Establishing and demonstrating US hospital brands through Facebook

Abstract

Medical treatment, patient satisfaction, and hospital brand equity are positively related to three communication contexts: interpersonal, internal, and corporate. To integrate those contexts and expand that line of research, visceral analysis suggests that social networks are transforming the impact of institutional communications conducted by hospitals. Specifically, questions continue to need answered to fill gaps in, clarify and reinforce previous research. To that end, this article analyzes the strategic impact of social media networks in spreading the brand architecture of hospitals. To this end, the Facebook profiles of 400 hospitals in the United States were analyzed. Each profile was examined to determine whether it utilized 10 indicators related to brand architecture. The results indicate that regarding the leading hospitals in the United States 94% of the surveyed hospitals have an active profile on Facebook but one that only utilized 3 to 5 of the recommended indicators. The professional management of this social network, the more widespread use of corporate video and a strategic orientation toward results have become cornerstones for the effective dissemination of hospital brands through Facebook.