{
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    "title" : "How Facebook Live Increased Reach and Engagement of Scientific Lectures at NIH |Digital.gov",
    "description": "How Facebook Live Increased Reach and Engagement of Scientific Lectures at NIH",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/05/22/how-facebook-live-increased-reach-and-engagement-of-scientific-lectures-at-nih/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"How Facebook Live Increased Reach and Engagement of Scientific Lectures at NIH","summary" : "Helping patients manage chronic pain has become an increasing challenge for health care providers, particularly in the face of an ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States. In response, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has made funding research on integrative health approaches to pain","date" : "2017-05-22T13:00:34-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"yasmine-kloth" : "Yasmine Kloth"},"topics" : {
        
            "analytics" : "Analytics",
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "mobile" : "Mobile",
            "multimedia" : "Multimedia",
            "social-media" : "Social media"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2017-05-22-how-facebook-live-increased-reach-and-engagement-of-scientific-lectures-at-nih.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2017/05/2017-05-22-how-facebook-live-increased-reach-and-engagement-of-scientific-lectures-at-nih.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2017/05/2017-05-22-how-facebook-live-increased-reach-and-engagement-of-scientific-lectures-at-nih.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2017/05/2017-05-22-how-facebook-live-increased-reach-and-engagement-of-scientific-lectures-at-nih.md","slug" : "how-facebook-live-increased-reach-and-engagement-of-scientific-lectures-at-nih","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/05/22/how-facebook-live-increased-reach-and-engagement-of-scientific-lectures-at-nih/","content" :"\u003cp\u003eHelping patients manage chronic pain has become an increasing challenge for health care providers, particularly in the face of an ongoing \u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/\"\u003eopioid epidemic\u003c/a\u003e in the United States.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn response, the \u003ca href=\"https://nccih.nih.gov/\"\u003eNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)\u003c/a\u003e at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has made funding research on integrative health approaches to pain management—exploring which approaches can be implemented as part of an overall treatment strategy—\u003ca href=\"https://nccih.nih.gov/about/strategic-plans/2016/Nonpharmacologic-Management-Pain\"\u003ea research priority\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn important part of our work focuses on the U.S. military, who have both \u003ca href=\"http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1885986\"\u003echronic pain rates and opioid use rates\u003c/a\u003e that are much higher than those of the general population. In fact, NCCIH is \u003ca href=\"https://nccih.nih.gov/research/blog/partnering-on-pain\"\u003epartnering on pain research initiatives\u003c/a\u003e with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and several agencies at NIH.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis blog post looks at how NCCIH used Facebook Live to communicate the importance of this research focus to the public, engage with concerned citizens about the future of pain management treatments, and increase the reach and visibility of this topic.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"a-layered-approach\"\u003eA Layered Approach\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNCCIH hosts a yearly \u003ca href=\"https://nccih.nih.gov/news/events/IMlectures\"\u003eIntegrative Medicine Research Lecture Series\u003c/a\u003e that explores the current state of research and practice involving complementary and integrative health approaches. These talks take place on the NIH campus, are free and open to the public, and are live-streamed and archived through \u003ca href=\"https://videocast.nih.gov/\"\u003ea streaming service provided by NIH\u003c/a\u003e. This year’s spring lectures focused on the \u003ca href=\"https://nccih.nih.gov/MilitaryHealthEvents2017\"\u003eU.S. military, veterans, and their families\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo increase visibility and engagement of these talks, NCCIH implemented a digital strategy by:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStreaming the lectures through Facebook Live in addition to the NIH videocast\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHosting post-lecture Facebook Live Q\u0026amp;A sessions with each of the speakers\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRounding out the series with an online-only event—\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/nih.nccih/videos/1405263649496849/\"\u003ean additional Facebook Live Q\u0026amp;A\u003c/a\u003e with high-level retired military personnel, now faculty members at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, who have extensive pain management experience\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVisually branding the series in addition to using \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets\u0026amp;vertical=default\u0026amp;q=%23NCCIHmilitaryhealth\u0026amp;src=typd\"\u003ea hashtag\u003c/a\u003e and series title.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2017/05/600-x-576-NCCIH-visual-branding-for-Facebook-Live-event.png\"\n    alt=\"A screen capture of NCCIH Instagram page with posts depicting visual branding on Instagram for their Facebook Live event.