5 Things Health Experts Misunderstand About Social Media

1 “Social media is simply not important to doctors” Doctors do important work. And, in a perfect world, that work would speak for itself or move on its own. However, as you well know, the healthcare industry is constantly changing. Social media can help your reputation, or it can give your competition everything to take you down. Unfortunately, there is always someone out there willing to leave nasty comments about their experience at the office, but with a strong social media presence, the good can overshadow the bad. Additionally, there are many ways you can use social media to not only increase your brand awareness, but also to make a difference in the lives of your patients. Education: You can use social media to share tips and statistics about health, nutrition, self-care, or whatever is most relevant to them. Patient Engagement: Of course, preserving patient privacy is important. You can still use social media to answer basic questions about your location, hours, or specialty. If patients have an urgent question, you can direct them to your phone line or a secure patient portal. Self-improvement: Ultimately, social media helps you improve yourself. You can join relevant LinkedIn groups, for example, to stay up to date with the latest news in your field or find conferences, and stay involved in important conversations. 2.”Social Media Won’t Help My Healthcare SEO Rankings” When Hospitals and Practices As they develop their digital marketing strategies, what they really want to know is whether their sites are ranking in search engines. Search engine optimization (SEO) is something we cover in other posts, and it is much more complex than simply having a website and publishing online. That being said, social media can help boost your rankings. An active social media presence lets search engines know that your practice is trustworthy, recurring, and your social media profile may even appear in search results. 3. “Posting on Facebook can really drive patients” While some people think that Facebook is not important at all, others spend a lot of time posting on Facebook believing that it can drive patients to their practice. Organic posts on Facebook are a great way to engage with an audience. But if this is your only social media strategy, you’re missing out. Paid or boosted posts should be part of a coherent marketing strategy (although, as you’ll see below, this involves careful planning). Additionally, Facebook alone may not be the best strategy to reach your target audience, especially a younger generation. LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter should not be discounted. Facebook certainly serves a purpose, but it’s not the only way to reach potential and current patients. 4. “If I want to reach a wider audience, I can boost a post” Facebook offers some really useful tools as part of its commerce feature, allowing you to spend money to boost or promote a post, so that it reaches a wider audience. largest audience in your area. It seems easy enough, in theory, and the button is already integrated into the Facebook platform. In practice, however, it is lost when you use this feature without any prior planning. Facebook advertising can reach a wide range of people in your area who may be searching for your specialty. It doesn’t just target friends and fans, but “peer audiences” who may be interested in your practice because they are similar to those who already like it. Or, your ads may reach the wrong people at the wrong time—people located nearby but uninterested in your services. It’s wasted money and wasted time, and it might even drive some people away. Digital media for physicians requires a strategy. Which may mean hiring someone to do the work for you. 5.”Social media for doctors is a passing trend” Of course, doctors consider that social media influencers can come and go. But overall, social media is here to stay. Facebook may have had its legal problems recently, but it is a multi-billion dollar company that will find a way to recover. And while you may have heard that Facebook is only for an older audience, studies show that millennials are still the top users on the site. Sites like LinkedIn, Google Plus, and Twitter continue to gain traction for companies and practices. They can help you get seen in your area or by anyone looking for information about your specialty. Social media for doctors may not provide immediate ROI, but it takes time. If you are worried that it is u It’s a waste of time to hire a company or staff member to manage your social media, but it’s not worth the risk of disappearing completely off the map.