The nature of social media continues to develop and evolve. It’s imperative that medical professionals be aware of the social media trends and keep their own practices and marketing on track with best practices.
Nowhere is this more important than in using—or improving your use of—messaging apps. This includes everything from Facebook Messenger to WhatsApp. The messaging app is becoming the preferred way for a lot of people to communicate with their doctor’s office on the basics.
Face-to-face or phone conversations will still be necessary for important issues, but administrative basics like appointment setting can be done via the messenger app.
What’s more, your patient base expects to be able to communicate with your office in this way.
Moreover, this isn’t a trend that is simply about young people in their 20s or 30s. Baby Boomers (people age 55 and over) have come to dominate Facebook and gotten accustomed to the convenience of online communication and scheduling.
If you haven’t invested in a chatbot or some other way to consistently engage with these questions on social media, now is a good time to look into it.
To promote your practice to new patients, take a serious look at either starting videos or doing more of it. This is becoming the most popular form of content on social platforms. It’s a terrific opportunity for a doctor to demonstrate not only their professional expertise but also their bedside manner to an audience of prospects.
You’ll also want to look into engaging in specific communities on social media. Maybe it’s a Facebook group of people who struggle with a specific medical problem. Or a message forum where members share information with each other.
A word of caution:
Joining communities like this and immediately promoting your practice doesn’t tend to go over well. But you can play the long game. Become a trusted source and let the natural dynamic of social media do your promotion for you.