Penn State Health, a renowned multi-hospital academic health system nestled in the heart of central Pennsylvania, is dedicated to providing exceptional patient care and training the next generation of medical professionals. As an affiliate of the prestigious Penn State University, a world-class research institution, Penn State Health is committed to delivering leading-edge, evidence-based medicine. But in today’s digital age, their mission extends beyond the hospital walls and into the dynamic world of social media.

Navigating the healthcare social media landscape

Social media marketing in the healthcare industry presents a unique set of challenges. It’s a crowded and competitive space, rife with misinformation and often dominated by attention-grabbing distractions. Breaking through the noise to connect with patients and provide accurate, accessible health information is no easy feat. For Penn State Health, with its vast network of hospitals, outpatient locations and a global community of students and researchers, the task was even more daunting.

Before Sprout Social, Penn State Health’s emerging social media team juggled a complex mix of tools and platforms, struggling to manage their sprawling digital presence effectively. They needed a way to streamline their workflows, improve efficiency and truly harness the power of social media to achieve their ambitious goals.

A prescription for social media success

Penn State Health discovered a comprehensive solution in Sprout Social. Recognizing the platform’s ability to unify and streamline their social media efforts, they were drawn to Sprout’s user-friendly interface and powerful features. With Sprout, Penn State Health was poised to transform their social media strategy and enhance their digital engagement.

“We were looking for something that had greater capability to manage and monitor all of the different audiences that we engage with on all the platforms we operate across,” explains Amy Peiffer, Social Media Lead at Penn State Health. “And we had to do it in a really streamlined, centralized manner since we’re a very lean team.”

Sprout’s Smart Inbox streamlines patient interactions

The Smart Inbox became the cornerstone of Penn State Health’s social media operation. It empowered their team to efficiently manage a multitude of social channels, track conversations and respond to patient inquiries with empathy and speed. Critical messages no longer get lost in the shuffle.

Saved Replies deliver humanity at scale

Sprout’s Saved Replies feature proved to be a game-changer for Penn State Health’s customer care strategy. By creating a library of pre-written responses to frequently-asked questions, they ensure consistency in their messaging while still allowing for personalized touches. This not only saves valuable time but also enables their team to connect with patients on a human level, even during high-volume periods.

“Community managers who monitor our channels don’t have to hunt for the necessary answers to the same questions time and again,” says Amy. “At the same time, it still offers enough flexibility to maintain a personal, human touch on social media.”

Tagging and Reporting illuminate social media insights

With Sprout’s powerful Tagging architecture, Penn State Health can now segment their audience, track content performance with precision and extract meaningful insights from their data. This data-driven approach revolutionized their social media strategy, enabling them to make informed decisions based on concrete evidence rather than guesswork.

Amy Peiffer, a self-proclaimed “analytics evangelist,” finds that Sprout has fueled her passion for data-driven decision making.

Sprout is very customizable and powerful. It allows us to pull Reports that are very visual and easy to understand, giving top-line accessibility to key facts and figures.
Amy Peiffer
Social Media Lead

In the first six months of using Sprout, their time to build a custom report dropped by nearly 70%.

This approach hasn’t only improved their social media performance but has also improved transparency and collaboration across departments. Sprout’s customizable Reports have made it easier to communicate the value of social media to executive leadership, influencing budget allocation and strategic decision making.

Social Listening amplifies the voice of the patient

Sprout’s Social Listening tools opened a new window into the world of their patients. By monitoring conversations and tracking brand sentiment, Penn State Health has a deeper understanding of their audience’s needs, concerns and preferences. This invaluable information helps them identify potential disasters, address patient concerns proactively and tailor their content to appeal to their community.

The human touch in a digital world

In a world where healthcare can often feel impersonal and overwhelming, Penn State Health uses Sprout Social to bring a human touch to the digital space. They understand that behind every social media interaction is a real person with real needs and concerns.

“One thing that I wish people knew about managing social media for a place like Penn State Health is that at the end of the other stream of communication, it’s a real person,” says Amy. “And at the other end of our social media channels at Penn State Health, it’s always a person who’s responding.”

With Sprout Social, Penn State Health has found a powerful ally in their mission to provide compassionate, patient-centered care. They aren’t just managing social media channels; they’re building relationships, fostering trust and making a positive impact on the lives of their community.

A partnership for the future

Penn State Health’s journey with Sprout Social is a testament to the power of technology to enhance human connection. By embracing Sprout’s comprehensive platform and dedicated customer support, they’ve found a true partner in their pursuit of social media excellence. The results have been transformative. Sprout has empowered their team to achieve significant time savings, increase efficiency and make more informed, data-driven decisions. But the true impact goes even deeper, enabling them to connect with their audience on a more human level and make a real difference in the lives of the people they serve. Penn State Health saw an 80% reduction in errors, resulting in just one support ticket per month. Their support turnaround time was reduced from 3-5 days to 1 hour. They were also able to eliminate the need for an additional contractor-supported role due to the efficiency gains they saw with their full-time team members.

“I genuinely lean on them in ways where customer support can be challenging in social media,” says Amy. “It’s been very refreshing and helpful to have almost an extension of our team.”

As Penn State Health continues to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare and social media, they can rest assured that Sprout Social will be there to support them every step of the way.

Request your free Sprout Social demo to see how you can transform your social media strategy today!