Table 1.

Summary of the social media characteristics that may enhance effectiveness depending on the outcome.

Outcomes	Reach	Engagement	Direct dissemination	Impact
Platforms	Multiple platforms (including Twitter and Facebook)	Twitter	Multiple platforms (including Twitter and Facebook)	≥3 platforms
Format	Images (particularly infographics) Blogs Microblogs	Images (particularly infographics) Appealing media (eg, videos, enticing statements, or questions)	Images (particularly infographics) Podcasts Blogs Links to articles	Clinically relevant and useable posts Microblogs Links
Strategies	Involvement of influencers and organizations	Involvement of influencers, patients, authors, and organizations Relevant @mentions and hashtags	Intensive strategies Relevant @mentions and hashtags	Targeting specific audiences or specialism for practice Broader topics for citations Relevant @mentions
Timing	≥1 posts per day Established campaigns sustained over months or years	Scheduled posts (eg, weekday mornings) Established campaigns coinciding with targeted events and government resources	≥1 posts per day Any time of the year Scheduled posts (eg, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays)	Frequent posts Brief but focused campaigns (eg, a year or less)
Resources	Multiple social media accounts Social media marketing tools	Regular established live events (eg, journal clubs and tweet chats) Paid social media advertising	Multiple social media accounts Social media marketing and scheduling tools	Paid social media advertising Live events involving prominent organizations