Social media for medical practices is no longer an option but a necessity especially when it comes to building and maintaining patient relationships. Not only that but it is important to understand the online reputation of your business, the medical practice, so that you can respond and improve the service you’re providing. You can’t live in a bubble under the false reality that online marketing and reputation management don’t matter because they do.
When it comes to social media for medical practices, it is of course high priority to keep patient information confidential.
Working with IT Ninjas, we perform security reviews and audits to assure your practice is compliant with HIPPA regulations so that your medical team and patients are protected. When it comes to social media management, we recommend developing a written brand strategy and protocol so that whoever is managing your online presence understands what is shareable and what needs to be kept confidential. While we don’t provide this service, we can recommend folks who do.
What’s the WHY?
For many medical practices, marketing is about driving new patients to the practice but that shouldn’t be the only reason and it should not be the main reason either. Social media isn’t really about lead generation or a certain number of followers.
I tell my clients that I’d rather have 100 engaged followers than 10,000 that don’t care. It’s really about connecting with the online community by sharing expertise, establishing your physicians as experts in a particular area, highlighting a treatment method, and building relationships, and the same goes for any business or brand. From that presence and relationship building will come a natural source of lead generation.
Most of us don’t want to share our medical stories on social but we do want to refer our friends, family, and neighbors to good physicians.
When your practice has a social presence, patients like us share your page when someone, especially in neighborhood groups on Facebook, asks for a referral. The patient who wasn’t happy that they had an unexpected charge when you merged with another practice is ranting on Facebook. Your team needs to know and respond to the comments or it could leave a lasting impression on the bottom line of your practice.
In other words, you may not see the engagement on your page but you may see your page shared or talked about on social media. As you move forward, it will become exceedingly important to have someone dedicated to not only managing the content that is shared but to also monitor comments, shares, and reviews.
Consider the value of blogging so there is original content to share on social media. One blog post per week could be valuable to your medical practice. Ideas include…
- Introduce the medical and office staff.
- New procedures, office expansion, general practice updates.
- Healthy eating and exercise.
- Value of regular check-ups, staying hydrated, and communicating with your doctors.
Social media for medical practices is about connecting to the community in meaningful ways so that others, like the members of Facebook neighborhood groups, become your marketing team when they refer others to your practice.
And remember, if your medical practice is seeking IT Support, give IT Ninjas a call today! For those in the Phoenix area, our IT Support Phoenix division is readily available to consult and resolve issues.
