Web 2.0 boosts awareness of Mayo Clinic—for nearly nothing

How videos, blogs and podcasts have increased the nonprofit’s media coverage and awareness. Audio Video

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Lee Aase, manager of syndication and social media at the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic, thinks so.

“I wanted to do things that didn’t cost any money and didn’t require IT support,” said Aase, manager of syndication and social media at the Minnesota-based clinic, at Ragan Communication’s recent Corporate Communications in a Web 2.0 World conference.

The nonprofit uses video and audio files to pitch stories to journalists and provide health information to consumers. To implement that strategy, Mayo relies mostly on free or low-cost options, such as WordPress and YouTube, which can be implemented quickly and easily.

For instance, many of Mayo’s video interviews are shot with a $150 Flip video camera. Aase estimates Mayo spent $1,500 to purchase seven video cameras and run four blogs.

“These tools really level the playing field and make it a lot easier for any company to get engaged in this,” Aase explained.

Here’s an in-depth look at Mayo’s social media strategy.

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