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Social media is one of the fastest growing mediums in marketing, but is it impactful for the health care industry? After all, it’s a great communication tool for sales industries such as restaurants, hotels and retail stores, but are people looking to social media for information about health care? The answer is … YES! Yet, many physicians and health care organizations continue to dismiss social media because they don’t see the value in it. Yet, there is no denying that social media and its impact on consumers is growing exponentially and not having a presence on it is just no longer an option.
Creating Responsible Content
Today, more and more members of the medical profession are embracing social media as a method of sharing helpful medical information. More than 40% of consumers say that information found via social media affects the way they deal with their health. That’s why health care professionals have an obligation to create educational content to be shared across social media that will help accurately inform consumers about health-related issues and out shine misleading information.
Driving Patient Engagement
In addition to making sure reliable information is available, social media can be leveraged to drive patient engagement and grow a practice. You can select the audience you wish to reach almost on a granular level and customize messaging to different groups. It is also a useful, economical tool is to get the word out about a new device, treatment or program, recruiting patients for a clinical trial, or even to share research with colleagues. It also allows you to repurpose and extend the shelf life of material such as a TV news clip or article where a doctor is featured, a landing page to your website, a newsletter or a press release.
The “Human Touch”
As well, having a social media presence can soften the already cold, sterile image that one may have of the health care industry. It gives health care providers and organizations an opportunity to humanize themselves and connect with patients. Social media is a great way to share your contributions to the community, the amazing achievements of your employees and answer questions about your organization in real-time. It also allows you to share critical information quickly during times of crisis such as natural or man-made disasters, hospital capacity and emergency room access.
Navigating the HIPAA-Compliant Waters
These benefits, however, mean nothing if your use of social media isn’t properly managed as healthcare social media comes with its own set of regulations. Whomever you select to manage your social media must be well versed in compliance and stringent regulations and communications content from the FDA, as well as HIPAA. Mismanagement of your social media could potentially result in hazardous mistakes resulting in violations that could otherwise have been avoided all together. Choosing a marketing agency that is strictly devoted to health care clients is one of the safest ways to ensure that you are using social media responsibly while building your brand, voice and conversion rate.
