Unlock Your Social Media Piano

With thanks to Judith Singer, system director of online marketing and media production for Presence Health for inspiring the title, and to Dr. Farris Timimi, medical director at the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, for the story that demonstrates the power of social media. 

Perhaps you can use this story to convince your organization to unlock its social media piano.  In other words, you have the instruments…play them!

Major league baseball player Jayson Werth was hit in the wrist during spring training in 2005.  More than a year later, still experiencing discomfort, Jayson visited The Mayo Clinic and was diagnosed with a “split tear” of the ulnotriquetal (UT) ligament.  Dr. Richard Berger, a leader in this field, performed successful surgery.

Since then, Jayson has won a World Series, and has become one of the best and highest paid players in baseball.

That is Jayson’s success story, but here is how Mayo Clinic made this a social media success story.


1. Jayson agreed to film three videos for Mayo Clinic.  All were posted on YouTube.  Here is the link to Part 1.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7DVzKk7RAI
2.      The Mayo Clinic posted the story on its “Sharing Mayo Clinic” blog and issued a press release based upon the YouTube videos.
3.      Dr, Berger hosted a Twitter chat.
4.      The Mayo Clinic provided a list of physicians from around the country who trained under Dr. Berger, and are qualified to perform the surgery.
5.      The Mayo Clinic posted other videos describing the pioneering treatment of the condition.

Some results.


1.      The Jayson Werth YouTube videos received more than 24,000 views.
2.      A local news station aired one of the videos.
3.      USA Today picked up the press release and wrote a substantial article on how The Mayo Clinic helped Jayson.
4.      The Mayo Clinic, as a result of the publicity, has treated numerous other people –people who may have never known about the treatment other than through social media.

The bottom line here is not only did social media help the Mayo Clinic generate awareness and increase business, but it helped educate the public on a matter of health and thus improve the health of the community. 

In fact, Dr. Timimi believes (as do I) that if your business can play a role to make people’s lives better in any way, it is almost a moral imperative that you use social media to engage them to do so.

Is your social media piano locked?  How do you plan on unlocking it?