\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe topics included resilience in military families, pain and opioid management in veterans, and the incorporation of mind and body approaches into military health treatment plans.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-do-we-know\"\u003eWhat Do We Know?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe can look at the success of this series in two ways:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDid the Facebook Live events help increase our reach?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWere we able to engage with our online communities?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"an-increase-in-reach\"\u003eAn Increase in Reach\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince airing, the lectures, taken together, have had almost six times more views on Facebook Live than through the NIH streaming service. This shows that Facebook Live can be used as an additional streaming service that taps into our Center’s existing online networks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd what about the Facebook Live Q\u0026amp;A sessions?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach Q\u0026amp;A built momentum on the one that preceded it:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe first Q\u0026amp;A, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/nih.nccih/videos/1373170729372808/\"\u003ea conversation on resilience in military families\u003c/a\u003e, had modest numbers, with a reach of 5,073 people and 5 comments.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe second Q\u0026amp;A, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/nih.nccih/videos/1392161590807055/\"\u003eon pain and opioid management in veterans\u003c/a\u003e, reached 16,234 people and amassed 18 comments and questions.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe third Q\u0026amp;A, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/nih.nccih/videos/1405263649496849/\"\u003eon mind and body approaches and the U.S. military\u003c/a\u003e, had a lower reach at 9,430 people, but it was our most commented on Facebook Live event, with the community leaving 34 comments and questions for our interviewees.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"an-increase-in-engagement\"\u003eAn Increase in Engagement\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe momentum that was built throughout the series culminated in a Facebook Live Q\u0026amp;A session that had 141 percent more reactions, 70 percent more comments, and 78 percent more shares than the Facebook Live that preceded it just 2 weeks earlier \u003csup\u003e\u003ca id=\"ref1\" href=\"#fn1\"\u003e[1]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhy the incremental increase in engagement? A few reasons stand out:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThere was constant promotion of the series throughout March and April, with periodic reminders of upcoming events.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe topic of the last Q\u0026amp;A was general—it focused on mind and body approaches and the U.S. military—and allowed for people to ask a broad range of questions, serving as a solid capstone for the series.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe experts in the last Q\u0026amp;A were high-profile retired military personnel whose stories and experiences connected with the audience.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis element of Facebook Live—the element that puts not just the science, but the stories behind the science, into people’s homes or offices—has changed how researchers and subject matter experts reach their audiences.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndividuals who want to attend a lecture or learn more about a health topic but can’t join in person are still given the opportunity to show their emotions, share information, reach out to friends who might be interested, ask questions, and receive responses.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-did-we-learn\"\u003eWhat Did We Learn?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Facebook Live series on one central topic—in our case on integrative health and the U.S. military—allowed for a larger, more in-depth story arc to be told. That story examined coping mechanisms and parenting techniques for military families, explored approaches to help veterans manage pain and opioids, and allowed for a general discussion on complementary health approaches—like acupuncture, yoga, and meditation—and how they are integrated (or could be integrated) into U.S. military health services.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach event, on the heels of the one before it, was an opportunity for promotion—an opportunity to provide audiences with a fresh angle to a standing topic—giving the traditional stand-at-a-podium lecture a new and multifaceted life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003ciframe\n  src=\"https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnih.nccih%2Fvideos%2F1405263649496849%2F\u0026amp;width=500\u0026amp;show_text=false\u0026amp;height=281\u0026amp;appId\"\n  width=\"500\"\n  height=\"281\"\n  style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\"\n  scrolling=\"no\"\n  frameborder=\"0\"\n  allowTransparency=\"true\"\n  allowfullscreen=\"true\"\n\u003e\u003c/iframe\u003e\n\n\u003csection\u003e\n\u003cp id=\"fn1\"\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"#ref1\"\u003e[1]\u003c/a\u003e It’s unclear why the overall reach of this third Facebook Live Q\u0026A was lower, despite higher engagement metrics. Because Facebook regularly changes their algorithm, it’s possible a change could have taken place that affected those reach numbers.\u003ca title=\"Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.\" href=\"#ref1\"\u003e↩\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/section\u003e\n"}
  ]
}