Part of successfully harnessing the Internet to market your medical practice online means learning about the new ways prospective patients are using to locate medical services.
Twitter has become a popular tool for marketing online – many large companies like Dell and Best Buy are using it to successfully reach prospective customers. While it isn’t a wholesale solution, Twitter can be a quick and easy way to develop an online following and build your brand.
Below are five ways you can successfully utilize Twitter for online medical marketing.
1. Research prospective customers/patients
Perhaps before embarking on cold calling or other more traditional marketing activities, use Twitter and other social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to research what your prospective clients are saying. Understanding their needs will go a long way and put you ahead of the game.
2. Stay in tune with industry news
Twitter can also be valuable in learning about what’s going on in medicine. More and more industries, research institutions and practices are using Twitter to update their activities in real time. Find out about results from a recent research study or new ways you can help patients with their ailments.
3. Find the best time to call or contact someone
Calling everyday at 9:00 can get pretty mundane and annoying for a prospective customer. While you may not reach who you’re looking for, the chances of talking someone goes up if you can get an idea of when they’re in the office and not out on vacation, sick or in a meeting.
4. Get honest feedback on your services and pitch
If you’ve been developing unique site content or after you see a patient, logon to Twitter and see what they’re saying to their friends about it. This is especially useful since you will more likely see unvarnished critique of where your site and services are strong and where they can be improved.
5. Stay in touch with prospects as they move around
Another useful function of Twitter is its portability – you can easily maintain contact with patients and other prospects as they move jobs, insurance companies or other medical specialists. Being there will reassure patients they’re being taken care of – they will remember this when talking to their friends.
Learn more about harnessing Twitter to successfully market yourself and your services online. Read this informative post from HubSpot and checkout their webinar as well, Twitter for Marketing and PR.