Online Presence (and Marketing)
Your online presence is important for a variety of purposes. Utilization could be for practice or personal/practice growth, which are often interconnected. Nonetheless, it is important to be active, accurate, and up-to-date with your online presence and social media, whether that is your practice website, practice information (on secondary websites such as HealthGrades, WebMD, LinkedIn, Google, etc.), or personal physician sites (same as the aforementioned). If not, you could be losing business through not being found, not having accurate information (phone number, address, insurances not/taken), or looking less professional than the next online profile or website viewed by a prospective patient. Further, your presence can be enhanced through a multi-platform presence in order to obtain more clicks, higher search-engine optimization (i.e., being at the "top of the result list"), collaboration with other related businesses, and ultimately more views.
Do First
Do Second:
But Beware...
Do First
- Google yourself (example)
- Does what you find represent you? Is it accurate? Up to date? Need to change?
- Does what you find represent you? Is it accurate? Up to date? Need to change?
- Google yourself/your practice (ex. "podiatry/podiatrist" and "city/town/zip code") (example)
- Where do you (or your practice) result on the browser? Is your practice at the top? Second page?
- Do you have a "google business" page? Is this accurate, up to date, etc?
- Where do you (or your practice) result on the browser? Is your practice at the top? Second page?
Do Second:
- Email
- Create (easy to recite/remember) a work email. Keep your personal and work mail separate for organizational purposes. It should look/sound "professional."
- Update your email signature with office information, hours, website, twitter, etc Use hyperlinks when appropriate.
- Social Media
- Use the big 3 (or 4) = Facebook, Instagram, Twitter; TikTok
- Username - Just like the email, if you have a "personal" Instagram/Twitter account, you should also have a "work" one for appropriate content.
- Photos - Be careful about using office/hospital/operating room photos and your institutions rules. Better to find out beforehand versus getting in trouble after. Mark photos as "graphic image" (many platforms have added this feature).
- Engagement - Create or partake in established #/hashtags. This can help drive people to your account, increase views/followers. Utilize conference #s.
- Volume - Get into a posting flow for each channel. Pick a day of the week, weekly/bi-weekly. Try different strategies and types of post, as what works well on one platform may/not on another.
- Often these first few platforms can be merged so that information posted on one, can be posted across each platform to reduce needing to create redundant posts.
- Use the big 3 (or 4) = Facebook, Instagram, Twitter; TikTok
- Website
- Type - For personal or for your practice.
- Blogging - Des your practice have a blog, or should they start one? Local hospitals often have blogs looking for contributors
- Doctor Profile Websites
- Update online review website (HealthGrades, WebMD, etc.) profiles with your up to date practice information (i.e., office location, hours, pathology treated, insurances accepted, etc.)
- Link these items to your practice website
- Make it as easy as possible for patients to find you on multiple doctor platforms, and leave you a review
- General
- Format - Grammar, format, and organization matter.
- Facts - Get it right. Factual accuracy matters.
- Personality - It is okay to show some personality as it makes you more "relatable" to your audience.
- Content - Find reasons to post content. Cross-promote across platforms. Cross-promote with other users/tags to build on their following.
- National/federal holiday.
- Podiatric-related event (Diabetes Awareness Month, National Foot Health Awareness Month)
- Anniversaries, awards, & milestones - to you, your staff, your profession, a society, etc.
- Local events (seminars, community gatherings) or collaborations with local businesses
- Meetings and conferernces - use the official designated #
But Beware...
- With the good of all all the social media comes the bad, specifically comments.
- Check your profile(s) often and moderate comments and message boards.
- This can be a tall order. Practices may want to designate someone to perform these reviews with some regularity to reduce potential problems and respond to any negative feedback quickly, to rectify the issue in an appropriate manner.
Online Resources
Below is a list of various forms of online/social media you should be utilizing with some hints, tips, and resources.
WEBSITES:
SOCIAL MEDIA:
ONLINE PRESENCE:
MARKETING / PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
WEBSITES:
- Podiatry Content Connection - website building, content creating/providing, and online presence building company for hire.
- Top Practices - Marketing and practice management service with a focus of content and assistance in the field of podiatry.
- Foot & Ankle Business Innovations - Marketing and practice manangement tools and webinars/conferences.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
- Social Media / Marketing
- Tips and Tools
- Analytics
- Hootsuite
- Sprout Social
- Symplur - medical # tracking resource
ONLINE PRESENCE:
- Building An Online Reputation (reviews)
- "8 Ways to Become a 5-star Physician in Reviews" by Mark Rowh (January 11, 2018 via physicianspractice.com)
- "Search Engine Optimization: The New Patient Journey" by Melody Gandy-Bohr (February 2018 via Podiatry Management)
MARKETING / PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
- "Attracting the right patients to your practice and managing your online reputation" by Randy Rosler (via Podiatry Content Connection, webinar hosted by Podiatry Meetings)