Certificate Course: Social Media Strategies in Health Care

Social media trends, tools and rules change quickly in health care. Consumer preferences differ greatly among each social platform, requiring health care marketers and communicators to stay up to date on the latest trends that will engage their audience. In Health Care Social Media Certificate Series, we dive into the hottest topics in health care social media and discuss best practices (as well as what to avoid) from your peers.

Course Dates: September 15 – October 7, 2025

Digital Badge: Upon completing the course requirements, you will be awarded a digital certificate you can share on your social platforms, including LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Course Format

Along with six new live webinars, you will have access to over 15 webinar recordings from last year’s SHSMD conference as well from the 2022-2024 social media series:

Live Webinars:

Download Live Webinars Curriculum

AI & Social Media Health Content Creation: Tips for Small Teams

Tuesday, September 16 | 12-1 p.m. CT

In today's competitive health care landscape, marketing teams face the challenge of creating informative, engaging content that resonates with patients while maintaining accuracy and compliance. This talk explores the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in streamlining social media and content creation for health care marketing teams and strengths and weaknesses of current technologies.

We'll delve into practical applications of AI, from generating targeted blog posts and social media content to crafting personalized patient education materials.

Speakers:
Robbie Schneider
Social Media Manager
Franciscan Health
Erin Mullen
Content Strategy Manager
Franciscan Health

How BeWell Reimagined Social Content for Health Literacy

Thursday, September 18 | 12-1 p.m. CT

Organizations invest in out-of-the-box health care platforms for promised functionality and usability. But when you go beyond generalities and consider the needs of your real audience, there can be significant usability gaps—particularly for individuals with low health literacy. Organizations need strategies for auditing social media platform content including mystery shopping, agency support, content gap analysis, content upcycling, and workflow management. Learn how BeWell developed an audience-focused content strategy to deepen consumer health coverage and enhance population health for underserved people in New Mexico.

Speakers:
Alex Sanchez
Chief Experience Officer
NM Health Exchange (BeWell)
Mariah Tang
Chief Content Marketing Officer
Stamats

From Podcast to Post: How to Power Your Social Media Strategy with Doctor-Led Content

Tuesday, September 23 | 12-1 p.m. CT

In today's crowded health care space, marketing and social teams are expected to do more with less - create consistent content, keep up with trends, produce short-form videos, and drive audience engagement. This webinar will show how hospital-branded podcasts can solve these challenges and streamline your entire social media strategy, including a how-to on the Meta platform to promote your podcasts and the importance of YouTube.

Bill Klaproth, Director of Marketing and Production at DoctorPodcasting, will be joined by (speaker to be named) to discuss how podcasts can fuel your content engine, amplify your brand voice, and simplify social media execution - especially for lean teams with big goals.

Speakers:
Bill Klaproth
Director of Marketing and Production
DoctorPodcasting of RadioMD
Melody Brandley
Digital Media Supervisor
Southeast Georgia Health System

Leveling Up on LinkedIn: Building Your Personal and Professional Brand

Thursday, September 25 | 12:00 – 1 p.m. CT

LinkedIn has evolved far beyond an online resume—it's now a critical platform for building influence, credibility, and visibility in the health care space. Whether you're looking to elevate your personal brand, expand your network, or boost your organization’s thought leadership, a strong LinkedIn strategy is essential. In this webinar, Alan Shoebridge, Associate Vice President, National Communications at Providence and past president of SHSMD, will share practical tips for refining your personal profile, creating engaging content, and amplifying your organization’s presence. You'll learn how to position yourself—and your brand—for success on the platform where health care professionals, recruiters, and industry leaders are actively connecting.

