- Have any questions?
- 02 9247 6000
- media@commsroom.co
- Have any questions?
- 02 9247 6000
- media@commsroom.co
Menu
“We seek to counter misinformation and low-quality health advice that is widely prevalent on social media and the internet more generally. We strive to help Queenslanders live healthier, better lives and help them to understand how they can access the various parts of our free public health system.”
I have worked in comms, particularly across the media and social media disciplines for 13 years now. A year ago, I took some time to pause and think about what it was that I enjoyed most about my work.
What is my passion? What drives me to do more, and better? I was clear to me that what got me out of bed in the morning and excited to go to work was the unique and brilliant mix of creativity and strategic thinking that digital marketing offers. I knew I wanted to move away from traditional media work, to focus specifically on social media.
The social and digital media team at QH consistently punch above their weight and (in my opinion) are industry-leading in healthcare and government socials. The QH channels have a strong social media presence with an audience of 1.4 million across Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
I had watched as a follower, admiring and being inspired by what they served on feed and jumped at the opportunity to join the team when the Team Leader role came up. I knew I could make a difference in this role as I love creating unique, shareable, and memorable content and thrive in an environment where I can make a real difference, working for a brand that I care about.
Healthcare is a content-rich environment so the sky really is the limit with topics we can speak to, audiences we can reach and content formats we can test. The team constantly strives to make a difference, they have a real focus on behaviour change, and prioritise inclusivity and audience relatability.
It’s an incredible gig and the people I work with are exceptional – talented, bright, creative, driven and an absolute joy to be around. I feel like I have hit the jackpot at QH and truly love what I do.
No two days are the same but it’s always busy. My team produces around 4000 pieces of content a year across 20+ health topics for QH’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and Threads channels, EDM, blog, podcast and digital advertising.
I’m responsible for reviewing and endorsing this content, leading the team to develop and execute social and digital media strategies, monitoring, reviewing and analysing digital and social media data and identifying and managing emerging risks and issues. I’m also responsible for the social and digital media team’s extensive content planning which is done months in advance, in alignment with market research and strategic priorities.
On any given day I could be working with the team to conceptualise content, talk through trends, measuring post-performance against benchmarks and KPIs, mentoring and supporting content creators, liaising with Health and Hospital Service colleagues, providing advice on channel or content strategy, mapping future content or even jumping in to feature in a reel or two.
In everything I do, I keep front of mind the core goals of QH’s content: to improve the health and wellbeing of Queenslanders and build their confidence in navigating and understanding Queensland’s public health system. I believe it’s critical work we’re doing.
By producing high-quality, easy to understand, entertaining and engaging content, we can help to de-mystify Queensland’s large and complex public healthcare system and help empower people to be active participants in their own health, healthcare decisions and pathways.
The role of social and digital media within the healthcare and broader government sectors has expanded and evolved significantly in the last decade. When I started my career, there were no departmental social media channels. The 2010-11 Queensland floods changed this with the rapid growth of the Queensland Police Service’s Facebook and Twitter channels. Other departments quickly followed suit and as we know, the rest is history.
Since 2011, the channel offerings have been expanded (with this year seeing the introduction of Threads), channel audiences have grown and diversified and there is now an expectation that brands have an active and engaged presence on social media.
In 2023, social media is giving traditional media a run for its money with social media posts not only reaching a target audience but providing a space for engagement. By building an engaged online community, digital marketers can provide humanity and authenticity to the brands they represent.
We have access to real-time analytics that provide insights into content performance, comment trends and audience sentiment. Socials have the power to cut through the digital noise unlike any other medium. We can be responsive to our audience, provide excellent customer service, build relationships with our followers, grow trust within the community and (in the healthcare sector) increase health literacy and improve health outcomes.
There’s some incredible work happening in socials across government. The team at the ABS consistently communicate stats as entertaining and digestible posts by capitalising on pop culture moments, CSIRO’s bird and wombat posts are content gold and the teams running the Qld Police, NSW Police and AFP channels continue to serve up killer content to their engaged audiences.
The potential impact that social media offers the public sector can’t be underestimated. We are mindful of this in each piece of content we create at QH. All our content produced is informed by market research, audience insights and behavioural science.
We seek to counter misinformation and low-quality health advice that is widely prevalent on social media and the internet more generally. We strive to help Queenslanders live healthier, better lives and help them to understand how they can access the various parts of our free public health system. We aim to make connections with our followers, build their trust and entertain and influence.
I believe what sets QH apart is our in-depth understanding of our audience. Our content is influenced by comment trends and audience insights and sentiment, which enables us to generate a high engagement. While we focus on growing our audiences across our social channels, we also prioritise retaining our existing followers. We value them and never take their follow for granted.
We also operate in an incredibly supportive environment, led by management who support my team’s creativity and allow for reactive and trending content, published with short notice. This enables us to use pop-culture, memes and trends, which we do with care to ensure we also maintain credibility. Without this support, we wouldn’t be able to turn around a Rhianna Super Bowl reel in 30 minutes, promote mental wellbeing via Hot Girl Walks or jump on trends that push the boundaries.
The content I am particularly proud of is those posts where we don’t ‘tell’ Queenslanders how to take care of their health, but ‘show’ them. The ‘how to keep your penis clean’ post was incredibly successful. We received comments from parents thanking us for the step-by-step guide and appreciation from the CALD and PWD communities for our accessible and inclusive approach to the content. This is the post I am most asked about at family barbecues by far!
The team also re-approached bowel screening messaging by packaging the ‘how to do your bowel screening test’ message into a short, easily digestible and light-hearted video. We received comments from people telling us that they were worried about doing the test but now felt comfortable and people sharing how the screening program saved their lives.
It’s a fantastic job that I would recommend to anyone who gets a kick out leading and inspiring creatives, who has an eye for data, who likes working in a fast paced and ever-changing environment and who is obsessed with all things social.
If you’re seeking a leadership role, particularly in a social and digital media team, you will need to be ready to get ‘off the tools’ and this can be hard for some people who are creative at heart. As you let go of content creation, what is waiting for you is the utter joy of seeing your team thrive and succeed and the pride you will feel when the content they make creates a real and measurable impact.
I am proud of my team every day and feel incredibly lucky to lead the superstars that are QH’s social and digital media team. I believe they are the best in the biz and it’s a joy and a pleasure to lead them.
Caitlin will be speaking at the Comms and Social Media Summit 2023. Catch her session by registering your slot today.
