First, in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, I started a new business making alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Here is the sample label I created:
That means, from here on out, I will probably be doing most of my assignments on the "CalPride Products" social media. I set up "CalPride Products almost three years ago, but now it is a working business, and an important one. The hand-sanitizer project is being set up to sell product at prices competitive with pre-emergency prices (i.e., no "price-gouging") and all proceeds will be used to set up another project proposed several months ago, a relief organization focused on responding to disasters in the three California states: California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur.
Although "CalPride Products" was originally intended to be primarily a clothing and accessories brand, due to the COVID pandemic, it is now a "Health" supplies company.
Here are how other Health Supplies company use Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/byramhealthcare/ - 141 posts, 1,356 followers. Last post: 8 hours ago, on "International Autism Day"
Liberator Medical Supply - No Instagram account
https://www.instagram.com/jnj/ - 33 posts, 19,200 followers ("Johnson & Johnson"). Last post: December 1, 2018, on HIV drug trials in Africa.
https://www.instagram.com/medlineinc/ - 48 posts, 1,771 followers. Last post: March 6, on the "Medline Infection Prevention Squad."
https://www.instagram.com/mckessoncorporation/ - 1157 posts, 5,476 followers. Last post: March 30, 2020, on their role in the national coronavirus effort, specifically complimenting Donald Trump.
All four companies that use Instagram use it for purposes that are common for corporations: Corporate image and to highlight specific personnel. Even though McKesson has the most active account, they still only use it for relatively mundane purposes.
I was particularly interested in Instagram use by Byram Healthcare and Liberator Medical Supply, because much of their sales are direct to consumers. Liberator Medical Supply, for example, is one of those companies that advertises on television, promising to send viewers something, and "we'll bill Medicare."
That's the reason, right there, I think: Since Instagram is not seen as a popular social media platform for seniors, it isn't used much by health supplies companies. Our hand sanitizer may face the same issue: Younger people are much less concerned about COVID infection than even middle-aged people, and thus Instagram may not be a good platform for us.
Only two of these feeds are truly active: Byram and McKesson, and the Byram account seems utterly disconnected from the greatest health crisis in 100 years.
The McKesson post on COVID has received 32 replies, but all or most from McKesson employees praising the company and its CEO. The second most-recent post, showing a photo of their warehouse, has received 5 replies, again, nearly all from McKesson employees praising the company.
The third most-recent posts, on March 10, was about a program McKesson sponsored on International Women's Day. This post has drawn 11 replies; most are from happy McKesson employees, but two are complaints about the company not delivering personal protective equipment needed by medical personnel dealing with COVID.
In other words, the most interactive use of Instagram is similar to what is typical on Twitter, desperate complaints to the company.
In selling CalPride Products hand sanitizer, a major problem is that "health protection" is hard to communicate visually. Instagram could be used to show photos of products ready for shipment. Another photo subject suggested to me -- although I have been reluctant to do so -- is the equipment being used to make our products. I am reluctant because I am making this non-sterile product on the kitchen counter at home. However, I have a new light-box type of "studio" to help me shoot professional looking photos of our equipment, so that might work out well.
As for hashtags, the obvious ones are those being used by people looking for help avoiding COVID-19 infection: #COVID, #coronavirus, #coronavirustoday, and so on.
That means, from here on out, I will probably be doing most of my assignments on the "CalPride Products" social media. I set up "CalPride Products almost three years ago, but now it is a working business, and an important one. The hand-sanitizer project is being set up to sell product at prices competitive with pre-emergency prices (i.e., no "price-gouging") and all proceeds will be used to set up another project proposed several months ago, a relief organization focused on responding to disasters in the three California states: California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur.
Although "CalPride Products" was originally intended to be primarily a clothing and accessories brand, due to the COVID pandemic, it is now a "Health" supplies company.
Here are how other Health Supplies company use Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/byramhealthcare/ - 141 posts, 1,356 followers. Last post: 8 hours ago, on "International Autism Day"
Liberator Medical Supply - No Instagram account
https://www.instagram.com/jnj/ - 33 posts, 19,200 followers ("Johnson & Johnson"). Last post: December 1, 2018, on HIV drug trials in Africa.
https://www.instagram.com/medlineinc/ - 48 posts, 1,771 followers. Last post: March 6, on the "Medline Infection Prevention Squad."
https://www.instagram.com/mckessoncorporation/ - 1157 posts, 5,476 followers. Last post: March 30, 2020, on their role in the national coronavirus effort, specifically complimenting Donald Trump.
All four companies that use Instagram use it for purposes that are common for corporations: Corporate image and to highlight specific personnel. Even though McKesson has the most active account, they still only use it for relatively mundane purposes.
I was particularly interested in Instagram use by Byram Healthcare and Liberator Medical Supply, because much of their sales are direct to consumers. Liberator Medical Supply, for example, is one of those companies that advertises on television, promising to send viewers something, and "we'll bill Medicare."
That's the reason, right there, I think: Since Instagram is not seen as a popular social media platform for seniors, it isn't used much by health supplies companies. Our hand sanitizer may face the same issue: Younger people are much less concerned about COVID infection than even middle-aged people, and thus Instagram may not be a good platform for us.
Only two of these feeds are truly active: Byram and McKesson, and the Byram account seems utterly disconnected from the greatest health crisis in 100 years.
The McKesson post on COVID has received 32 replies, but all or most from McKesson employees praising the company and its CEO. The second most-recent post, showing a photo of their warehouse, has received 5 replies, again, nearly all from McKesson employees praising the company.
The third most-recent posts, on March 10, was about a program McKesson sponsored on International Women's Day. This post has drawn 11 replies; most are from happy McKesson employees, but two are complaints about the company not delivering personal protective equipment needed by medical personnel dealing with COVID.
In other words, the most interactive use of Instagram is similar to what is typical on Twitter, desperate complaints to the company.
In selling CalPride Products hand sanitizer, a major problem is that "health protection" is hard to communicate visually. Instagram could be used to show photos of products ready for shipment. Another photo subject suggested to me -- although I have been reluctant to do so -- is the equipment being used to make our products. I am reluctant because I am making this non-sterile product on the kitchen counter at home. However, I have a new light-box type of "studio" to help me shoot professional looking photos of our equipment, so that might work out well.
As for hashtags, the obvious ones are those being used by people looking for help avoiding COVID-19 infection: #COVID, #coronavirus, #coronavirustoday, and so on.
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