Communications & Outreach Update May 14, 2013 Communications - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Maryland Health Connection

Communications & Outreach Update

May 14, 2013

Communications & Outreach Update

 Outreach Update  Communications & Outreach Planning  Sneak Peak: “What is Maryland Health Connection?”  Social Media Campaign

Faith Leaders Conference

• Hosted in collaboration with Health Care for All! and

Baltimore Jewish Council (May 14th)

• More than 120 faith leaders from Central Maryland
• Education “Train the Trainer” Sessions:

– Education Toolkit – Consumer Assistance – Medicaid Expansion

• Model to be replicated in other areas of the state

Outreach Events

• Webinar Series:

– May 16: Outreach Overview & Roadmap to Open Enrollment – May 23: Research & Messaging – May 30: Medicaid Expansion & Outreach – June 6: Toolkits & Resources

• Outreach Summit: June 5th

– UMBC Grand Ballroom – 8:30 to Noon – Consumer Assistance, Outreach Campaign, Role of Navigators and Assisters, Training, Toolkits

• Maryland Hospital Association Outreach Conference: June 7th

– Connector Program – Community Outreach – Consumer Assistance

Communications & Outreach Updates

• Welcome New Staff

– Sally Smith, Deputy Director – Betsy Charlow, Communications Manager – Tia Witherspoon, Training Manager – Melissa Myer, Public Relations Coordinator – Sophia Minott, Corporate Partnership & Outreach Coordinator

Sneak Peak:

What is Maryland Health Connection?

Social Media Campaign

Social Media Strategy Development

 Analysis of Relevant Existing Online Conversations  Content Centered Approach  Connecting with Partners and Stakeholders  Social Media Management and Policies  Launch of Maryland Health Connection Social Channels

9

Analyzing Relevant Existing Online Conversations

To understand the current, existing online conversations about Maryland Health Connection, Medicaid and the influence of the Affordable Care Act in Maryland, Maryland Health Connection conducted online conversation research to analyze conversations across blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other online channels for a 30-day period. After analyzing online conversations, Maryland Health Connection found that:

• Conversation closely resembled topics also common at the national level, but was specific to implications

in Maryland (doctor shortages, tax hikes as result of “Obamacare”, Maryland Health Progress Act, etc.)

• Maryland was mentioned in national conversations due to its role as a leader in the progress around

implementing the Affordable Care Act at the state level

• Conversation tended to peak following the release of online news articles focused on new insights about

potential impacts of ACA or legislative news specific to Maryland

• The majority of online conversation occurred on online news outlets and blogs, with Facebook and Twitter

as secondary platforms for driving conversations respectively

• Conversation was primarily neutral in tone; however of the conversations with sentiment, most was

negative

Key Findings

There were over 325,000 mentions focused on conversation related to the Affordable Care Act at the national level within the past 30 days. Top line insights from the conversations analyzed found:

• Conversation Topic
• “Obamacare” is the most frequently used term to drive conversation about the Affordable Care Act
• While online news outlets focused on the latest insights on the ACA, consumers discussed the impact of

the ACA on small businesses through online channels

• Conversation Share
• Conversation tends to peak following the release of online news articles focused on new insights about

potential impacts of the ACA

• More than half of the conversation occurred on Twitter, followed by Facebook and blogs
• Conversation primarily driven by right-leaning media and consumers
• Overall Tone
• Primarily neutral in tone
• Of the conversation with sentiment, most conversation was negative

Conversation Peaks in National Coverage of ACA

IRS released financial analyses

• f “Obamacare”

impacts High number of posts on tax hikes as result of “Obamacare” Articles about doctor shortages that will occur News that feds will run majority of state exchanges GOP changing attitude towards “Obamacare”

• The chart above shows the specific peaks in online conversation related to the Affordable Care Act over the past 30 days and

the topics driving the increase in conversation.

• Most frequently news outlets delve into components of ACA law in their news articles, uncovering new insights in to the

effects of the law and what it will entail and driving an increase in conversation. These news stories are then widely distributed by consumers on Twitter, particularly among those with strong feelings about small business health coverage.

• Many of the online news articles, which drive consumer conversations on Twitter, highlight potential negative implications of

the ACA (i.e. doctor shortages or increases in costs for consumers).

Platforms Driving Conversations Nationally

Twitter 57% Facebook 17% Comments 10% Images 0% Videos 0% Mainstream News 4% Blogs 11% Forums 1%

National Coverage

• The chart above shows where conversations about the

Affordable Care Act are happening online.

• During the past 30 days, the majority of conversation
• ccurred on Twitter, with Facebook and blogs as

secondary platforms driving large volumes of conversation.

• Blog coverage of the Affordable Care Act was driven by

conservative-leaning bloggers.

• Mainstream news only comprised 4% of coverage,

showing how although media my shape what topics are discussed other platforms are driving larger volumes of conversation.

