BOARDS

Earlier this year, the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation
Hospital launched its Change for Kids campaign, encouraging
the public to tweet their support and share videos
featuring kids with disabilities who have crushed barriers
standing in their way. The hospital President and CEO Julia
Hanigsberg was at the forefront of that campaign tweeting
up a storm, creating her own fundraising initiatives and
tapping into her large network on social media to raise
money and awareness for kids with disabilities. That is a
great example for other executives and health care board
directors to follow on social media.
Once they are on social media, directors need to represent
their organization well. Below are some steps to help healthcare
board directors effectively engage in social media.
1. Be Strategic
Having a random online presence is a waste of time. Prior
to taking part in social media, set up a one-page plan,
in collaboration with your board, that comprises your
objectives, target audience, channels to engage in, messages
you want to communicate and tactics to implement.
SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT IS
CRITICAL TO COMMUNICATING THE
IMPACT OF YOUR ORGANIZATION
AND STRENGTHENING ITS
NARRATIVE ONLINE.
2. Establish Online Presence
i) Create an account on the social media platforms your
organization is engaged in. If your organization is not on
social media yet, set up presence on LinkedIn, Twitter and
Facebook to start.
ii) Include in your profile bio the organization you oversee.
If you are, for example, a board director at The Hospital
for Sick Children, include that in your Twitter bio, as follows:
Board Director @SickKidsNews (@SickKidsNews is the
Twitter handle for the hospital). That would prompt stakeholders
and prospective donors to follow and to also expect
postings about your organization.
iii) Follow your organization on social media to share and
keep track of the content it is putting out. Follow the
CEO and executive team on social media to stay updated
on their activities. Retweet posts whenever possible.
3. Share Compelling Content
Use your presence on social media to increase awareness
and inform the public about the impact your organization is
making. Help the organization create buzz and drive traffic
to its website by sharing compelling content about its initiatives
and campaigns. Include pictures, videos and a call to
action in your postings to increase visibility and traffic to
your website.
4. Make Social Engagement a Habit
Consistency is key to creating presence on social media.
It is important to engage on a regular basis to create a
network that you can put to use. Take baby steps in building
your online presence. Set up goals you can achieve.
For example, aim for one tweet a day versus five a day.
As long as you’re consistent and active on a regular basis,
you will see results.
LINA DUQUE, MBA, is a Social Media Strategist
and Executive Branding Coach whose work has
appeared in Harvard Business Review and
Forbes. She is advisor to C-suite executives and
board directors on social media and personal
branding. Lina is a frequent speaker and university lecturer
and has presented at Harvard Law School, McGill University,
University of Toronto, Merck, Canadian Fertility and
Andrology Society, Smart & Biggar LLP, Cassels Brock LLP
and Meridian Credit Union, amongst others. Lina teaches
the course Social Media for Executives at Ryerson
University’s Chang School. Connect with her via her website
LinaDuqueConsulting.com or on Twitter @LinaDuqueMBA.
BOARDS: OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GOVERNANCE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE SEPTEMBER 2016 ISSUE 16 13