Raising awareness through social network communities

Using social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, is a cost-effective way to reach a greater audience more quickly than traditional advertising and press coverage. Each post can deliver important health literacy facts, research and relevant news to thousands of readers in the click of a mouse. In addition to raising awareness about Health Literacy Missouri's efforts, these sites also allow us to actively engage in the national health literacy dialogue by following timely health literacy discussions and news, forwarding on relevant information to our followers and answering questions our followers have about health literacy. In this presentation, we show how our participation in social network communities has raised awareness of our activities and information about health literacy in Missouri and across the globe. This, in-turn, has driven greater traffic to our website, where viewers learn more about our efforts and sign-up for our programs, conferences and other activities. In the process, our organization has become a stronger force in pushing health literacy reform.