Community Building :: Social Media Strategy & Implementation
What is Social Media?
Social media involves an integration of media and social communication. In web terms, this would be a website that provides information and interacts with the reader while doing so. In other mediums, such as the radio, communication is a one-way method—the message is provided and then the story ends. In web terms, social media is a two-way street—one is communicated to and is allowed to communicate back. Even better, the information is fluid. It can change and be updated in a matter of seconds with you, the doctor, in control at the wheel.
This is different than a search engine awareness campaign because with social media, you are creating a community that has something in common. While being active on social media platforms does help drive more search results and hits on your site, the highlight of social media is the word of mouth referrals and expert status that can be developed by creating a community to educate people with a common interest.
Facebook represents one of the largest social media platforms today with over 400 million active users and more than 50% of these users logging in daily. Innovative medical professionals are benefiting from using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and other online communities that allow them to communicate to both healthcare professionals as well as to their patients. This is called Health 2.0, where social media meets the medical profession…and it is here to stay.
For medical professionals, social media is another way to strengthen the doctor-patient relationship because patients are provided with ongoing and critical news, office updates as well as health tips and advice. In addition, physicians are using the social media platform for marketing to their patients and disseminating news and articles that will benefit their patients while at the same time affecting the overall bottom line of the practice by reducing routine calls for basic information.
Which Specialties are the Best Candidates for Social Media Use?
While all medical professionals may benefit by effectively using social media, there are some specialties that get particularly great results. Some specialties, such as those listed below, lend themselves to social media success. Why? Because these physicians have a community of patients that they see regularly. They tend to answer a lot of the same questions repeatedly and may need to keep patients notified of new procedures and products. By using a social media platform to push useful information to their patients, the specialties listed below successfully reduce the amount of routine office calls as well as improve patient satisfaction and loyalty.
Below are some examples:
- Pediatricians
- OBGYN and Gynecologists
- Dermatologists
- Primary Care Physicians
- Allergy Specialists
- Dentists and Orthodontists
- Chiropractors
Take into consideration the following example involving a pediatric office:
If you are a pediatrician, how many calls does your front desk field every week asking when your office will receive the new flu vaccine? By using a social media platform such as Facebook, you can relay this information to your patient-base fast, accurately and in real-time. In addition, you can encourage them to call or write to schedule an appointment on the spot.
Other specialists can attract a solid following that reaches new patients by creating a community based on a chronic condition such as:
- Back Pain
- Knee and other orthopedic injuries
- Autoimmune Diseases
Social Media Platforms
In the world of Social Media, there is alot to choose from. From a medical standpoint, we believe the following Social Media platforms provide our medical professionals with some of the best tools to effectively market their practices and keep their patients informed on a regular basis:
- YouTube – (a video sharing site great for patient education videos)
The most important factor in successfully using social media is targeting your community and consistently providing useful information. If you would like to understand more about how to use social media in your specific practice, please contact eMedical Media today and let us help you customize the appropriate social media strategy for your practice.
