Looking to engage next-gen professionals in its association activities, the American Academy of PAs (physician assistants) determined that celebration of its annual PA Week, which recognizes the 51-year-old profession, needed to focus on social media to attract pre-PA and PA students.

AAPA’s overall goal was to galvanize the PA community to help increase general public awareness and understanding of the PA profession. The association also wanted to maintain strong outreach to pre-PAs, PA students, and PAs and drive them to PAWeek.com.

The communications team’s analysis indicated that social media was the best way to get the youngest generation involved and excited. PA Week was positioned as a celebration on social media using the hashtags #paweek and #yourpacan. Students were the primary target audience for social tactics on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Snapchat. But, because 80 percent of AAPA’s Facebook users are over age 25, we simply provided Facebook profile picture overlays and shareable graphics.

From six weeks before and during PA Week, PA students were invited to visit the PA Week webpage to choose from a variety of ways to get involved on their social media channel(s) of choice.

YouTube

First was a customized video shout out from social influencer Dr. Zubin Damania, otherwise known as ZDoggMD, imploring PAs and students to celebrate PA Week and recognizing PAs’ expertise. With an investment of $1,500 to promote it, ZDogg’s lighthearted video generated more than 750,000 views.

AAPA’s overall goal was to galvanize the PA community to help increase general public awareness and understanding of the PA profession.

AAPA also tried a new tactic borrowed from the Society of Neuroscience: a video contest with total prizes of $3,250; the first-place winner also received travel reimbursement and registration for AAPA’s 2019 annual conference. The contest generated 14 submissions—almost all from PA student programs at various universities—with the final four videos amassing more than 6,800 views. Viewers were asked to vote during PA Week and selected the winning video from Texas Tech.

Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat

In addition to YouTube, Instagram was a favorite channel for PA students to celebrate PA Week. AAPA’s objectives were to increase engagement and reach by 5 percent and gain 2,000 new followers. With a 7-day Instagram photo contest, resulting in daily prizes, engagement increased 26 percent; reach by 38 percent; and AAPA’s Instagram gained 2,344 followers, or a 24 percent increase. On Twitter, a series of questions were posted; engagement increased by 58 percent, reach by 38 percent, and followers by 20 percent. Six student PA programs took over AAPA’s Snapchat account during PA Week.

PAs on the Plaza and Student Service Week

Other ways students participated in PA Week included gathering at 5 a.m. at Rockefeller Plaza to be recognized by Hoda Korb on the Today Show. Several thousand PA students and PAs showed up for “PAs on the Plaza,” which was promoted beforehand on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They waved to the cameras and gave the profession a boost.

To further recognize PA Week, 26 PA student programs participated in the third annual PA Student Service Week. Students held food and toiletry drives for victims of Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas; created healthy snack bags for kids who attend after-school programs in Milwaukee; helped with landscaping and clearing property for a homeless adult day service building; earned $10,000 by hosting a 5K fun run to donate for feeding hungry children; and held a donor drive for Be the Match, which helps find bone marrow and blood stem cell matches for patients diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, and other life-threatening diseases. Most of these activities were featured and shared on student and AAPA’s social channels.

Takeaways

PA Week pulled together disparate PA interests to create one community and one profession. Engagement on social media and traffic to PAWeek.com was the highest ever in 2018. Several years of promoting #PAweek payed off with continuous (even celebrity) usage, and there were record-setting video views. PA students were energized unlike ever before, even creating their own content to recognize PA Week. AAPA will continue to broaden its use of social media tactics for next-gen professionals for future PA Weeks.