013.09.013
128
cation (eg, at least a high school degree), and household income.7,8 Currently, gaps in each of these categories are shrinking. For example, for US adults with a household income of < $30,000/y, the percentage who are online has grown from 28% in 2000 to 67% in 2012 and was reported to be 76% in 2013.7-9 In contrast, 79% of US adults with a household income of > $75,000/y were online in 2000 compared with 96% in 2013.8,9 Finally, researchers now report that language preferences may also be predictors of online usage (eg, those who prefer survey interviews in English vs Spanish).8 Overall, 67% of US adults who are online use social networking sites.9 For low-income households, Facebook is the most popular social media site (68%), followed by Twitter (16%) and Pinterest (10%); these numbers are similar for adults of higher income levels, at 67%, 16%, and 15%, respectively.3 Those segments of the population found to be using social networking sites the most include adults < 50 y (77%–83%), those with a household income < $30,000/y (72%), and women (71%).3 Research indicates that between 55% and 67% of US adults go online for health and wellness information, and half of all online health inquiries are made on behalf of someone else.10-12 In addition, social media is used by 20%–34% of those searching for health-related topics.10,13 Public health professionals and health care providers are using social media in a number of ways. Social media is
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Table 1. Description of 3 Popular Social Media Sites Social Media Platform
Description
Active Users
Top User Demographics3
US Adults Using Site (%)3
Users share and interact with stories, images and video
845 million users, resulting in 100 billion friendships4
Women, especially ages 18–29 y
67
Online pinboards on which users collect and group photos of interest, each of which links to the Web site source
48.7 million5
Women, adults under 50 y, whites, those with some college education
15
Microblogging: users send messages of # 140 characters
555 million; 40% do not tweet themselves but watch others tweet6
18- to 29-year-olds, African Americans, urban residents
16
being used by care professionals to improve delivery and availability of health care and to communicate with peers. For example, it is used to facilitate social support groups, deliver educational programs, recruit for services, train students, and help with communication between other health care professionals through workplaces, coalitions, and organizations.14-18 Public health professionals also use social media for similar functions, including electronic-based education and communication for the public; recruitment to programming; training students; and tracking and analyzing data on the group or population of interest.19-26
Food Hero Social Media Project: Background for the Authors’ Best Practice Recommendations Food Hero is a multichannel social marketing campaign created in 2009 by the Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Nutrition Education Program (NEP) to increase the amount and variety of vegetables and fruit consumed by Oregonians. Thus, Food Hero is delivered to the target audience through a number of different ways (eg, channels) that are strategically interrelated, yet focused on meeting behavioral goals. At the initiation of this campaign, only 26% of Oregonians consumed 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.27 The target audience is limitedincome mothers with young children living in the home, who speak English
and/or Spanish, and who use the Internet. Their children are a secondary audience. The goal of Food Hero is to distribute evidence-based research using a learner-centered focus and to provide actionable messages through multiple channels and partners. Core campaign topics include meal planning, shopping, cooking, and safely storing food, and campaign channels include a Web site, community programming kits, purchased media, and a monthly message package within the Food Hero project. A primary objective of Food Hero, beyond the target audience and their family eating more vegetables and fruit, is to empower the targeted audience to share information and champion Food Hero messages within their networks of family and friends. This objective is promoted via all Food Hero channels, including social media. Social media is also used by the Food Hero development team to engage with NEP educators and encourage them to be Food Hero champions.
THE AUTHORS’ VIEW ON BEST PRACTICES Current technology makes it easy to host a social media site. Simply visit a social media site, register for an account, and begin connecting with others. This simple strategy may be successful, but it may not lead to optimal results. Food Hero created a successful social media campaign by collecting and incorporating participant feedback into the project and
searching the research literature to see what has worked for others. Below are 5 key practice-based suggestions learned from the Food Hero experience.
Practice Suggestion #1: Conduct a Needs Assessment Food Hero was first funded to create a social marketing campaign to increase fruit and vegetable intake within the limited-income population of Oregon. As with any nutrition education intervention, the first step of this process was an extensive needs assessment, including a careful examination of the relevant research literature. This step was followed by collecting data from the target audience using 8 focus groups (n ¼ 50) and a phone survey (n ¼ 1498). Each of these steps informed the campaign channels employed, including the social media project. A major finding from the focus groups was that participants valued recipes and cooking information and used online resources to get this information. The focus groups also selected the logo and helped identify and settle on the term ‘‘Food Hero’’ as a way to empower mothers and their children (Figure). The phone survey, which asked to survey the person in the household who does most of the grocery shopping and cooking, provided a more specific picture of the target audience's needs. Results showed that 86% were female, they wanted information via the Internet about health and eating (53%), and
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Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 46, Number 2, 2014 made when needed. These same themes could be used by others engaging in social media work.