13

Topic Breakdown at the National Level

The primary topic of conversation is “Obamacare” (87.8%

• f posts)

The next most prominent topic is “Affordable Care Act” (10.6% of posts)

• The charts above show the most frequent terms associated with the Affordable Care Act in conversation during the past 30

days.

• “Obamacare” is the term most frequently used in online conversations discussing the Affordable Care Act across all platforms.

However, it is primarily used as a colloquial term as posts ranging in tone from positive to negative to neutral all used this term to describe the law.

• “Affordable Care Act” is also a frequently used term used most often by official news sources and outlets.
• Very few posts discuss the upcoming Health Insurance Exchanges or small business in conversations about the Affordable

Care Act.

National Medicaid Expansion Conversation

• Most posts focused on the various states

accepting or striking down Medicaid expansions in their respective states

• Comments and opinions about Medicaid

expansion seem to be evenly split between positive and negative views, while many news reports are neutral

• Consumers’ negative comments focused on

the increased costs to taxes and state budgets, while positive comments noted the benefits that Medicaid expansion will provide to their respective state

• Peaks in conversation occurred weekly, in

conjunction with recent news and insights related to state Medicaid expansion packages

Twitter, 46531 Facebook, 6432 Comments, 12194 News, 7455 Blogs, 3752 Forums, 1709 Images and Videos, 226

National Medicaid Expansion Conversation

State news on expansion: Iowa, Kansas, NJ State news in Florida and Texas Florida rejected expansion, Arizona being pushed to expand Tennessee won’t expand, Texas being pushed to expand

• The charts above show the most frequent terms associated with Medicaid expansion in conversation during a 30 day period.
• “Expansion” is the term most frequently used in online conversations discussing the Medicaid expansion across all platforms;
• ther key terms include “costs”, “tax”, and “health”.
• Neutral conversation on Twitter frequently came from official news sources, while negative conversation came from right-

leaning consumers.

• A number of posts discuss the Medicaid expansion in relation to the upcoming state and federally-funded health insurance

exchanges.

Key Findings

Online conversation focused on Maryland Health Connection, Maryland Health Benefit Exchange and the Affordable Care Act specific to Maryland was very minimal during the past 30 days. In fact, there were only 1,000 mentions across online news, social and blog channels. Top line insights from the conversations analyzed found:

• Conversation Topics
• Conversation closely resembled topics also common at the national level, but was specific to implications in

Maryland

• Maryland was mentioned in national conversations
• Conversation Share
• Conversation peaks were similar, if not identical, to those at the national level
• The majority of coverage occurred on online news outlets and blog, with Facebook and Twitter as secondary

platforms for driving conversations respectively

• Conversation specific to Maryland was driven by national online influencers and local news outlets
• Conversation Tone
• Conversation was primarily neutral in tone
• Of the conversation with sentiment, most conversation was negative

Conversation Peaks in Maryland Coverage

• The chart above shows the specific peaks in online conversation related to the Affordable Care Act in Maryland over the

past 30 days and the topics driving the increase in conversation.

• Because many of the increases in conversation align with those at the national level, it appears there is a lack of state-

specific news or state-specific social conversation.

• Increases in conversation specific to Maryland occurred following specific legislative news, particularly from sources such

as The Daily Record and The Baltimore Sun.

• As open enrollment approaches and as MHC begins to proactively communicate about the campaign and benefits of health

care coverage, conversation is expected to shift and be more locally-focused as opposed to aligning with national coverage.

Articles about doctor shortages that will occur News that feds will run majority of state exchanges GOP changing attitude towards “Obamacare” High number of posts on tax hikes as result of “Obamacare” News on Maryland Health Progress Act

Platforms Driving Conversations in Maryland

Twitter 9% Facebook 29% Blogs and News 55% Forums 4% Comments 2% Images 1%

Maryland Coverage

• The chart shows where conversations about MHC, MHBE

and the Affordable Care Act specific to Maryland are happening online.

• During the past 30 days, the majority of conversation
• ccurred on blogs and news, as well as Facebook and

Twitter as secondary platforms driving large volumes of conversation.

• Influential bloggers at the national level and local news
• utlets drove conversations specific to Maryland. This

shows that at the moment, consumers in Maryland are rarely discussing the impact of the ACA specific to on the local community.

Topic Breakdown in Maryland

• The charts above show the most frequent terms associated with the MHC, MHBE and the Affordable Care Act specific to

Maryland in conversation during the past 30 days.

• Because conversation aligns so closely with conversation at the national level, “Obamacare” is also commonly used in
• nline conversations discussing the Affordable Care Act relevant to Maryland across all platforms
• In conversations specific to Maryland, coverage has primarily focused on recent Maryland legislation from news outlets

and Maryland government sources on Twitter, as well as consumers discussing the Maryland Health Progress Act on Twitter.

• Conversation around “Obamacare” primarily lives on Twitter, and is frequently in reference to costs that will be

shouldered by small businesses as a result of the legislation.

