Showing posts with label Social Media Marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Media Marketing. Show all posts

Monday, November 13, 2023

Generating new patients using social media

With this blog, I illustrate the value of having a social media presence and how to use social media to attract new patients. I used social media to promote my medical practice for 5 years. I can be found on the first page of Google search results for several medical conditions I treat and manage. As a result of these high search rankings, I have added two to four new patient visits every day.

You can achieve the same results using the techniques described in this blog. You certainly can buy banner ads and create traffic to your page, but I want to show you how to get on the first page of Google using the natural, organic method.


Push vs. pull marketing


There are two ways to share your information on the Internet:
  1. Push occurs when you initiate the process by placing your information before the Web site surfer. They get it or see it because of the actions you have taken. Sending e-mails is one way to push information to your target audience, or potential patients, to your practice. Another way to push your website and its contents is to get listed on the first page of search engine results, i.e., Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo. You want to "push" your Web site in plain view of the person who has typed in keywords or keyword phrases that relate to your practice (i.e., "gynecologist" plus "<your city>," "tubal ligation" plus "<your city>," or "loss of urine" plus "<your zip code>." Push techniques are the best way to market your services and offer the best return on your marketing investment.
  2. Using social media, you can "pull" your audience of potential patients to your practice. In other words, your target market of potential patients has to type in your website address to come to you. The information or message you have on your social media sites must be strong enough and of sufficient compelling interest that patients want to come to read what you have to say. Web surfers are looking for online relationships for information sharing. It is this interaction with your potential patients that makes social media unique. Using this pull technology, you can interact and develop a relationship with a patient before they pick up the phone to make an appointment before they come to the office to see you in your brick-and-mortar facility.


Facebook and how it relates to your practice


Initially, Facebook was developed as a way for people to see what was going on in each other's lives and a method to stay in contact with one another. Initially, it was friends, family members, or groups of like-minded individuals frequenting each other's Facebook pages.

Facebook has evolved. Today, companies, businesses, and, yes, medical practices are trying to "pull" more Web site visitors to their Facebook pages. Large companies and large group practices like the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and MD Anderson Cancer Center have whole social media departments that post regularly, respond to comments left on their pages, and answer questions posted by those who "like" their page or site.

Individual practicing clinicians and most smaller practices need more money for a social media team. They also don't have the time or the training to write effective copy that is so compelling that Web surfers are drawn or "pulled" to their Facebook page. However, your patients expect you to have a Facebook page, and they expect you to have quality information that is helpful and relevant to their well-being.

Can Facebook generate new patients? You can place a lot of information and pictures on Facebook; potential patients can leave comments or ask questions easily. You can start a dialog with a patient without medical advice and motivate her to see that you provide medical value before establishing the doctor–patient relationship. A Facebook page can generate new patients if the information you post is current, credible, and informative.

For instance, your practice is probably restricted to a few zip codes surrounding your office and hospital— which means you only want patients in your area to visit your practice's Facebook page because those are the only ones likely to call and make an appointment. Unless you are highly specialized in a particular field, the Facebook surfer from New York isn't expected to come to your practice on the West Coast for medical care.

Competing with larger practices and hospitals with more dedicated staff to draw prospective patients to practice through Facebook appears difficult or impossible. However, the real, overarching challenge is to improve your website rankings on the major search engines, to be on the first page of Google, Bing, and Yahoo search results. And what we do know is that Google has placed a high value on Web site rankings through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube—that is, of course, if your Facebook page provides content that has keywords relevant to your target market and the content on your page links back to your website.

You will get more visitors to your website if it is found on the first page of search engine results because of your Facebook posts. Your website must be set up correctly for easy navigation and visitor conversion. In that case, you may need help to obtain the desired result of gaining new patients. You need a website with marketing and patient conversion systems built into it.


YouTube videos


YouTube has become a significant search engine for every product and service you offer. There are millions of videos on YouTube, and viewers can search for topics simply by typing in any medical topic.

