Megan Newton

For many consumers, the process of seeking healthcare has changed. Hospital admissions are falling as higher insurance rates prompt patients to seek more affordable care outside of hospitals and decrease the demand for elective procedures.

As patients become increasingly savvy about where they receive medical care, it is more important than ever to proactively build relationships with the public through social media.

Here are five social media tips to convert consumers to trusting patients and brand advocates:



Show the public how much you appreciate them by rewarding social media followers. This could include a coupon code for your practice or another local business. Or, it could be as simple as providing valuable content on a regular basis. If you want to go above and beyond, I highly recommend 

 This easy to use social media app allows businesses to set up and manage rewards for people who engage with their business Facebook page. This is a huge crowd favorite.   

People love being acknowledged, so when your business reaches an important milestone, make sure to thank patients for contributing to your success. Milestones may include a five-year anniversary, reaching a certain number of likes on Facebook, or reaching a certain number of new patients over the years.  

If a patient writes a complaint on your practice’s Facebook wall, don’t delete it. This is an opportunity to let your customer service skills shine. Address the issue head on and publicly show people how dedicated your practice is to creating a positive customer experience. In addition to your own comments, brand advocates will often chime in with positive posts, effectively turning a negative situation into a big win for your business.  

Don’t be a robot. If a patient posts or sends you a message via social media, it is so important to respond. Develop a voice to your social media posts that is relatable and personable so people feel comfortable interacting with you.

 Today’s consumers don’t like being talked at. Rather, use social media channels to engage patients in conversation. For example, rather than just saying that your office is closed for the holidays, ask patients what their plans are. The more dialogue you can generate, the more awareness you are building around your brand.

Practices that put time into building their online presence through social media have the opportunity to build their brand through demonstrating compassion and building conversations around their service. For people who are researching healthcare options online, social media channels may be one of the first steps in the decision-making process.

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As patients become increasingly savvy about where they receive medical care, it is more important to proactively build relationships through social media. 

Five Ways to Use Social Media to Build Patient Loyalty

In today’s buy-one-get-one-free world, consumers are driven to action by incentives, and retailers are constantly trying to reinvent their sales strategy to entice shoppers to buy.  So can the strategies that retailers use to build hype be repurposed to create engagement in healthcare?

According to Michael G. Dermer, chief incentive officer at Welltok, many patients are willing to complete a desired healthcare task if 

.  For example, if rewarded, 96 percent of consumers would be healthier, 75 percent of consumers would have their blood pressure checked, 73 percent of consumers would lose weight, and 68 percent would have blood sugar or cholesterol checks.

For practices that are struggling to get patients to engage with their patient portal, the above statistics might hold some valuable lessons. Here are four incentive strategies that might help practices get patients to sign up and take advantage of patient portal services:


Reward patients for signing up for the patient portal during a specific timeframe.  For example, everyone who signs up for the portal in the month of October will be automatically entered into a drawing to win a prize. 

2.  Provide a reward for patient feedback


Ask your patients to provide feedback through the patient portal for a chance to win.  This action serves dual purposes; patients must be signed up for the portal to participate, and they must send a secure message to win. Use this opportunity to gather information from patients on quality of service, satisfaction with wait times, or areas that need improvement.  Be sure to give patients three to four weeks to complete the task and send out reminders several times a week via e-mail and social media. 


Commit to donate a certain amount of money for each new patient portal sign up or secure message received during a specific time period.  To drive engagement with your practice, use the Facebook polling feature to let patients decide which charity they would like the office to donate to. 


Increased engagement with patients on the portal can save a substantial amount of money by cutting back on paper.  Consider charging patients a small fee if they choose to receive billing statements or lab results through the mail rather than through the portal.   

When executing an incentive plan, communicating to your patients across platforms is key to your success. Patients should be reminded daily through Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail.  Flyers in rooms and waiting areas are also important.  While you may feel like you are bombarding patients with the same information, chances are that they are so busy they only see it once or twice.  Also, many people need to see messaging several times before they actually take action. 

