Social media has changed the way we connect with patients. It has changed the way dermatologists reach new people and how they build a reputation. Most of the social networks have tools that are specifically meant to help you target a very specific audience with your marketing message. Some of these methods are paid solutions, but even then it is a surprisingly affordable way to make sure your message is getting to the people who can potentially become one of your new patients.
Here are some tips to keep in mind for social media for dermatologists that will help you attract new patients and retain the ones you currently have.
1. Share Informative Content
Social media should be a platform to promote factual medical content and help dispel myths people may hear.
A way to do that is to create a series of short, informative blogs or quickly posting some videos you or another provider created answering the most commonly asked questions about dermatology.
2. Paid Advertisement
One of the biggest benefits of using social media marketing is finding opportunities to reach new audiences. While you are most likely familiar with the personal versions of these marketing platforms, if you aren’t exploring the paid side of social media you are missing a major opportunity to reach an even larger audience.
3. Leverage User-Generated Content
One great way to use social media is to connect with your patients on an emotional level. Storytelling goes a long way to influencing people to choose your practice over another.
This means looking at getting some user-generated content or telling the success stories of your patients.
User Generated Content is content that is created and shared by users including
• Posts to social media accounts
• Comments
• Videos
• Images
• Patient reviews
User Generated Content is powerful social proof that can greatly influence a healthcare consumer’s choice in provider. When you are looking for User Generated Content, look for testimonials that feel real, are both educational and emotional and that makes the user the hero of the story.
4. Listen to What Patients are Saying
The most important things to pay attention to on your social media pages are the comments and reviews that people are leaving. Are they overwhelmingly positive? Are there themes you can see that may be more than little problems?
Having a feedback loop is critical for any businesses’ success, and healthcare practices are no different. Listening to what your patients are saying and making changes to improve the patient experience builds patient loyalty and leads to more good reviews. Those positive reviews, in turn, bring in more patients.
