Social media has become a natural element in our world. Almost every business uses social media, so why is the medical community so far behind in utilizing this essential tool? While it may be partly due to having no time, many doctors just don’t know where to start. What are the best tactics of social media for doctors? Crystal Clear Digital Marketing can help.
Why Do Doctors Need Social Media?
For doctors, social media can be the perfect outlet to share their expertise and reach more people than just their patients. Social media is also a good way to build awareness of your practice and help others research your practice: two important steps of the buying process.
Social media will not only help you promote your business, but also help you connect with other health professionals. It will also help you stay up-to-date on current trends and ideas that non-health professionals believe. This will make you more prepared when dealing with your patients.
Social media can also boost the SEO for your practice website. One of the main reasons many doctors use social media is to connect and communicate with their current patients as well as create a platform to invite new patients into their practice.
Best Tactics of Social Media for Doctors
Social media should be handled with care and expertise, but using clear cut and proven tactics will help your social media efforts be successful for your practice.
There are several possible tactics you should be using, from having a plan to making sure you measure your results. You should also be clear on the laws of your area regarding doctors and posting public information. Here are a few of the best tactics when using social media as a doctor:
Have a Strategy With Clear Goals
If you go into social media without a plan, you are setting yourself up for failure. Before creating a strategy, talk to experts and research social media so you know what it is capable of and what it isn’t. Set clear, measurable goals such as follower counts, shares, or comments.
Once you’ve created your goals, you can create a plan to achieve them. This may involve some more discussion with experts and research. Having a strategy and clear goals will also keep you from feeling overwhelmed. If you have a plan, you will know exactly what you are posting every day so you aren’t wondering what to say. If you have clear goals, you will be able to measure your success and how well your strategy is working.
You can then adjust and tweak any strategies that aren’t working. If you use a marketing company, they will help you create and implement the right strategy for you. You can also consider using software like the Social Patient Center to make tracking your goals easier.
Consider the Best Social Networks
There are lots of different social media networks out there, from the most popular like Facebook to the professional like LinkedIn to the lesser-known like Reddit. Different social networks will help you connect with different groups of people.
For example, over 70% of TikTok users are under the age of 34, so using that social media will help you connect with a younger audience. You also have different tools available on different sites. Some social media are great for pictures, while others are better for sharing links.
Facebook is by far still the most popular social media site. However, use among Gen Z has dropped dramatically. Facebook is an excellent place to share links, create interactive pages and groups, and engage with the general population. If you are looking for a place to counteract misinformation, Facebook is a great place to start.
If you are a doctor, the first place to start would be creating a professional page for your practice. This will allow you to post articles, pictures, and even comment elsewhere. You can also share information about your page and create links to events you may be hosting. Inviting people to like the page will also engage your patients and encourage them to leave a glowing review of your practice.
LinkedIn is a great social media for doctors, as it is known as the professional social media of the internet world. LinkedIn is home to many professionals, from doctors to dentists to specialists. You can connect with other medical professionals, share posts, comment, and direct message people. LinkedIn can be a great starting place when establishing academic credibility.
When starting on LinkedIn, you should begin by creating both a page for your office as well as a separate account for you as an individual. You can invite any employees you have to also create a LinkedIn and show they work for your practice. If you already have a page and account, improve it by updating any experience, skills, or relevant information to your career.
For those unused to the short, quipped tweets, Twitter can be daunting. It doesn’t have to be. Twitter works great for building a following, creating polls, and engaging people. There are a few things to keep in mind to be the most successful with Twitter, though.
The first is to stay consistent. Post regularly, preferably every day, with a consistent voice and content. Using a program that schedules tweets can be extremely helpful. Following your patients, local community programs, or relevant medical organizations will help grow your followers.
Your Twitter bio is also very important. You want a well-crafted bio that will capture your branding and the message behind your practice. Lastly, it’s important to promote your Twitter profile both on and offline.
Instagram is by far the most visual of all the social media platforms. If you do not have visually appealing pictures, you may decide to pass on this form of social media. However, it can also bring awareness to your practice.
Instagram can be a great tool to showcase your medical practice and staff. It will provide a visual aid that will make your practice more appealing.
When getting started on Instagram, consider if you will be the only one to have access to the account or if your whole staff will. As long as you have decent photos with a consistent message, it can make it easier on you for multiple people to be able to post.
Doctor-Specific Social Media
Besides all the well-known social media networks, there are also specific social media platforms for doctors. These apps allow doctors to build community to quickly solve patient issues that may be complex and difficult. Physicians from around the world can share research, observations, opinions, ask questions, and more.
Sermo is one of the most popular ones, known as the “virtual doctor’s lounge.” Doximity is one of the largest U.S. based social media platforms, with 70% of the country’s doctors signed up for membership. DailyRounds is another that allows doctors to share information, even case files, and access a drug database.
Engage With Followers
Another important tactic in social media for doctors is to engage with your followers. This means sharing, commenting, liking, and interacting with them through social media. Statistics show that people are more likely to recommend a business if they have had a good experience with them on social media.
This is no less true for a doctor. If you are a doctor, pick up your device and engage with the people who follow you. Interacting with others online is also a great way to gain new followers. If you comment with something useful or educational on a post, people are more likely to look at your page and follow you.
You are also more likely to have people share, comment, and like your social media posts. Another thing engaging online can do is establish you as a credible source. If you are consistently engaging people online with facts, data, and education, people will know they can trust you.
Consider Outsourcing Your Social Media
You are a doctor. You spend all day helping, healing, and educating people. You spend extra hours a day writing up charts, answering worried messages, and eating lunch on the go. When you finally have the time to go home, you want to relax, spend time with your family and friends, and take a breather. You don’t want to spend several more hours and a weekend pouring over social media marketing strategies and tracking individual social media posts.
This is where outsourcing your social media to a marketing company like Crystal Clear Digital Marketing can take the load off your shoulders so you can focus on what you love. We will do all the work for you, making sure to stay true to your voice and brand while you keep making people feel better. We are also experts at things like researching the best hashtags and keywords to use in every post.
Measure Your Results
One of the biggest mistakes doctors make when getting into social media is not measuring the results. Imagine if you were a researcher who did that! Measuring the results of your strategy is paramount to succeeding in social media for doctors.
Without those measurements, you won’t know your weaknesses or your strengths. You won’t know what posts gained lots of attention and what posts didn’t. You won’t be able to study the data to learn why.
Most social media sites allow businesses to track their posts, counting likes, comments, shares, link clicks, and more. However, this is time-consuming, especially if you have to manually input all that data into your spreadsheet. Using a tracking software like Social Patient Center will allow you to easily track all of your social media from one program. The SPC even organizes the data to make interpreting it a lot easier. You will easily see what trends worked and where you can make improvements.
Get the Help You Need
Social media for doctors is extremely important and can feel overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. It’s important to have a plan with clear goals and to measure your results to see how your strategy worked out. You should also use the other tactics mentioned to make the most out of your social media.
If you are finding yourself lost with no time to do this alone, contact Crystal Clear Digital Marketing for a virtual consultation to find out how we can build your social media platform.
