How to Create a Successful Social Media Campaign
Social media can be a scary place for the medical universe. However, social media platforms are the perfect spot for doctors to connect with current and potential patients, colleagues, and the surrounding community. Here are four ways orthopedic surgeons can successfully utilize social media.
1. Create a clear strategy.
The strategy is the first step to having a successful social media campaign. A clear strategy means a clear direction. What do you want to accomplish with the campaign? Which platforms are going to be used? While doctors can be successful on a few different platforms, it’s best to have a strategy for each. For example, a surgeon may want to promote a surgery he or she specializes in on Facebook, where demographic targeting is at its best. Twitter, however, might be the best place to share articles and create conversations with colleagues. At Today’s Business, we always start our clients with a Brand Bible meeting to discuss strategy and clear goal setting.
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2. Set a goal for the campaign.
How do you know if your campaign is successful? You achieve your goals. For surgeons, success might be in phone calls to the office, a completed contact form on the website, or a new patient. Each doctor will have his or her own goals for a campaign. If your office is new, traffic to your website or phone calls might be your first goal, getting people to learn more about your practice. An established office may be looking to create more of a presence in its community. If goals are not set, you cannot measure success.
3. Connect social media to other marketing efforts.
All marketing messages should be consistent across the board. A surgeon should not have one message on Facebook and another message in a magazine advertisement. Consumers like to see consistency. A good campaign should be recognizable in any media. By tying in all current marketing strategies, doctors can create a comprehensive campaign across multiple platforms, reaching a variety of audiences.
4. Participate in reputation management.
At Today’s Business, we can offer our clients a comprehensive reputation management service. Reputation management shows doctors what all of their patients are saying. For a doctor, reputation management is an absolute must. One bad review from a patient can be detrimental to a practice. We all know that someone is more likely to write about a negative experience than a good one. That is why practices rely on Today’s Business to monitor and respond (if necessary) to all comments on social media and other review sites. Reputation management can help take a negative conversation offline, but also show potential and current patients that your practice is responsive to any questions or issues, both good or bad.
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Start a Social Media Campaign with Today’s Business
Social media can be an intimidating place, but with the right strategy anything is possible. Contact us at Today’s Business for more information on how we can help your practice!