In the health care industry, there’s a lot of uncertainty and fear around how, if, and why to use social media.
What’s the ROI?
How do we protect ourselves?
How do we know we are reaching our target audience?
We have a very niche group of people we do business with…
These are all great questions. Here’s the thing: there is no one size fits all answer or formula.
Here’s what we do know: Your success within social media will be in positioning your organization as a strong support and resource for your existing customers.
Continue Educating and Engaging.
For as much as you’ve done with face-to-face relationship building (i.e. meetings, conferences, trade shows and networking events), social media will help to enhance your networking.
Build on those relationships and your existing customers will become advocates, your potential new customers will gain information, and your credibility will grow. That, my friends, translates into money.
How do people access information, quickly? Online.
Clinicians like Dr. Howard Luks began engaging in social media out of curiosity and the desire to learn, research information on products, etc.
The results have been incredible.
He is now a strong influencer in the social media world. (He would humbly disagree, but it’s true.) His practice is growing, with patients who have researched online, developed a clearer understanding of his credentials, made appointments, and feel they’ve been involved in the decision for their care.
Howard’s personal and professional brands are growing. All because of a desire to research and learn. His new and existing patients have become strong brand advocates. He has also been called on by medical manufacturers, asking the question, “How do we reach our customers, through Social Media?”
The answer? Again, there’s no one-size-fits-all response, but continue educating and engaging. As Dr. Luks says, “The ROI is real, but the message matters.”