Practice Suggestion #2: Select Social Media Sites
Figure. Food hero logo.
they were currently finding useful cooking tips and ideas from family, friends, or the Internet (53%). Finally, 47% of participants identified themselves as mothers who did the shopping and dinner preparation without help, hence the desire for recipes that were simple to prepare. Using the data from the needs assessment, the Food Hero development team created campaign communication strategies that focused on actionable tips and tools. For example, based on data from the phone survey and focus groups, the authors focused on the importance of serving healthy meals vs eating more fruits and vegetables or the drawbacks of not eating them. The results also showed that mothers wanted healthy recipes to overcome the time and cost barriers they faced in feeding healthy food to their families. The strategy was strongly reinforced in the research literature, including several online federal education toolkits that emphasized the importance of providing actionable information in plain language.28-33 The Food Hero strategy was developed using 6 reoccurring themes that emerged from the needs assessment: (1) identify the target audience and provide clearly focused messages; (2) provide actionable information in small segments explaining what the user can do and how to do it; (3) write for lower literacy in plain language; (4) be positive and realistic in writing style; (5) provide research-based information; and (6) track social media measurement data so changes can be
The social media sites strategically selected by Food Hero are Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.21 These sites are used to post information related to the Food Hero campaign because they effectively reach the target audience and can be managed with current staff. Facebook was selected by the Food Hero team because it is the social media site used most by limited-income users, is popular with women, and can be used as a social networking site for building online communities in which the target audience can talk to each other and with Food Hero educators.3,13 Facebook users are actively engaged with their friends and family. Hampton et al estimate that at least 1 or 2 days a week, 53% of Facebook users, who average 229 friends each, comment on other users' statuses, and 49% comment on a photo contributed by another user.34 Twitter was selected as the site to reach NEP educators and stakeholders with actionable messages they can deliver within targeted communities. Twitter limits postings to 140 words, thus, the messages are short and on point. A Twitter feed was placed on the NEP staff homepage to provide quick and easy access to this information and promote the Food Hero messages. Finally, a Pinterest site was created based on the emphasis Pinterest places on sharing and organizing photos onto pin boards and that an account is not required to view content. Using this site, Food Hero topic areas could be highlighted and promoted in a simple, yet visual way. The intended audience for Pinterest is NEP staff and the target audience. All of Food Hero's social media sites continue to increase in membership and engagement. The authors track this growth each month, which helps to determine return on investment in social media staffing. For example, in the past year, the Facebook community has grown 47% and referrals from Pinterest to FoodHero.org have
increased by 98%. Data from these sites are helping the Food Hero team to organize and strategize within the campaign (Table 2).
Practice Suggestion #3: Create a Plan Creating a theory-based posting plan encourages meaningful interactions and relationship building with the target audience.21,35 Much like offline relationships, regular and meaningful communication is necessary to build a social media relationship; researchers report that online health promotion interventions based on theory have greater impact.36-39 In social media, thoughts and feelings about one's daily lives are shared with others, thus, nutrition education posts need to be timely, pleasant, and meaningful to resonate with users, not simply communicate information. Furthermore, at the heart of social media is the 2-way exchange of information, ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Thus, postings must be fresh and engaging, and the content open ended and actionable to encourage conversations and interest. For example, with Food Hero, recipe photos have been effective in encouraging engaging conversation among followers. Besides posting, follow-up responses to comments and regular engagement with champion followers is required for success. Listening to members of the target audience is an effective way to determine what is pleasant and fresh to them, which will vary for different communities and topics. The Food Hero social media project regularly communicates with the target audience with a goal of being pleasant, friendly, and empowering in a way that encourages the building of relationships and a community. Finally, at the core of all Food Hero channels are principles from the social cognitive and marketing exchange theories.40,41 The timing of posting is also a key determent of social media success and is best gauged by tracking and analyzing a social media project's measurement data (Table 2). For example, Facebook Insights, a measurement data-tracking tool, compiles data on the days and times followers are online and shares this information
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Table 2. Social Media Measurement Data Examples From the Food Hero Campaign Analytic Source Social media sites
Tracked Analytic Registered followers per site
Potential Use or Output Site growth trends
Google Analytics, an online service that tracks data and provides summary statistics associated with assigned web based content such as a Web site/s, blog, Facebook page, or RSS feed. The service is free for Web sites with < 10 million visitors/mo.
Number of Web site visits referred from various social media sites
Tracks trends in Food Hero; sending traffic to FoodHero.org
Identification of top landing pages on Web site referred from social media. Specific social media pages that endorsed Web site content and a link to the content.