Speaker:
Alan Shoebridge
Associate Vice President, National Communications
Providence

Maximizing Reach: 5 Creative Ways to Repurpose Content and Engage Audiences

Tuesday, September 30 | 12:00 – 1 p.m. CT

Creating content is only half the battle—getting it seen and shared by the right audiences is where the real impact happens. In this session, you'll learn practical strategies to extend the life and reach of your existing content by repurposing it across multiple platforms and tapping into local and niche communities. From turning patient  portal website or blog content into high-performing social posts, to amplifying your message through local media and Facebook groups, this session will show you how to work smarter with the content you already have.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify effective ways to repurpose portal or blog content to drive traffic and engagement on social media.
2. Leverage local media relationships and Facebook groups to reach targeted community audiences.
3. Use national food and health observances to streamline content creation and maintain a consistent social presence.

Speakers:
Andrea Jackson
Marketing/PR Coordinator
Bates County Memorial Hospital
Toni Donina
CEO
Baldwin Publishing
Candace Zafirellis
Senior Manager, Content Strategy
Baldwin Publishing
Stella Serne
Social Media Coordinator 
Baldwin Publishing

Redefining Health Care Marketing Through Influencers: The MemorialCare Success Story 

Thursday, October 2 | 12 – 1 p.m. CT

In an increasingly competitive environment, health care marketers must adopt innovative approaches to build trust and connect with their communities. This session highlights MemorialCare’s successful influencer marketing campaign—developed with Goodway Group—which used TikTok, Instagram, and targeted ads to promote women’s health services, resulting in 23,000+ new website visits and significantly higher engagement rates. Attendees will explore the strategy behind the campaign, gain practical insights, and learn how to responsibly incorporate influencer marketing into their own efforts. The session will also address how to balance the risks and rewards unique to health care marketing. Marketers will leave with actionable tools to boost brand engagement and improve ROI in today’s digital landscape.

Speakers:

Jennifer Dixon-Lux
Senior Director, Client Experience
Goodway Group
Erin Killion
Client Strategy Director – Healthcare,
Goodway Group
Vincent Serio
MemorialCare Health System,
MemorialCare Health System

Building Your Social Media Foundation for Stronger Patient Engagement

Tuesday, October 7 | 12 – 1 p.m. CT

In today's competitive health care environment, maintaining a strong online presence is critical for patient acquisition and retention. Roper St. Francis Healthcare -- a community health system serving the Charleston, South Carolina, area -- recognized the importance of building a solid digital foundation to support their four flagship hospitals and 250-provider network.
Faced with challenges such as inconsistent online listings, a decline in review volume during a system migration, and the need for scalable review management, the organization prioritized optimizing online listings for accuracy and consistency as the cornerstone of their transformative ORM journey. By addressing this foundational step, they not only enhanced brand trust but also created a reliable framework for subsequent efforts in review requesting.

Speakers:

Kelly Krammes
Reputation Management & Social Media Specialist
Roper St. Francis Healthcare
Krista Robertson
Executive Director of Digital Strategy
Roper St. Francis Healthcare
Stacy Neumann
Vice President of HLS Industry
Reputation

Additional Resources

2024 Conference Recordings:

• HIPAA, FTC, and State Laws: What You Need to Know - 2024 Edition!
• Social Media + Health Care Heroes: A Dynamic Duo

2023–2024 Webinar Recordings:

2024 Webinars:

• Video, Vampires & Vagabonds: The Recipe for Quality Storytelling in Video Format
• Tapping into Gen Z: Harnessing Social Media to Engage the Next Generation of Health Care Consumers
• What We Learned from Our TikTok "Icks" Crisis
• #Let'sGetSocial: What is the Risk of Social?
• Your Doctors Are The Only Influencers You Need. Here's How To Activate Them — and Get Them Excited — About Your Short-Form Video
• Minding the Minefield: Navigating Online Hostility and Fostering Mental Resilience
• Podcast Marketing Made Simple: How to Elevate your Brand through Video/Audio Podcasts

2023 Webinars:

• A Winning Social Strategy You Have the Resources to Start Now
• Social Media Success Blueprint: Unlocking the Power of Strategic Content Strategies
• What’s on the Menu? Creating a Delicious Social Strategy
• Ochsner Health: Using Influencer Marketing to Amplify Ongoing Population Health Efforts
• How to Leverage Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn to Amplify Your Organization
• Hospitals that do Podcast Marketing Right. What they know!