IBM asked consumers to rank the reasons they interact with companies on social media and then asked companies to rank the reasons why they think consumers interact with them on social media. The results above show the “Perception Gap.” There are striking differences, most notably that “discounts” and “purchases” rank the highest for consumers and the lowest for companies.

But I think this is interesting from a healthcare point of view. Could this be why hospitals struggle so mightily to interact with consumers on social media? Hospitals don’t offer discounts or allow consumers to purchase services via social media. Could they? Anything is possible.

The reasons for healthcare brands to be on social media are not the reasons consumers want to interact with brands, generally.

pointer via @shawnhalls