Remember, your portal is not a "field of dreams."  Just because you build it, doesn’t guarantee that people will come.  In many cases, explaining the benefits of joining the portal is not enough to get people to take action.  For practices who are trying to meet meaningful use goals pertaining to the patient portal, an incentive plan is a great way to build excitement around your portal and get you one step closer to receiving government funding. 

Your medical practice's patient portal is not a "field of dreams."  Just because you build it, doesn’t guarantee that people will come.  

Four Strategies to Get Patients to Use Your Portal

, Facebook remains the most popular social network among U.S. adults, with 71 percent being active Facebook users. When studying buying behaviors of consumers, marketing research firm Vision Critical determined that social media has a 

on consumer decisions. Thirty eight percent of people who liked, shared, or commented on a product on Facebook have gone on to buy the product. Additionally, 43 percent of people who have "favorited" or shared a product on any social media platform ultimately purchased it.

Join us Sept. 19 & 20 in Philadelphia at 

, our new conference for physicians and office administrators to help improve your medical practice and your bottom line.

Today’s consumers expect to have the opportunity to interact with companies through social media, and the effort that brands are putting into social media is paying off in a big way. Healthcare practices need to think more like retailers by developing a Facebook strategy for selling their services.

Digital marketing consultancy TrackMaven recently analyzed more than 1.5 million Facebook posts on nearly 6,000 Pages. Here are six pearls of wisdom gained from 

 that can help your medical practice create perfect Facebook posts:


The analysis found that Facebook posts with 80 words to 89 words double engagement compared to posts with only 70 words to 79 words. Take some time to compose a well-thought out Facebook post. Consider using a word processing document with a word count tool to compose your post before you publish to Facebook. This will also help catch grammatical or spelling errors.


Posts with photos had 2.35 average interactions per post, versus only 1.71 for those without photos. Images can be used to humanize your practice. Post fun behind the scene glimpses of the staff and practice. Pictures are also a great way to build excitement around a change in the office, such as a new hire or an added service.
        



Posting between 5 p.m. and 1 a.m. can get you 11 percent more interactions than posting during regular working hours. This may be due to Facebook’s algorithm for determining which posts users see in their news feeds. If you publish during hours that are less popular, posts are more likely to be seen by your followers. This doesn’t mean you need to work nights and weekends. Use a Facebook scheduling tool to pre-schedule posts.
       



The average number of interactions per post remains relatively consistent from Monday through Friday, then trends sharply upwards on Saturday and Sunday. Posts published on Sundays have the greatest reach with 2.72 average interactions per post. Additionally, posts published on Sunday can get 25 percent more likes, comments, and shares than those published on Wednesday. Again, use a pre-scheduling tool to publish on the weekend.


Posts that ask questions get 23 percent more engagement. A popular way to execute a question post is through trivia Tuesdays. Ask patients a question for a chance to win a prize, such as a gift card. For example ask, how many ACL repairs has Dr. Smith performed in the last five years? Or, how many people were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States in 2013? Another way to pose a question is through asking patients to share advice. One post that was successful for me was when I asked patients to share tips for breastfeeding at work.


Infographics are an excellent way to share information via social media. Not only are they eye-catching in a news feed, they are also extremely useful for conveying complex information. 

 of people are visual learners. Practices that produce useful visual content are more likely to have followers share their post with friends, effectively advertising your brand for you at no cost. Two great resources for infographics are Pinterest and Google Images.

If healthcare practices, particularly small independent operations, want to remain relevant in today’s market, they need to invest some time into developing their social media strategy, beginning with Facebook. Proactive marketers are intelligently engaging patients and future patients with content that builds a social bond. These relationships, which create trust and word of mouth referrals, form long-term business leads that are invaluable for healthcare practices looking to grow.  
    

Feel like no patients are responding to your medical practice's Facebook posts? Here are six tactics to employ to expand reach and engagement.   

Crafting Great Medical Practice Facebook Posts: 6 Tips

 conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reports that Americans find it difficult to gather information about the quality of healthcare providers.  According to the report revealing the survey's findings, consumers lack trust in the resources they are able to find, leaving them discouraged about their healthcare options.  The report goes on to say that fewer than half of Americans feel confident that they could find quality information to help them choose a specialist.

