Why Should You Establish a Healthcare Digital Footprint?

Why should you establish a digital footprint in healthcare:

• Establishing a digital presence is rapidly becoming a necessity for healthcare professionals, medical practices, and institutions.  Many have recognized this fact… yet many more have not. 
• Those who recognize the need seek leadership, guidance, and best practice examples
• Truly useful tactical how-to’s and guidelines are lacking
• Human beings are innately social, health is social,  health care is NOT social —and needs to catch up — for it is lagged only by the oil refinery industry in social media outreach and engagement.    

attribution: www.mydigitalfootprint.com

At its heart, digital media is about people, it is about relationships, and it is about communication.   A social media presence is about educating, engaging and growing your audience, improving outcomes, compliance and potentially the bottom line of your practice.

Some simple undisputed facts about digital media and technology. 

• 50% of the world’s population is under 30. 
• They do not communicate via e-mail or telephone. 
• Generation Y and generation Z consider e-mail passé. 
• The fastest growing segment on Facebook is women over 55 years of age.  
• SMS, direct messaging, micro-blogging and digital media is fast becoming the chosen communication standard.
• Drug/Medical related “Likes” on Facebook have skyrocketed. 

50% of the mobile Internet traffic in most countries is for Facebook. One on five patients flock to Facebook for healthcare information.  Imagine what this means for a bad patient experience?  The world has gone digital —social media is here to stay.  1 billion people simply cannot be wrong. 85% of people log onto their Facebook account every single day. 

Are they talking about you? And, most importantly, do you KNOW what they are saying?

Do you understand the Healthcare Digital Media Landscape? 

Do you understand the value propositions of establishing a digital footprint in the healthcare space?  

Simply put, social networking and digital technology enables individuals, physicians, hospitals, and patients to create online profiles and connect with one another.  Perhaps most relevant to the physicians and healthcare professionals are that the many of these patients are researching their providers and their respective institutions prior to their visit to your office —  they are checking your online reputation, and the message or image you portray. 

Take a look at the Inforgraphic below…. This is taking place in a single minute — every minute — of most everyday within the digital world….  

Still think it’s a passing fad?

Still think you do not need to establish some form of digital presence? 

—Think again — 

http://goo.gl/Bwz1d By: Shanghai Web Designers

Learn more about Your Healthcare Digital Footprint… Part 1: Why ? at Howard J. Luks, MD – Howard J. Luks, MD – Chief of Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy.