SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE

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YOUR PRIMER TO SOCIAL MEDIA AND WHAT IT CAN DO FOR

YOUR PRACTICE

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If you do not have a thriving social media presence, you are missing out on a huge source of potential patients! At HealthCare Marketing Group, we take social media marketing seriously, and so should you. Read through this guide to the most popular social media sites to see how you can boost your practice’s online reputation and make more money.

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According to Pew Research, a full THREE-QUARTERS of Internet users use some type of social media.

You might have guessed that Facebook comes out the clear winner in the social networking popularity contest. Pew Research says that 71% of online adults were using Facebook as of a year ago, and the numbers have surely gone up since then. Depending on your target demographic, you might have 90% of your patients using this social media site! (As you might expect, younger adults are the most likely to be using Facebook.)

Tips to keep in mind:

• Interact! That’s the whole point of Facebook. “Like” posts and pages. If someone comments on one of your posts, be sure to “like” or comment back.

• Remember that nothing is secret. One important feature of Facebook to keep in mind is that if you “like” or comment on a news story, a political meme or anything else on a public page, all of your followers and friends will be able to see it. (Private messages are private, however.)

• Keep your personal and professional lives separate. If you currently have an active personal Facebook account, start a new account for interacting with your patients. This helps you avoid the problem of having your political or religious views known by all. It also allows you to post practice-related information without annoying your personal friends and family members. It’s usually best to set up your business account as an actual business page.

• Consider advertising. If you choose to have a business page, you can boost certain posts to get more exposure. There are also options to buy ad space on the site itself.

• Don’t be annoying. Serial posting or posting promotional material exclusively will get you “unliked” or “unfollowed” by many of your fans and friends. Put thought into what you are posting and strive for a variety of material.

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Twitter is a type of microblogging site. Instead of drawn-out posts, you are limited to 140 characters, including spaces. The use of hashtags (#) allows people to find your profile. You can interact with others by responding to their “tweets” or by “retweeting” them.

Hints for success:

• Feel free to post prolifically. While you want to avoid annoying people, Twitter followers are more forgiving of posting several times per day. Just remember to mix it up and not just talk about yourself and your practice.

• Follow and get followers. Everything that you post on Twitter is public, unless you restrict your profile, which sort of defeats the purpose. Make sure that you follow other physicians, people in your local area, and those who you are interested in.

• Use proper English. Yes, it’s hard to get everything you want to say into 140 characters, so some abbreviating is inevitable. Limit yourself to shortening words that are obvious, though; if no one can understand what you are saying, you might as well not post at all!

• Link to yourself! Use some of your tweets to link to your website, articles you’ve published, photos on your other social media sites, and so on!

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LinkedIn is where business networking meets social networking. You can sign up for a free account, or you can upgrade for various perks, like being able to see everyone who has viewed your profile and being able to look at profiles of those outside of your network. You can probably start with a free profile and then decide from there if you want to upgrade.

Consider these tips:

• Fill out your whole profile. Yes, it can be a bit time-consuming, but the more complete your profile, the better it will look and the more likely potential patients will feel confident in seeing you.

• Join groups. There are many different types of groups and forums on LinkedIn. Browse through the categories and find a few that appeal to you, either on a personal or professional basis. Be helpful and answer questions when you can, and don’t be afraid to ask questions of your own.

• Ask for (and give) endorsements and recommendations. Endorsing others and writing recommendations for those whom you’ve worked with can inspire the to do the same for you. You can also send a message asking others to recommend you. Having testimonials on your profile increases your overall reputation.

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Once considered the domain of home chefs and crafty stay-at-home moms, Pinterest has grown to be a network worth considering. The basic premise is that users share images which are then shared by others on virtual bulletin boards. At first glance, you might think that your medical practice doesn’t really fit into the platform, but infographics are extremely popular and can really boost your exposure.

Try these hints:

• Consider your audience. If you specialize in a service that is generally geared toward men over the age of 65, then Pinterest might not be the ideal platform for you. On the other hand, if you cater to women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, then this might be a great avenue to get the word out about your practice.

• Hire a graphic designer if you aren’t design-savvy. If you are planning on putting up infographics, they need to be high-quality and attractive.

• Follow copyright laws. Some people have gotten into trouble for using property belonging to others. Read all copyright terms and conditions before sharing an image or graphic that you find online or off.

• Don’t just self-promote. Share items that you think would be useful to your target audience. For example, if you are a cardiologist, pin items ranging from heart-healthy diets to new advances in heart surgery. And don’t forget to take advantage American Heart Month by repinning images in February!

AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA SITES

In addition to these sites, there are many other ways that you can participate in Internet-based networking. Here are a few examples:

• YouTube: Make videos of yourself talking about just about anything related to your specialty.

• Instagram: Do you like to take photos? Upload them to Instagram. Add a few hashtags, follow others and build up a following of your own!

• Google+: This is a site that has characteristics of both LinkedIn and Facebook. Add people to your circles based on whether they’re friends, acquaintances, family members or colleagues.

• Blogs: Do you have a blog? If not, it’s time to set one up. You can also comment on others’ blogs.

• Web Forums: There are web forums dedicated to practically every topic on earth, so you should be able to find several in your specialty. Answer questions thoughtfully and gain a following!

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Navigating the different types of social media can be a big job. If you are not sure that you have the time, energy or staff to keep your social networking profiles updated and engaging, you can trust the social media gurus at HealthCare Marketing Group.

Give us a call at 800-258-0702 for a

FREE CONSULTATION and see what we can do for you!