Effective Communication of Ukrainian Medical Opinion Leaders in Social Network

The article deals with the analysis of effective communication of Ukrainian opinion leaders in social media. In Ukraine, the use of social networking sites Facebook and Instagram has become widespread. There are also two recognized opinion leaders in the field of health care, Yevhen Komarovskiy and Ulana Suprun. Based on a two-step flow model of communication, the authors investigate how opinion leaders create their Internet content on social networks and establish communication with the audience. The study uses qualitative and quantitative research methods, which allow for reproducing the overall scheme of building the opinion leaders' internet content. The features of Ukrainian opinion leaders' effective communication with the audience were determined by specifying content distribution technologies, specifying formats for presenting information as well as identify the subject of messages, selecting out hashtags. According to the results of the study, opinion leaders use different channels of communication with the audience, and patients (own website, a YouTube channel, participation in media projects). Their activities in social networks Instagram and Facebook are confirmed by the regular posting and communication with other users, encouraging feedback. Opinion leaders in the medical field apply the following technologies to create a positive image and maintain credibility among the audience: minimizing messages about private life; creating a column about breaking down health stereotypes; spreading medical innovations; quality visual content; hyperlinks to their other channels; use and creating hashtags; simple and clear advice to their patients.