Why You Should Be Present With Healthcare Social Media

Healthcare social media is a medium of communication that is here to stay.  It’s now up to you to decide how active and involved you become.  Being present with healthcare social media does not mean spending every waking hour tweeting, liking, and endorsing others in the community.  That would just be ridiculous.  Being present does mean at the very least setting up and claiming your space on the ma

Healthcare social media is a medium of communication that is here to stay.  It’s now up to you to decide how active and involved you become.  Being present with healthcare social media does not mean spending every waking hour tweeting, liking, and endorsing others in the community.  That would just be ridiculous.  Being present does mean at the very least setting up and claiming your space on the major social platforms.  As a physician or medical clinic there are many reasons to have a presence on social media, here are a few of them.

Claim the First Page

Having positive information appear on the first page of a Google Search query is extremely important.  As a physician, patients and clients want to know about you.  They are curious what other patients think about your medical practice, and they have no problem heading to Google to find those answers.  When they get to that first page, hopefully what they see is correct.  One of the best ways to claim the first page of a Google Search is to take the time to register for social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin.  Registering on these social networks and filling out the profile information will ensure potential patients are seeing true and accurate information about you and your clinic.

Collaborate with the Community

Some physicians have the time and system in place to regularly engage with other members of the healthcare community on a daily basis.  But, the majority of doctors are still navigating the healthcare social media waters without a major time commitment.  One of the easiest ways to collaborate and connect with the healthcare community is through a tweet chat.  Carving out one or two hours a week to participate in a tweet chat will help you connect and collaborate with other members of the healthcare social media community.  Your participation in these chats will also help establish you as an authority in the field.  Here’s a great primer on getting involved with healthcare tweet chats.

Generate New Clients

Being active on social media means connecting with other people.  Those people can be anyone around the world, in any community.  One of the wonderful things about the healthcare social media community is people are eager to connect, including potential clients.  By being present on social media there is great potential to connect with new patients who are looking for a physician with a social presence. 

Distribute Valid Information

While a free and open internet is an amazing thing, incorrect information can spread like wildfire.   As a medical practitioner utilizing social media, you can help promote and distribute the right information.  Social media users would much rather share information coming from an authority in the field rather than information coming from an unknown source.  The only issue is, if you have no social presence, users are left to distribute information from that unknown source.

Create Word of Mouth Buzz About Your Clinic

One of the cheapest and most effective forms of marketing your clinic can take advantage of is word of mouth (WOM). Making use of healthcare social media’s power to spread content is essential to harnessing the power of WOM.  Being involved in the healthcare social media arena is a great way to spread the word of the amazing things your staff and clinic are doing.

By being present on the various social media platforms you are deciding to take a stand.  You are deciding to not only take control of your social presence, but you’re advocating for the community you worked so hard to be involved in.  To what degree you are involved is totally up to you.  At the very least, get out there and show up.  How are you involved in the healthcare social media community?  Was creating a presence difficult?  Leave a comment below and let the community know.

image: social media health/shutterstock