We have all heard about the rapid growth of social media networking sites but not many consider the possibilities of social media in the healthcare industry.
The question many ask is whether healthcare professionals really should have a social media presence?
And the answer is: yes, but it should focus on the business/ practice.
Today, we find that many healthcare professionals are reluctant to use social media for their practice. But those that do take the next step towards social media marketing will be better off now and place themselves in a better position than those that reject the idea today and find themselves left behind tomorrow.
We would even go as far as to say that any healthcare organisations that are serious about reaching more clients or interacting better with their existing clients should be on social media. As the internet evolves, the importance of relationship building on social media for the healthcare industry will become stronger and healthcare professionals who started building social media into their advertising mix as soon as possible will be in better positioned for the future.
As a rule, healthcare providers should not use social media to share any health information that could be linked to an individual patient, such as names, pictures, and physical descriptions, without the patient’s consent.
But there are many ways they can share information, like articles on healthcare topics, highlight specific services, videos providing information on particular healthcare service lines, and sharing great success stories can be effective ways to present a more personal and relatable view of a healthcare organisation.
Social media will not replacing doctor visits or in-person support groups, but it should be seen as another part of the marketing mix and an easy way of sharing relevant information with target audience and expanding the marketing reach.
Photo by Jesse Orrico on Unsplash
