As New York's No. 1 hospital, staff at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) played a critical role in caring for those injured in the September 11th attacks. The goal of this campaign was recognize 9/11's 15th anniversary and to provide our staff with the opportunity to share their stories, reflect on their experiences, and pay tribute to the four NYP EMS workers who tragically lost their lives that day.
For days following the attacks, NYP staff worked tirelessly to help patients and families cope with the physical and emotional implications of the attacks. Many of our doctors, nurses, and staff did not leave the hospital for several days so that they could provide care for those in need. We thought it was important to acknowledge our own Hospital heroes for all that they did, including the hope they provided to so many of our patients and their families.
Our strategy behind this campaign was to utilize best practices across each of the Hospital's social media platforms to showcase the healthcare professionals and EMS workers who can be overlooked during these trying times.
Ahead of the launch of our social media campaign we created a hashtag (#NYPReflects), updated our cover photos on Facebook and Twitter, and wrote a blog post in the form of an ongoing timeline, starting from when each employee woke up on 9/11 to the days following the attacks (http://bit.ly/2iQ15ZT).
The week leading up to the 15th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, we featured a different staff member's story each day on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A powerful black and white photo accompanied each post, illustrating the areas in which each person worked at the time of the attacks.
On the day of the anniversary, a key feature of our social strategy was to differentiate the content that was displayed on each platform. On Facebook and Instagram, we showcased our most powerful images. In this instance, we featured letters that schoolchildren sent to patients following the attacks and a picture of our on-campus 9/11 memorial which pays tribute to the four EMS workers who lost their lives that day. We consistently incorporated the link to our blog post to drive traffic to the compelling personal reflections of NYP's staff.
On Twitter, our posts began at 6:10 am. The idea was to create a timeline of that day in the eyes of our Hospital workers. From the time the Twin Towers fell to the time the first patients arrived and the days following the attacks, we wanted our followers to get a sense of what was happening within the Hospital setting and how our team was at the forefront of helping those in need. Each tweet reflected a memory that coincided with a specific time of day on 9/11. Included in these tweets were images of NYP employees holding up a sign with a time printed on it. Throughout the day we also tweeted letters from schoolchildren, pictures of our ambulances near the 9/11 Tribute in Lights at Ground Zero, and amplified earned media hits including: Univision and Fox News.
We shared our blog post on our other social media channels as well, including LinkedIn.
We continued to post information about our Virtual Reality therapy program which is helping victims and first responders of the attack cope with PTSD and their experience years later.
Our team's work was unique because of the role that NewYork-Presbyterian plays in New York City. As New York's No. 1 hospital for 16 years in a row, we saw patients at multiple NYP campuses, and continue to treat patients for both physical and emotional scars left behind.
This campaign was a true example of teamwork across the entire Hospital system, involving multiple departments including: Public Affairs, Social Media, Marketing, Internal Communications, and Editorial.
Heading into the campaign, our goal was to post a minimum of 30 posts across all platforms and generate 500,000 impressions.
In in the end, we published a total of 45 posts, generating nearly 1 million impressions (925,069) and 6,900 engagements. Our blog had 2,800 views and was picked up by outlets including Fox News Channel and the local Fox5 News.
Aside from exceeding our goals for impressions, the real success of the campaign was engaging with employees across all nine NYP campuses. We received positive feedback from numerous parties on how honored and touched they were by the campaign and how it successfully commemorated a difficult, yet pivotal moment in NYP history.
The entire campaign proved to be a huge success and exceeded everyone's expectations.