This huge trust gap presents a major opportunity for practices to strengthen communication and cultivate positive public perception.    

Here are three of the report's findings, and what practices should do about them: 

 Americans define provider quality based on doctor-patient interactions and doctors’ personality traits, rather than the effectiveness of the care provided or the patient’s own health outcomes.  The report goes on to say that Americans define a quality doctor as someone who listens, is attentive, or shows interest in them (18 percent).

 Your marketing strategies need to demonstrate that your providers are personable and approachable.  A great way to do this is through short videos posted to your practice’s website and shared on  social media channels.  Use language like, “I hear a lot of patients tell me that…” or, “As a parent myself, I have similar concerns about…”  Using key phrases to demonstrate that providers are listening to patients and can empathize with them is an excellent way to demonstrate a connection with the public. 

Rather than throwing money at traditional advertising that may only work in the short run (if you're lucky), think about strategies that will engage the public in conversation.  Speaking at local conferences or workshops is one way of doing this.  Events allow people to connect with providers in a more casual environment and create opportunities for positive lasting impressions.    

  Americans report that they would trust word-of-mouth and personal recommendations from doctors far more than provider quality data coming from the government or third parties.  In fact, six in 10 Americans say they would trust quality ratings of doctors or other healthcare providers they receive from friends or family members.

 Provide a platform for patients to share how much they appreciate your care.  Using social media is no longer an option in healthcare.  Connecting to their doctor’s office on Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels is something that consumers expect.  Utilize these tools to build a conversation around your practice and provide an environment where patients can share your services with their friends. 

In addition to creating buzz in the digital space, make an effort to network with primarycare physicians or other doctors who may provide referrals.  Bringing lunch to their office is a great way to build networking time into your schedule and is especially beneficial if you are adding a new provider to the practice.  

 Beyond recommendations from other doctors or family members, Americans overwhelmingly lack trust in quality ratings of healthcare providers. Only three in 10 people say they trust quality ratings from patients who are surveyed anonymously about the quality of care they received from a community or advocacy group that evaluates healthcare providers.

 Create a survey for new patients that asks them to identify how they learned about your practice.  If patients aren’t identifying billboards, print ads, or TV spots, you need to re-evaluate how you're spending your advertising budget.  Rather than focusing mainly on traditional advertising strategies, think about creating sharable online content, like videos, that patients can comment on and share with their friends.

The mistrust that people feel for the medical industry is an issue that can’t be swept under the carpet.  If healthcare facilities commit to implementing strategies that build word of mouth referrals and humanize their providers, practices will successfully build trust with their target audience and break down barriers caused by lack of communication.
 

Here are three strategies medical practices can use to build word of mouth referrals and humanize their providers.

Boost Patient Trust, Referrals at Your Medical Practice

 transition to the United States year, making it the top destination in the world for those transitioning from one country to another.  With most of the immigrants coming from Mexico, healthcare is faced with the challenge of marketing to Hispanic consumers with unique purchasing behaviors.

“Hispanics have tremendous consumer purchasing power, but our research shows that they have also been more likely than other consumers to delay healthcare, and don’t have great trust in the U.S. health system,” Frank Lemmon, principal, PwC U.S. health industries, said in a 

.  “As the health industry shifts in how and where care is delivered - in many cases closer to home - these long-standing behaviors and attitudes are ripe for change.”

A new report from PwC notes that more Hispanics than non-Hispanics use social media, mobile apps, and Internet searches to find information about doctors and insurance companies.  Additionally, Hispanic consumers typically opt out of landline phones and computers, relying mainly on their cell phone for online usage. 

  In addition to posting two to three times a day to your social media channels in English, incorporate Spanish messaging.  If hiring a Spanish translator is not in the budget, consider using an online translation service to translate your posts ahead of time. 

 Make it quick and easy for people to access health information from your practice. Rather than having to search for your website or your patient portal, provide an app that is easy to navigate and preferably with a Spanish language option.

 Make sure that your practice’s address and contact information is up to date with all the major search engines. 

4.  Make your website mobile friendly.  

A website that is not responsive to smaller screens is the quickest way to deter mobile consumers.  Make it as easy as possible for consumers to navigate your site by using responsive design. 