There are five ways your practice can benefit from a video posted on YouTube:
  1. Website traffic driver. To achieve this "pull," you must label your posted video correctly, with keyword phrases relevant to the type of patient or conditions they are looking for, and offer a description that would make a viewer want to see the video. You must provide a link to your Web site, increasing your chances of gaining a new patient.
  2. Boost your search engine optimization. Google places a high-ranking factor on videos posted to YouTube that are keyword-relevant.
  3. A video library can position you as an expert. You can create your own YouTube channel and keep adding videos. I have posted more than 70 medical videos on YouTube. If someone views one of these videos, they will have immediate access to the rest of the video collection, even though they may be labeled with other keywords. This positions you as a knowledgeable expert in your field.
  4. Video embedding capability. Any video posted to YouTube can be placed on your website in a format that keeps the viewer on your site. This means the viewer has less chance of getting distracted by other video offerings and landing on someone else's website.
  5. Free video storage. Because you have stored the video on YouTube, you are not using the resources on your website when someone or several people view the video simultaneously.


Getting started with YouTube


A video can be a PowerPoint presentation. Studies have demonstrated that it is more about the content of the video than a physician being in front of a camera. You can use many websites to record a presentation; one of the most popular and easy to use is Zoom.com.

You can select a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) that your patients regularly ask and record providing the answers. Look at what is new, relevant, or controversial regarding the procedures you perform or new medications you prescribe. The ideal video length is 3 to 5 minutes in length. It is my experience that it is hard to hold a viewer's attention for more than five minutes.


Using Twitter (now X) to attract new patients


The most amazing example of social media and building a fan base is Twitter. Here's a question: Who are the people with the most extensive Twitter following? The answer: celebrities, rock stars, and athletes. As a society, we are obsessed with these groups and want to know their every thought, what they like, what they had for lunch.

How do you expect to build a base of website surfers who want to know your every thought on a medical condition? The harsh reality is if you think you will get new patients by making posts on Twitter of 140 characters or less every day, you will be disappointed.

Twitter is one of the top-accessed Websites in the world. Linking your own content from such a website increases the connection to your practice of content when a potential patient performs a general Google search.


Use of TikTok


TikTok, a social media platform known for its short-form video content, has found an unexpected but valuable niche in the healthcare industry. Healthcare professionals and organizations increasingly use TikTok to educate, engage, and connect with patients and the wider public.

One of the most significant advantages of TikTok in healthcare is its ability to simplify complex medical information. Doctors, nurses, and health educators create informative and entertaining videos on topics ranging from basic first aid to mental health advice. These videos educate and break down barriers, making healthcare information more accessible.

TikTok has an impressive user base, especially among younger demographics, making it a potent platform for healthcare professionals to disseminate information and engage in meaningful conversations about health-related issues. TikTok is about having fun, being creative, and connecting with potential patients.


Is social media effective?


The effective use of social media can attract new patients daily to your practice. Regularly posting quality information is helpful to your existing patients and especially potential new patients. Social media can help you get new patients through search engine rankings. Even if you want to avoid doing any work on your social media sites, you can hire companies that will do it for you. Suppose you decide to outsource your social media efforts. In that case, I recommend that you work with a company with medical social media experience.


The Bottom Line


Today's patients are technologically sophisticated, and these social media techniques will continue to evolve. Stay caught up. And keep your competitors from dominating one of the most important sources of new patients you have, along with patient and physician referrals. Jump into this world of social media, and you will be richly rewarded. The social media train is leaving the station, and I hope I have shown you how to hitch a ride. See you online!

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Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Twitter Marketing for Physicians: Seven Effective Strategies to Gain More Followers

Why Twitter?


Up until a decade ago, most medical marketers would have rejected the idea of spending too much time on social media. Today, not only are an increasing number of physicians and their medical marketing partners using social media, but are benefitting immensely from it as well. Twitter, in particular, has proved to be one of the most effective social media platforms for medical professionals.With well over 300 million active users, Twitter is one of the most popular and widely used social networking sites in the world today. It allows you to create a strong online presence, establish yourself as the foremost expert in your domain, expand your practice by attracting new patients, stay in touch with existing patients, connect and collaborate with other medical professionals, and stay updated on all the latest news, educational events, and policy updates.


