Connecting through social media

In June, the Medical Group Management Association released the results of its third annual member survey on the professional issues that challenge them the most. In this edition of Practice Makes Perfect, we address No. 27 on the list: Implementing social media tools to engage patients.

Lots of medical groups are launching Twitter accounts, creating Facebook pages and YouTube channels as a free way to strengthen relationships and engage patients outside the visit. Unfortunately, you can’t just “set it and forget it” like a phone system. Social media requires frequent updates and effort to get patients involved.

Follow these five tips to go social and have your patients interacting in no time:

• Set a goal for your social networks. Do you want to increase visibility of your practice online to potential patients, or do you want to earn the loyalty of existing patients? Write a list of all the ways possible you can use your channels and ensure that every post you make to your social network supports that goal. Knowing why you want to use social media will also help you choose which platform to use. For example, use Facebook to create a community where you can post events, pictures and video. Use Twitter for frequent, quick updates to patients on upcoming office closures, your physician’s latest blog posts or practice news. You can measure success by tracking the growth in followers and interactions in your networks.
• Know where your patients are—online. Find out which social network most of your patients use. Poll them either on your website or in your office during check-in. Then start your efforts on the most popular network. Younger patients are often more familiar with and more likely to be on social networks, but don’t discount middle-aged and older patients. According to InsideFacebook.com, 18 million people age 45 and older are active Facebook users.

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• Introduce social media to your patients. So you have 300 fans on your Facebook page, but nobody’s talking. Or maybe your patients don’t understand the value of connecting with you on Twitter. Give patients examples of what they can expect to see when they join your networks so they understand what’s in it for them—whether it’s notices about vaccines, tips about how to care for their condition or pictures of them at your last community event. Great vehicles for promoting the social media that you already use include your website, e-mail and signs in your office (especially exam rooms!). Make it fun: Consider hosting a party such as a Tweetup, similar to the one we’ll host at the MGMA 2010 Annual Conference. It allows all your followers to gather and meet face-to-face and gives you an opportunity to offer giveaways and social-media advice.
• Post regularly and quickly. Short posts are effective because users of social networks usually have short attention spans. Facebook wall posts and tweets have a shelf life of 24 hours. Content shouldn’t go through a long review process, but it also shouldn’t be posted without doing a spell-check. Entrust updates to an employee (or set of employees) who is comfortable with technology and can write in the practice’s brand and voice.
• Think beyond text. Pictures, audio, video and presentations are compelling ways to communicate with patients—especially on social networks. If your website doesn’t currently have that capability, all the better. Facebook has photo albums and free video creation built in, or you could take advantage of the world’s most popular video site: YouTube. That’s what Urology San Antonio uses to help patients understand more about the practice’s procedures. The group’s “Vasectomy. Get the Facts” video appears prominently whenever “vasectomy” is searched on YouTube. Communications Director Abbey Forney says urology lends itself to social media. “We deal with so many awkward topics—bladder issues and sexual issues,” for example, that patients are more comfortable learning about in the privacy of their own home, she says.

No matter which social network you choose, know that creating interaction online takes time, but it will happen as long as you’re willing to put in the effort. 

Source: Modern Physician

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