 Providing handouts in Spanish will help your practice avoid misunderstandings.  In addition to print communication, a Spanish language option on your website is an excellent way to educate Hispanics about your practice. Keep in mind that developing separate advertising initiatives for Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations can become extremely costly.  Instead, use bilingual messaging to appeal to both markets within a single ad. 

In addition to developing advertising and marketing tactics with Hispanics in mind, investing additional time in customer care can build sustainable patient growth numbers among this particular population.

According to Kelly McDonald, president of McDonald Marketing, recently told 

population.  They want to feel comfortable with the customer-service person and feel like they are getting the face to face time they needed to gather information.  This may mean slowing down the customer processing work flow and putting additional effort into engaging patients in conversation.  

While interacting with patients on a more personal level may slow down productivity, it will cultivate loyalty and word of mouth referrals that will pay off in a big way in the long run.

Devoting a little extra time and energy by targeting the Hispanic population provides medical practices the opportunity to expand their reach.  While this article is centered around connecting with Hispanic patients, these tips strengthen communication with the public across multiple languages and build long-term patient loyalty. 

As more Hispanics immigrate to the United States, it's time for medical practices to reconsider their traditional marketing efforts. 

Five Medical Marketing Tips for Attracting the Hispanic Population

 published by ResearchNow asked 1,004 U.S. marketers about how the evolution of digital marketing has impacted their job.  Overwhelmingly, respondents agreed that they need to reinvent themselves to succeed.  In fact, 90 percent of those polled said that digital tools and channels are fundamentally changing the nature of marketing.    

When asked what specific behavior will make the biggest difference in the success of marketers, participants pointed to the ability to work across channels.

What does it mean to market across channels? Multichannel marketing uses a handful of different marketing avenues, like having a mobile-friendly website, utilizing social media, and identifying opportunities for coverage in print publications, to reach a customer. 

Practices that embrace multi-channel marketing will have a presence where their patients (and potential patients) are on a daily basis.     

channels your healthcare practice should be using, and how to get the most out of each platform:


Your website is the main hub for your online presence, so it is extremely important to get it right.


 Set your patients up for success by building a website that allows people to process content reliably and quickly.


Help patients find what they need as quickly as possible.  Identify the most popular actions on your website.  Then, put that information in the top left corner of your website.  This is typically the most viewed portion of a website.


People are wired for visualization, so the more you incorporate icons, graphs, or images, the easier it will be to communicate with patients.       

of smartphone users search the Internet using their devices; 97 percent of them look for local information. 


Most patient portals have, or will soon have, apps for patients.  This allows patients easier access to their health information and provides an easy method of communication with your office. 


2.  Make your website mobile friendly. 

 If your practice’s website is not mobile-friendly, you are at a huge disadvantage.  Potential patients will quickly leave your site if content is not adjustable to the size of their screens.   


  Marketers experience 50 percent higher open rate on push notifications versus e-mails. Offer push notifications in the form of texts to remind patients of upcoming appointments or to prompt them to schedule appointments.  These can be set up through most patient portals.   


Unlike traditional advertising forms, social media allows practices to create a conversation around their brand.  Interacting with patients by posting useful content and engaging in conversation is one of the most powerful forms of marketing.   


 Facebook’s algorithm shows your fans fewer than half of your posts, so posting multiple times a day is crucial for reaching your target audience.  


 Post the right mix of business and fun.  For example, use Twitter to execute contests, post fun pictures of staff, and inform people with medical information or facts.  


3.  Connect with patients through video. 

 Videos increase people’s understanding of a product or service by 

. If that isn’t motivation enough, your website is 50 times more likely to appear on the first page of a search engine results page if it includes a video.

The digital space is constantly moving and evolving, and it can be challenging for many practices to keep up with communication trends. 

Continuing to think about your target audience and how it communicates or digests information will help you identify where to focus your energy and marketing budget.  Lastly, have fun with it and don’t be afraid to dip your toe into new forms of communication! 
 

As the digital space continues to change, medical practices must change their marketing approaches as well. 