Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Nursing
Date Submitted: May 4, 2019
Open Peer Review Period: May 6, 2019 - Jun 27, 2019
Date Accepted: Jul 30, 2019
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Evaluation of the impact of four dissemination paths on key performance indicators of a social media-based breastfeeding campaign
ABSTRACT
Background:
Social media utilization is globally on the rise, and the potential of social media for health behavior campaigns is widely recognized. However, as the landscape of social media evolves, so do techniques used to optimize campaign dissemination.
Objective:
The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of four material dissemination paths for a breastfeeding social media marketing campaign in Ghana on exposure and engagement with campaign material.
Methods:
Campaign materials (n=60) were posted to a Facebook and Twitter campaign page over 12 weeks (i.e. baseline). The top 40 performing materials were randomized to 1 of 4 re-dissemination arms (control simply posted on each platform, key influencers, random influencers, and paid advertisements). Key performance indicator data (i.e. exposure and engagement) were extracted from each Facebook and Twitter two days after the material was posted. A difference-in-difference model was used to exam the impact of the dissemination paths on performance.
Results:
At baseline, campaign materials received an average (SD) exposure of 1178 (670) on Facebook and 1071 (905) on Twitter (n=60). On Facebook, materials posted with paid advertisements had significantly higher exposure and engagement compared with the control arm (P < .001), and performance of materials shared by either type of influencer did not differ significantly from the control arm. No differences in Twitter performance were detected across arms.
Conclusions:
Paid advertisements are an effective mechanism to increase exposure and engagement of campaign posts on Facebook, which was achieved at a low cost. Clinical Trial: Key Words: Social Media, Campaign, Breastfeeding, Dissemination, Ghana
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