Greater Means of Communication Could Lead to Higher Risks
Communication is, without a doubt, the basis of Social Media. Unfortunately, for the millions of businesses around the world operating Facebook Fan Pages, we are unable to directly communicate with our fans without the entire Facebook community viewing our message. As many of you are aware, Facebook removed the direct message feature from Fan Pages; due to an influx in misconduct from spamming agencies. Without this feature, Page Administrators... Read More
Taking the Plunge Into Social Media
At times, we find convincing a physician or practice administrator to jump feet first into the deep, unknown pool of social media is more difficult to accomplish than getting a child to eat their vegetables. Most give short, one-word responses; ranging from, “No.” to “Why?” So, why do we remain relentless in our push to involve healthcare professionals in the world of social media? According to the Pew Research Center, “61% of adults... Read More
A Healthcare Marketer’s View on Outbound vs. Inbound Marketing Strategies
A very interesting and informative piece circulated on Twitter this week and caught my attention. The post by Jeff Bullas, Social Media Marketing: 10 Inspiring Infographics (Great resource piece!) shares some great statistics and examples of the power and influence of social media on our behaviors and buying patterns as consumers. Jeff also dives deeper into the conversation related to the shift from outbound marketing efforts, or what I like to call... Read More
Costs vs Benefits of Healthcare Social Media Participation
The healthcare social media twitter chat (otherwise known as #hcsm, happens every Sunday at 8pm CST) was a buzz last night with many great topics related to healthcare’s adoption of this new media and how to continue to engage with patients online. It’s a hot topic in healthcare right now; organizations such as hospitals, health systems and private practices alike are all grappling with understanding how they can best use the tools and... Read More
Word-of-Mouth Marketing: Creating Walking Billboards for your Practice
Word-of-mouth marketing can be your practices’ greatest asset or biggest downfall, depending on exactly what your patients have to say about you. People are much more likely to believe the word of a friend or acquaintance than they are to listen to a paid advertisement. In fact, 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations, only 14% trust advertisements. Word-of-mouth travels quickly if you have the right messenger. So what messages are spreading... Read More
Guest Blogger Mary Pat Whaley, FACMPE: Keep Online Information from Managing You
All of us face a lot of information to process in our daily lives. I manage a weight-loss surgery practice, write a blog on practice management and have a very strong interest in social media. These interests intertwine nicely, but they still provide a lot of ground to cover everyday. During the course of the day, I typically scan or read and sometimes participate in: Google News (and sometimes Fast Flip) Listserv email Personal email at home and... Read More
What Do Patients Think of Healthcare Social Media?
The movement is sweeping hospitals and medical practices by the thousands. Patients are now able to find their healthcare providers on sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. But are those social media presences improving patients’ perceptions? We talked to two different patients with much different answers to the question. Nicole is a new mom who has connected with her pediatrician on Facebook. “When Tyler fell and hit his head for the first... Read More
Do Doctors have an Obligation to Social Media?
This week I stumbled upon a blog post that’s title caught my eye: “Social media can improve healthcare, but are doctors holding us back?” After asserting that social media is an extension of the exam room, Software Advice’s marketing director, Houston Neal goes on to say that it is also a physician’s obligation. “Doctors have an opportunity – and an obligation – to join us in sharing information online,” Neal declares. “To reduce... Read More
Everyone’s an expert…how can you tell who to trust?
Lately we’ve been noticing plenty of “social media experts”. There are literally thousands of people who call themselves authorities on the subject, who speak at conventions, who consult. Yet we’ve been seeing a peculiar trend: many self-proclaimed experts do not practice what they preach and do not feel they need experience to jump into the arena. Some believe that just because they can show someone how to set up a Facebook business page,... Read More
A New Year for Healthcare…The Bright Spots
It’s hard for healthcare professionals to stay positive about the industry while constantly bombarded with bad news, politicization and painful technological shifts. But there are reasons to look forward to the future of healthcare and gear up for 2011…many reasons, actually. Here are just a few: Experts are predicting that many falling market shares will rebound. SmallCap Network, Bloomberg and other market watchers are expecting certain hospitals... Read More
