Steven Anderson Digital Manager MAS 15:00 - 15:30 Social Media Do's and Don'ts
Do’s and Social Media don’ts
What is social media • Social media is nothing new • Just an extension of something we all have – a social network • Its not something to be frightened of • Very beneficial if used well • It isn’t going away
Social Media – so many questions • Confidentiality • Informed consent • Public/private boundaries • professionalism
Social Media - examples We all know the usual suspects
Social Media can be a lot of things • Social media isn’t just a place where teenagers gossip • Social media is increasingly being used by consumers and corporates to communicate. • People are choosing to use social media to: • Buy/sell • Transfer money • Communicate • Transact • Social media is here to stay
Social media – do have a plan • Understand what you’d like to get out of social media for your practice • Unless you are prepared to place a lot of time into it and understand analytics it will be doubtful you’ll see immediate or short term results • There is a difference between private relationships and professional relationships • Develop your own professional network through sites such as LinkedIn – you’ll be amazed at what you can learn through these sites
Social Media – Do’s • Use it and don’t be frightened • Possible negative feedback can be a useful opportunity to review processes • Social media is a very effective method of getting content to consumers/patients • Source of content and information – remember be relevant
Social media – more do’s • Set up a social media site for your practice • Remember keep it separate from your private profile (unless you specifically want it linked) • The same rules of social etiquette apply as in any social situation • Relevance • Ask yourself what would you like to hear about from your Doctor • In time, social media if used well, will drive business to your door
Social media – more do’s • Develop ground rules for the site • You don’t diagnose over the phone, why would you diagnose over social media? • Everyone can have a social media profile – use it wisely • If you don’t want a social media profile that’s cool, but if you did have one delete it. Nothing worse than an unloved social media profile and it reflects badly on your business • Check to see no one else has set up a social media profile for you. It can happen
Social media – more do’s • If you’ve got a social media site – love it. Don’t let it wither. • Starting is easy, keep up the good work by adding to your profile once a week. • Often social media gets priority listing in Google search – this can be good for business.
Social Media – Relevance • Relevance is everything • The use of rich content is crucial to the success of a social media strategy • Doctors surgeries have lots to talk about, all of the time • Health advice • Seasonal issues – ie. Flu jabs • Source of community • Your own generic data would be a rich source of content
Social Media – Community • Community is a key term with social media • People use social media because they want to connect • Medical surgeries are a key place of community
Social media is not instantaneous • If you build it, they might come • Patients will not follow you just because you are there • Success on social media is all about relevance • Most social media success stories didn’t happen overnight • Your patients have a limited attention span – they get bombarded with messages everyday – they key to success is not doing more of the same – remember relevance
Social Media – Don’ts • There is nothing special about social media, common sense is exactly that • Don’t disclose anything you wouldn’t now – social media amplifies a message • Patient confidentiality is essential – nothing has changed there • Avoid personal online relationships with patients – relationships are easily blurred online – but this is no different to any personal relationship
Social Media – What to use • So many options with social media • Stick to the big ones – they are simple and easy to use • Keep it simple • Keep going, don’t get discouraged after a few months – the most successful sites are a long time in the making • Use differing media content – mix it up, video, text, images • Make it fun
Social Media – The future • Social media is evolving really quickly • Already people transact on Facebook • Solutions are coming – many already use texts to remind patients of appointments, this is just the start • Increasingly patients and consumers are engaged – take the journey with them
Thanks Steven Anderson Digital Manager MAS Steven.anderson@mas.co.nz
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