Health systems that have signed up for Threads, the new Twitter competitor from Instagram, told Becker's they were excited to have a new way to reach consumers and are pleased with the early results.
Amanda Todorovich, executive director of digital marketing at Cleveland Clinic, said it wasn't a question of if the health system would create an account on the new social media platform — "it was simply a matter of when."
"It was important for us to join Threads in an authentic way," she said. "Our intent? It's always constant. We want to provide value by adding useful, helpful and relevant health information to any conversation."
She said the platform has a "different kind of energy" than other social media sites and has allowed the health system's digital marketing team to "have a little bit of fun." Cleveland Clinic's early posts include cures for an afternoon slump, what the tidiness of your desk says about you, and a recipe for a "guilt-free" berry popsicle.
"Testing and measuring is at the heart of our strategy," Ms. Todorvich said. "So it's fascinating to experiment with more playful and energetic posts and see what kind of response we get."
Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta Platforms launched Threads on July 5 as an alternative to Twitter. It became the most rapidly downloaded app in history, reaching 100 million users within five days. Several hospitals and health systems didn't waste any time in starting accounts and posting health tips and news about their organizations.
"We feel it is important to innovate and provide accurate, trustworthy content for current, former and prospective patients, as well as all healthcare information consumers, and meet them where they are in the digital space," said Halena Gazelka, MD, chief communications officer of Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic. "We are exploring Threads as a forum to contribute in a meaningful way and are pleased with the positive early engagement with our followers.”
Another early adopter, New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System, joined Threads as another avenue for connecting with Instagram users — people sign up for Threads by linking their Instagram accounts — and the potential to reach a totally new audience, said Chloe Politis, director of digital and social media for the health system. Mount Sinai also aims to gain insights into the platforms' algorithms, best practices and user behavior.
"Beyond these initial benefits, I've truly enjoyed working with my team on creating content specifically for Threads," Ms. Politis said. "Of course I would love to have access to more data, which I'm sure will come, but for now we are excited to have a new way to engage with our audience. It will be interesting to see Threads continue to evolve, and Mount Sinai will be right there innovating socially to grow our vibrant community in alignment with our organization's business goals."