Boost Your Practice: Social Media for Healthcare Professionals

Social media has made a huge impact on our lives. It has changed the way we get information, receive referrals, and how we make purchases. The healthcare industry is no exception.

Now, social media plays a role in how we choose our healthcare providers. According to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers 41% of patients said that social media affects their choice for a hospital or physician.

The University of Groningen in The Netherlands found that social media has a strong impact on doctor-patient relationships. More and more doctors and patients are using social media as a tool to communicate.

If your medical practice isn’t taking full advantage of social media, now is the time to start. This helpful guide will show you several ways to boost your healthcare practice with social media.

Educating Patients

People are turning to social media as a source of news and to answer questions about their medical symptoms. The Pew Research Center has found 62% of adults get their news from social media sites and 18% of these adults rely on social media for their news “often”.

Medical professionals can use social media to their advantage. Use social media to provide accurate and timely information to your patients and future patients. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram allow you to reach different audiences and age groups.

Share the latest research or industry news, explain procedures, or common injuries, and offer information about treatments your office provides. Social media is a great way to share general health information.
Your medical expertise makes you a valued resource and medical professionals should set themselves up as experts in their field on social media platforms.

Show Compassion

According to research from the Institue of Medicine, patients list emotional support, raising awareness, and acquiring medical knowledge as reasons for engaging with health-related social media accounts. Social media allows healthcare professionals to show compassion and humanity.

Alert your patients to online support communities and other online resources. Connect with patients on a human level using social media and show them the compassionate person behind the white coat.

Be inspiring and positive on social media and encourage patients to take an active role in their care. This can help patients living with chronic diseases or pain better manage their symptoms

Administrative Tasks

Healthcare professionals can use social media is to perform simple administrative tasks. Post your office hours, directions, or available appointment times on social media. Your social media can link to appointment scheduling software or secure websites where existing patients can log-on and view their medical information.

For new patients being able to see your office hours, phone number, and services you provide could be the difference between making an appointment at your office or another office instead. Put effort into keeping your information up to date across all your social pages so that people know how to contact you. This will help you see a boost in the number of patients making appointments.

Some healthcare professionals are taking this concept one step further by providing messaging apps and telemedicine appointments making it possible for doctors to see patients and treat them without a face to face appointment.

Strengthen Relationships With Patients

Patients are no longer passive recipients of health-related information from their doctor. These days patients are encouraged to be active participants in their care. Social media can play a critical role in how healthcare professionals and patients interact with each other.

According to a survey conducted by the American Osteopathic Association, 54 percent of millennials and 42 percent of all adults either are or would like to be friends with or follow their health care professional on social media.

Also, 65 percent of millennials and 43 percent of all adults think it is appropriate to use social media to contact their physician about a health issue. This survey shows the way patients and medical professionals interact has changed. Adjusting to this change in preferred communication can help medical professionals strengthen relationships with existing and patients and reach out to patients who are seeking a doctor.

Obtaining Referrals

Developing a strong network for referrals is critical to the success of medical practice. To grow your practice’s revenue, it is important to attract new patients. Connecting with insurance agencies, and other practices can be a great way to bring in new business.

It can be difficult for small practices to build and nurture referral relationships. This is where social media can help play a huge role. The more well-known your practice is the more likely other doctors will be to refer patients to you. Doctors only feel comfortable referring patients to doctors that they have a relationship with.

Connect with your referral network on social media and communicate often on your platforms. When you communicate frequently you are making it easier for patients and other doctors to trust you. Welcome new doctors to your area and keep up to date on your network.

Keep in mind that it is not only medical professionals that provide referrals. Patients are more informed today than 10 years ago. Online reviews and information have increased the patient’s role in their healthcare decisions. Some patients research specialist and ask their doctor to refer them to a particular practice. Pay attention to the growing trend of patients who are choosing their specialists.

Social Media Can Boost Your Healthcare Practice

No matter what field of medicine you practice, social media can give a boost to your practice. It can provide a way for your patients to find you more easily and for you to build relationships with them.

It is important to remain professional on social media, but it is also important to let people see that you are a real person. When you combine all the above social media tips you will see a positive change in your practice’s revenue.

Amanda Clark is a marketing consultant who understands the catch 22 of social media for healthcare professionals. You already have to manage your practice and take care of existing patients. Sometimes social media gets placed on the back burner. At the same time, social media is an important tool to attract new patients and manage your online reputation.

Amanda can help you take the reins of your digital marketing. She can start your social media platforms from scratch or audit your current platforms. Whether you are a beginner or you have some experience with social media, Amanda can create a plan that will help your healthcare practice get results and increase revenue.

Don’t know where to begin? Book a free discovery call today and let’s talk about your business objectives.

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