One of the main goals of setting up a Twitter account is to gain a large number of followers. After all, if no one reads your tweets, what is the point of doing it in the first place? Fortunately, it is easier for physicians to gain followers on social media than professionals from many other fields. People generally trust medical professionals, look up to them, and rely upon them for guidance. The prefix ‘Dr.’ instantly gives you an air of authority and authenticity, which works to your advantage on social media.


Given here is a list of seven easy-to-follow, tried-and-tested strategies to increase your follower count on Twitter.


1. Build a Solid Bio


A solid bio is very important as it is the first thing people are likely to notice when they visit your Twitter account. So, you need to make sure your bio grabs people’s attention, but not in an overly needy, over-the-top manner.


The first thing you need to do is to upload a high resolution picture of yourself in professional attire. Casual attire should be avoided, as the goal here is to establish yourself as an authority in your domain. It is a good idea to give a human face to your practice, as it makes it easier for people to connect with you.


You should highlight your educational qualifications to let people know what your specialty is. You should include your location and also a URL to your personal website or blog, if you have one.


2. Develop a Posting Schedule


Your main goal should be to keep your Twitter account active. So, post regularly — at least two or three times a day – and make sure your posts are focused on general wellness as well as your particular area of specialty.


The timing of your tweets is also important. You should send out your most useful and educational tweets when your target audience is likely to have the leisure to spend time on social media — typically late afternoons and evenings. If you are not able to do so, you can schedule your tweets so that they are posted automatically at regular intervals. There are free services available, which allow you to schedule your tweets according to your preference.


3. Share Useful, Relevant Information


Keep it simple and make sure your tweets are easy to read and understand. Do not limit yourself to your area of specialty. Tell people how they can lead a healthy lifestyle, share motivational health messages, and offer health tips that people can easily implement in their life.


Tweets with images generally tend to attract more eyeballs, so add relevant visuals to your posts whenever you can. Share links to medical journals, interesting articles, and policy updates to make sure your followers are well informed of the latest happenings in your field. If you have a personal blog, make sure you share links to your own posts as well.


4. Follow Others


The thumb rule of Twitter is that if you follow others, they are likely to follow you back. So, here is who you need to follow.
  • Your existing patients and local community partners like drugstores and lab testing facilities.
  • Prominent medical and health organizations like the American Medical Association.
  • Prominent medical websites like WebMD, MedicinePlus, Healthline, and Prevention.
  • Physicians from your own specialty as well as other specialties.
  • Drug companies and brands that you usually recommend to your patients.


5. Use Hashtags


The conversations that take place on Twitter are categorized and organized with the help of hashtags. So, it is important to add relevant hashtags to your tweets. It could be the name of a medical procedure, an ailment, a medical institution, a field of specialty, a medical conference, or any other keyword that is relevant to your tweets. By using proper hashtags, you can make sure that your tweets reach a larger number of people — particularly those are in need of general medical advice.


6. Engage Your Followers



7. Promote Your Twitter Account


Do not use your Twitter account like a message board where only you get to post things. Respond to your followers from time to time. Understandably, you cannot offer medical advice on social media, but you can certainly answer general questions related to your field and practice. Be nice to your followers and try to respond to their feedback, criticism, and queries sincerely. While it is not humanly possible to engage everyone who follows you, a quick glance at your timeline will show you who deserves a response and who does not. Promote your Twitter account by adding a link to the same on your website, blog, and email signature. Add your Twitter handle to your invoices, payment receipts, and promotional material like brochures and posters. If you have other social media accounts on sites like Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Instagram, you can promote your Twitter account through those pages as well.



You can also ask local community partners like pharmacies, health stores, and lab facilities to promote your Twitter profile on their social media pages.


What Not to Do on Twitter


Now that you know what you need to do to increase your follower count on Twitter, here are a couple of things that you should never, ever do.
  • Do not buy Twitter followers for any reason. Let your follower count grow organically, even if it takes time. Purchasing followers is a violation of Twitter’s terms and conditions. So, your account could get suspended, which could dent your online as well as offline reputation.
  • Do not tweet anything that could violate your oath and ethics. Make sure you do not accidentally reveal the identity of your patients in your tweets. Do not get into arguments with anyone, particularly with fellow medical professionals. Social media arguments have a peculiar way of turning nasty before you even realize it. So, avoid quarrels at all costs.


Keep Calm and Tweet On


Twitter can be a great tool to grow your practice, connect with people, and firmly establish yourself as an authority in your domain. If you tweet relevant, useful information on a consistent basis, you can increase your online reach greatly, enhance your professional reputation, develop contacts, and build networks that could last you a lifetime.


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Tuesday, January 5, 2021

4 Ways to Convert Your Instagram Followers into Clients

1. Promotions
2. Contests
3. Charity
4. Teasers

But how do you get more followers on Instagram?

Instagram has emerged as one of the most popular social media channels for individuals and businesses alike. If your practice has a presence on Instagram, it may be time to start converting your followers into clients. Here are four simple ways to do it.You can drive first time sales with your Instagram audience by enticing them with promotional offerings such as discounts, freebies, deals, BOGOs (Buy One Get One), and other similar promotional offers. You can create a sense of urgency by mentioning the date or time of offer expiry. You need to make sure that in your Instagram post you explain the steps a person needs to take in order to avail the promotional offer.A good way to turn your Instagram followers into clients is by encouraging them to try out your services and products. To do this, you can create online contests and ask users to participate by posting content with a specific hashtag or by following your account. You may offer a rebate or a free service as a prize to the winners.You can promote your favorite charities on Instagram and encourage your followers to support them. By getting involved in charitable work you can turn your Instagram followers into clients as they build an affinity for your brand. People expect and approve of businesses that give back to the community and society.Instagram is the perfect place to keep your audience excited by giving sneak peeks into any new procedures or products you may be about to introduce. However, you need to ensure not to spam your follower’s feeds.Growing a follower base on Instagram is a time-consuming process that requires dedication and patience. It needs tremendous effort and energy regardless of whether you are an established medical practitioner or a new entrant. You might wonder about quick ways to increase your follower count after you have used all the right hashtags and created good content.



However, it is important that you do not give in to temptation and indulge in dubious Instagram practices such as ‘buying’ follower lists from unscrupulous online sources. They might increase your numbers but will do nothing when it comes to future engagement.



You need a genuinely interested audience to promote your feeds. Fortunately, there are straightforward and less expensive ways to get followers on Instagram.



As a first step, make sure that your Instagram username is recognizable and searchable. This will make it easier for people to find you. Next, focus your attention towards your bio as it is one of the driving factors that will prompt the client to take an action.



Once you have optimized your Instagram profile as a physician, you can start posting. But before you start engaging with people, it is a good idea to have at least a few informative and useful posts online so that users who show up can receive some value right away. Additionally, remember that photo and video quality is more important on Instagram as compared to Twitter and Facebook, because your Instagram posts have to include a photo or video in order to post.



After a few postings, you might want to start following other accounts that relate to your medical practice. This works out in your favor as Instagram more or less works like a community. You can even gain influencers by interacting with content on other users’ accounts.



This is the most organic way to put your Instagram account in the spotlight, as the account holder will receive a notification when you interact or follow an account. This can lead to them following your account as well. Additionally, always remember to respond to comments and engage with user content. Using this goodwill, the next step is to encourage other users to share your own content.



Lastly, never forget to promote your account on other social media platforms and channels. You can add an Instagram button on your practice website or ask followers on other social media platforms to join you on Instagram. Asking and engaging with your target audience are the best ways to get more followers for your Instagram account.


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