Tracks social media based popular Web site content. Tracks organizations or groups that are championing FoodHero.org and what content they find to be important.
Facebook Insights, a free service of Facebook to users who have page accounts and > 30 likes. Personal timeline and group Facebook accounts do not include Insights.
Reach: total general reach/post and total reach/post by site followers. Engagement: the number of unique people who clicked anywhere on a post. Virality: the percentage of people who created a story from a post (such as liking, commenting, or sharing) of those who saw it.
Tracks trends in popular posts, such as recipe ingredient type, time of day, day of the week, or season.
Pinterest Analytics, a free service of Pinterest accounts that have verified Web site connected to them.
Reach daily average: average number of people who saw pins on Pinterest from a specific Web site. Repin daily average: average number of times pins from a specific Web site were repinned on Pinterest. Links to most-repinned and most-liked content, and content that has gotten the most click-throughs back to the Web site.
Site growth trends relative to successfully pinning engaging content.
with page account holders. These data are not available to those with personal or group accounts. Frequent postings increase the likelihood of connecting with existing social media followers by increasing the chance they will see a post and demonstrating an active presence to potential followers.21 However, there may be an upper limit to frequency of posting, as at least 1 report indicates that the number of followers dropped off with too many posts.42 The goal of Food Hero is to post at least once daily on all campaign sites and during times when the target audience is thought to be most active. Social media and Web site data-measurement programs provide user activity data and help determine when followers are most likely to visit FoodHero.org and what content they find interesting
(Table 2). The Food Hero development team uses HootSuite, a social media aggregator, to reduce staff burden by automatically uploading prewritten posts at strategically set dates and times.
Practice Suggestion #4: Integrate the Social Media Team The Food Hero social media team is made up of the coordinator, campaign recipe manager and recipe testing team, graphic designer/photographer, Web designer, media buyer, and students who post content. All team members are integrated into the social marketing campaign through regular interactions and the sharing of content.
Comprehensively shows the most popular pins from FoodHero.org, which helps define popular topics, photo styles, and characteristics of successful pin descriptions.
Team members also understand the project goals, the role of each team member, and that they are the ‘‘face and personality’’ of Food Hero. This is especially the case for those team members who generate the online social media communications that are posted daily. For example, the graphic designer, recipe manager, and photographer seek to create content that is desirable on multiple campaign channels, including the social media sites. This strategy repurposes content, which leads to rich social media content and increases the likelihood that the Food Hero target audience might see messages several times and at increased dosage, and then change their behavior.36,43 Two important tools improve social media team communication: (1) a project management online
132 Tobey and Manore program (ie, Basecamp); and (2) a collaborative and detailed ‘‘live and learn’’–based Food Hero Social Media Guidebook. This Guidebook is used to document and share information, feedback, and guidelines among social media team members (eg, the best time to post information, which photos can and cannot be posted). The guidebook is protected from public view and housed on a Wiki (ie, Google Sites), making it editable by all team members.
Practice Suggestion #5: Regularly Collect, Track, and Use Social Media Measurement Data Use social media measurement data to understand the demographics of followers, how to best engage with and learn about followers' wants and needs, and to keep a project fresh and relevant. Site data measurement programs instantly compile data points as connections occur with the target audience. Food Hero uses collected data to track whether program objectives are being met and to investigate interesting findings (Table 2). For example, social media data measurement tools informed the Food Hero team that the Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese Skillet Meal recipe was being pinned thousands of times on Pinterest. Tools were also able to identify the original pinners of the recipe and where and when it was pinned. This information provided data that the recipe might be effectively promoted in other channels of the campaign. In support of that finding, social media measurement data from Food Hero indicated that chicken-based recipes are the most popular Food Hero recipe category, making them good choices to promote in all channels of the campaign. The gathering of social media measurement data is helping the Food Hero team make informed decisions related to content management and long-term planning.
IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH AND PRACTICE Understanding about how nutrition educators can use social media as a
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 46, Number 2, 2014 new and creative mechanism for connecting with their target audience is needed, including best practices for implementation, management, and evaluation. Based on the Food Hero experience, incorporating social media into a nutrition program requires being strategic in the approach, consistent in creating and maintaining the social media project, and making sure the format in which information is shared is done effectively and is relevant to the target audience. A simple way to begin contemplating the integration of social media into a nutrition education project is to explore different nutrition and public health–focused social media sites that relate to the project, listen to conversations on those sites, and start engaging on them to learn more about how your target audience interacts.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT The Oregon Department of Human Services and USDA SNAP-Ed funded portions of this project.
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