Lenox Hill Neurosurgery's TikTok Strategy
Featuring an interview with Hannah Flam, Project Manager for Lenox Hill Hospital’s Department of Neurosurgery
I always say that no two social jobs are alike. So many factors can shape your experience working in social media, and a big one is the industry you are working in. Doing social media for a sports team is different than doing social media for a restaurant. Sure, there’s some general overlap, but your day-to-day experience is likely going to be quite different.
When I came across the TikTok account for Lenox Hill Hospital’s Department of Neurosurgery, I was intrigued. The account has over 150k followers and a handful of videos with over one million views. Their TikToks document what happens in the department: day in the life of a neurosurgeon, lighthearted trend videos with doctors, intense surgery montages, and more.
Having only done social in a handful of industries myself, I was so curious what it would be like to run social at a hospital. Luckily, Hannah Flam, Project Manager for Lenox Hill Hospital’s Department of Neurosurgery, was willing to chat with me all about running their TikTok. We spoke about the need to create greater visibility for under-recognized healthcare professionals, using trending sounds to your benefit, getting doctors to love creating content for TikTok, and more!
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Rachel Karten: Can you tell me about your current role and any former social (or not!) roles you've had?
Hannah Flam: I am currently working as a Project Manager for Lenox Hill Hospital’s Department of Neurosurgery with a focus on digital and social media marketing. Previously, I have managed social media platforms for multiple Pilates studios while simultaneously working in healthcare administration.
Being a Project Manager for a neurosurgery practice is truly a dream job for me. It combines my passions of healthcare, anatomy and physiology, patient care, communications, patient outreach, and graphic design.
RK: Talk to me about the Lenox Hill Neurosurgery TikTok account! What was the reason for starting it?
HF: We first created the TikTok account to engage with patients and prospective viewers in anticipation of the launch of Lenox Hill on Netflix in March 2020 (the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic). We quickly realized that we had the opportunity to give people an inside look of what it was really like on the front lines during this international health crisis.
RK: How would you describe your strategy for the account?
HF: Initially, we were going to use TikTok to promote the show Lenox Hill. We soon changed our marketing strategy to highlight the culture of our practice in the effort to foster more meaningful patient-provider connections.
Most neurosurgeons seem serious and professional; we wanted to show our followers that yes, we could be professional, but that we are also human. We like to have fun and are passionate about providing patients with the best possible neurosurgical care.
Making content for the TikTok is also a great cultural building activity. We enjoy bonding with one another when filming content and showcasing everyone on our team. The neurosurgeons are the ones performing complex procedures, but it takes a village of nurses, PAs, MAs, and administrators to coordinate a patients care. Each member of our team is crucial to our practice.
We aspire to create greater visibility for under-recognized healthcare professionals so our followers have a greater appreciation for everyone at our practice.
RK: What was the process like of getting the doctors in the department on board? They are in basically all of the TikToks.
HF: Some of the doctors love creating content for TikTok. Others prefer to stay off camera. We try our best to highlight each of our providers on our TikTok account and to respect their boundaries when it comes to the types of videos we post of them.
Most of the time, a physician will approach me with an idea for a TikTok, and we will collaborate to create the video. You’d be surprised at how creative our attending neurosurgeons can be!
RK: What was the first video that took off where you were like "maybe we're on to something here"?
HF: The first video that took off was a PSA for the COVID-19 Vaccination. It was a simple 30 second video of 4 of our attending neurosurgeons dancing to “Everybody Dance Now” with the caption “When it’s your turn to get vaccinated.” Within 24 hours of posting the video, we had over 500k views. The TikTok was so popular it was featured on Sunday night football!
RK: Has the account driven actual patient referrals?
HF: You would be surprised by how many referrals we have received from our social media accounts! We have been able to help patients from around the world who heard about us from TikTok and Instagram.
We have also had the luxury of connecting with healthcare professionals who are now working for our practice from our social media channels as well as students who have visited our practice as “shadowers” to learn from our team of clinicians and administrators.
RK: What are some of the intricacies or roadblocks that come with running an account that's affiliated with such a prestigious department at a hospital?
HF: We have to take special care when it comes to protecting patients protected health information in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). We do not post pictures of patients or students without their written consent and are careful not to share any images with patient’s names, contact information, birthdays, etc. in the background.
We also need to be mindful that we adhere to Northwell Health’s brand and marketing guidelines, as we are affiliated with the health system as well as Lenox Hill Hospital.
RK: What's a recent post you're proud of? Why did it work?
HF: A few months ago we posted a TikTok featuring our Advanced Care Providers, nurses, and PAs who work in the ICU lip synching to the song, “Money Money Money” by ABBA. I studied Musical Theatre Performance in college and had the best time staging the TikTok.
I also enjoyed making our ICU team feel special and appreciated for all they do for our patients. Oftentimes, our physicians get the glory. Successful patient outcomes are a result of teamwork. It is important to our practice that we showcase everyone so our followers realize how integral each member is to our practice. This particular post got a lot of engagement, helped us continue to cultivate our culture, and showcased members of our team who don’t get recognized as often as they deserve.
RK: For other hospitals or departments at hospitals maybe wanting to dabble on TikTok, what are three pieces of advice you'd give them?
HF:
Don’t be afraid to post silly content or content that showcases your practice’s culture. What truly matters is that you share authentic content. People resonate with genuine, original ideas more than trends.
Be consistent with your brand voice.
Follow the trends (meaning trending sounds, dances, videos, etc.). If you can find a way to creatively incorporate trending content into your posts, you will be able to grow your following much faster.
RK: Any final words?
Thank you again for interviewing us for Link In Bio! We appreciate your support of our practice and our uncoventional digital marketing strategy. We hope we can continue to be “disrupters” in the world of neurosurgery with our innovative ideas inside and outside of the OR.
Follow us at:
TikTok: @lenoxhillneurosurgery
Instagram: @lhh_neurosurgery
Twitter: @LenoxNeurosurg
LinkedIn: Lenox Hill Neurosurgery
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