Social Media in Healthcare: 15 Ways to Engage & Connect

Want to build influence, authority, trust, and reach for your medical practice? 

Healthcare social media marketing empowers you to do just that. The role of social media in healthcare is gaining momentum every day. Put its power into practice. Social media has gone mainstream – reaching nearly every demographic imaginable. That's why it behooves your medical practice to harness its power to build authority and meaningful connections among your audience.

A strong healthcare social media marketing plan should include and accomplish four things: publish, interact, network, and nurture in a way that contributes to practice growth.

1. Personalize each post so it's a fit for the intended social channel.

2. Success begins by delivering value with every post.  

Social media in healthcare requires intention, planning, and follow-through. Educate, inform, inspire, and spark communication and action. The role of social media in healthcare is clear; follow best practices on each post you make. 

3. Add lists and numbers to your social posting strategy.

4. Tell your audience what's new – reveal on a need-to-know basis.

It's critically important to keep followers informed. Social media is a great way to share the latest details of what is happening in your practice. New staff members, new location or hours, new services, new technology, telehealth, awards, etc. - all are worthy of a post.

5. Show them 'how to' do something because you're the expert.

How should a patient reduce inflammation after an injury? Heat or ice? Show them how to manage symptoms at home before a scheduled office visit. 

6. Ask plenty of questions to stimulate communication. 

Social media is just like a conversation. The more you lean in to know about your audience, the better you can connect. Engage. Ask questions. See what resonates. And always respond. Social is fast-moving; keep up.

7. Get active in myth-busting and be the source of truth.

Nowadays, social media is plagued by misinformation. Be a go-to source for truth in medicine in your community and beyond by offering the latest research and scientific facts. Share articles published by nationally recognized institutions, organizations, or medical schools. 

8. Reassure patients and prospective patients to build trust.

Many patients avoid doctor's visits, whether it's a simple case of white coat syndrome or other legitimate concerns – they need reassurance. Consider posting images of the office setting, your friendly staff, links to patient testimonials, anything that would alleviate their fears. Give a glimpse inside your office and let them know what to expect. Empathize with what they may be feeling, encourage them that they will be treated with great care and understanding.  

9. Nurture your referral network because they're critical to business growth.

It's clear: you can't grow your practice without patients. That's why it's essential to nurture your referral network, and social provides an additional means to do that. Let's assume you get a referral, and that patient has a wonderful treatment outcome. It's a perfect opportunity to collect a testimonial, in writing or on video, with the prior written authorization to share on social. When you post, be sure to tag your referral source and thank them for sending the patient your way. 

10. Appeal to all the senses through written word, spoken word, and visual. 

To keep followers engaged in your flow of social posts, they must stay fresh and varied. Cover all bases, interact with them in a variety of ways. Words, quotes, links, podcasts, audio, images, video, and informatics are potent tools.

11. Share blog posts: yours and those of trusted influencers in the field.

A well-crafted blog post can gain lots of traction on social media. Because social media is collaborative, you must offer value beyond your own posts.

12. Remember that your one-to-one interactions create a living legacy.

Social is reciprocal; always respond in a timely fashion – people are watching. Leave no question unanswered; that's why you're on social, to build trust and relationships.

13. Inspire followers and be a leader in the community.

• Uplift your followers with inspirational quotes

• Collect and share patient testimonials (follow HIPAA rules, of course!)

• Share stories about local or regional charities that you support

• Be a leader: hold in-person or virtual educational/informational events.

• Share employee stories: show them in action 

14. Become an expert social listener to improve your content.

Keep your eyes and ears attuned to what's happening on social then get communicative. Track mentions. Listen, learn, and then respond – nurture more in-depth communication. 
Watch your competition to see what's working for them. Also, take cues from monitoring your competition and your audience.

15. Always have a call to action in every social post.

What, exactly, do you want your followers to do?  

Ask them to act; read the article, answer the survey, book a consultation, share a post, come to an event, or call for an appointment. Every post needs a CTA (Call-to-action)!

Feeling overwhelmed about the state of your current social media marketing?

Take it slow. Pick one channel, master that, then add another. You do not need to be on every single social channel (101+ and counting), only the ones where your people are likely to spend time. Use any of the15 tips above that you feel would best resonate with your specific audience. 

When you’re feeling particularly ambitious, put all 15 tips to the test.

You can achieve influence, authority, trust, and reach with social media!

Dedicate yourself to carrying out a consistent healthcare social media marketing plan, and you will reap the rewards; in time, you will earn influence and trust. 

Know that CuraMedix supports the marketing efforts of our physician partners. We share ideas for social media posts that would speak directly to your audience. 

Interested in more marketing ideas to help grow your practice? Subscribe to the CuraMedix marketing newsletter below to get tips delivered right to your inbox. 

Is it time to add EPAT/ESWT to your medical practice and to share it on social?

Offering the latest technology, like shockwave, enables you to grow your practice and patient base more efficiently. As indicated previously, featuring new technology is an excellent fit with your social media marketing strategy. Let's start a conversation.

For more on what makes EPAT/ESWT indispensable in medical applications, download the white paper below.

Be sure to follow us on social; you'll see that we share only valuable, targeted content.