The Affordable Care Act has been getting mentioned specifically to Maryland, often in association with small business “Maryland Health Benefit Exchange” was posted about just fewer than 100 times

“Obamacare” has the majority

• f posts

State Medicaid Expansion Conversation

• Just over 450 posts occurred in a 30-

day time frame.

• News of Maryland passing the

Maryland Health Progress Act was widespread and accounted for a large majority of conversation.

– Reactions to this from media outlets were generally neutral, while consumer reactions were both positive and negative.

Twitter, 6 Facebook, 29 News, 284 Blogs, 120 Forums and Comments, 32 Videos , 1

State Medicaid Expansion Conversation

• The charts above show the most frequent terms associated with Medicaid expansion at the state level and shows

increases in conversation.

• Coverage of the Medicaid expansion package has primarily focused on recent Maryland legislation from news outlets

and Maryland government sources on Twitter, as well as consumers discussing the Maryland Health Progress Act on Twitter.

• The vast majority of conversation revolving around Maryland Medicaid expansion is occurring through news channels.

Social discussion through Twitter and Facebook is at a relative minimum.

• Conversation from unbiased media tends to be neutral and informative, while conversation from right-wing media and

news sources tends to be negative in tone.

Maryland Senate passed healthcare reform measure

Defining Our Approach to Social

The existing online conversation research proved that social media platforms will be a key medium for informing and engaging targeted audiences. Because social channels facilitate a two-way dialogue between Maryland Health Connection and target audiences, social channels will allow Maryland Health Connection to:

• Proactively educate about the new marketplace
• Increase awareness of the “no wrong door” approach
• Educate consumers about the importance of health

coverage and promote health and financial literacy

• Respond to individual questions and comments in real

time

The content we produce and share with our audiences on social platforms is the cornerstone of our social strategy. In

• rder to maintain content focus and consistency, we will use specific content areas to guide the direction of our social

content creation and curation, which also align with our key communications objectives. Main content areas of focus:

• Maryland Health Connection
• Benefits of and importance of health coverage
• Health and financial literacy topics
• Other adjacent topics, like health and wellness

Developing a Content Centered Approach

Creation-to-Curation Content Ratio

25% 75%

Custom Syndicated Custom Content is content we develop solely for our social channels. Syndicated Content is content produced elsewhere that we collect and share with our audience. Syndicated content can be mined from 3rd party allies, like associations, media outlets, and community

• rganizations.

10% 90%

Branded Common Interest Branded Content talks about or promotes the Maryland Health Connection campaign or enrollment directly. Common Interest Content focuses on concepts or topics that both Maryland Health Connection and its target audience can identify with.

Content Production Strategy

Our approach to developing custom social content will follow an Agile Content Execution model.

Development Process

• PLAN: Determine the vertical, medium, content type and

copy.

• PRODUCE: Create the content.
• PUBLISH: Disseminate the content on social channels.
• ANALYZE: Collect and review analytics on published
• content. Compile findings.
• ADAPT: Revise content strategy as necessary.
• PRODUCE: Create the content.
• REPEAT: But omit lengthy planning sessions.

Approach Benefits

Eliminating long planning sessions will allow for our content to adapt more quickly to:

• Changing audience preferences
• Underperforming and successful tactics
• Social channel iterations and updates
• Crisis situations
• Unplanned or situational content topics

Aligning Social Editorial Calendar with PR, Advertising & Outreach Campaign

To ensure our communications are aligned through all facets of the broader campaign, the social media team will work closely with the communications and call center teams to ensure the editorial calendar:

• Uses consistent campaign messaging and calls to action
• Incorporates creative components
• Promotes educational campaign materials
• Aligns with Maryland Health Connection’s milestones and events
• Delivers updates from recent announcements and updates
• Shares earned media placements and op-eds
• Promotes messages from stakeholders and community organizations

Facebook is our primary Social Engagement Hub – the place where our Voice and Content are brought to life within social, particularly our messages around the importance of health coverage and health and financial literacy. Facebook is also a place to respond to and address comments and questions. Twitter is our primary Real Time Engagement Outlet – we can leverage it as a utility to tap into the scale

• f the vast Twitter-verse when appropriate (i.e.: announcements; events; questions; etc), and also

to respond to audiences directly in real-time. YouTube is our Video Repository – it provides an ideal social environment to view and interact with our video content, and we will continue to grow this channel by continuing to add new content on an

• ngoing basis.

Because the Maryland Health Connection is offering all Marylanders the opportunity to explore, compare and enroll in private and public health insurance plans, we must reach Marylanders with the content we create on the channels they’re most readily available to engage with us. Based on our initial conversation research, Maryland Health Connection will establish and maintain the following platforms:

Bringing Our Social Strategy to Life: Channels

Launch and Policies

• Launch of Social Channels:

– Early June – Guidelines and Recommendations – “How to” Kit – Webinar for getting started

• Social Media Policy:

– Distributed to partners – Posted on site

• Tools for Partners and Stakeholders:

– Widgets and Links – Content – Live and shared events