Why Your Radiology Practice Needs a Social Media Strategy

Many radiology groups think social media in the medical field is a waste of time, but we're here to tell you why that just isn't the case. Your practice needs a social media strategy for a number of reasons, but to excel in radiology marketing you don't even have to do much. Healthcare providers are accepting that health care social media is a necessity, but your competition may not yet be on board. 

Let's look at some reasons why your practice needs a social media strategy:

1.     Because it's the best way to reach consumer-driven patients…

Your mother might say, “if Johnny and everyone else was jumping off a bridge, would you do it too?” In this case, your answer should be a resounding, “YES MOM, I’M JUMPING AND I LEFT MY PARACHUTE AT HOME.” Doctors, hospitals and specialists all over the country are using their Facebook business pages to reach patients, so radiology practices must get on board. Patients are turning to Twitter as well, thanks to the Health Care Hashtag project brought to you by Symplur, making weekly tweet chats and hashtags trend within the industry.

2.     Because Search Engine Optimization is your key to success…

SEO practices help your website rank higher for patients searching certain keywords. Want to be the first website to show up when they search for “best doctor in Tampa?” Well, you’ll have to work for it.  New SEO practices have shown that more weight is being put on your social sites.  This means, if you have patients providing reviews and sharing your posts with their friends, you will be in a better position for patients looking online for practices like yours.

3.     Because older people are really into “The Facebook”…

My most active Facebook friend is 100% my Grandma. She “Likes” and shares every post I make, no matter what it is about. She “Likes” every local business she is a patron for, including her doctors.  Specialists like radiologists have a largely elderly patient population, but they assume they aren’t reliable for social engagement. That just couldn’t be further from the truth, especially when it comes to “The Facebook,” as my grandma calls it.

4.     Because you can use Twitter to reach the unreachable…

PR pros don’t tell you this secret openly, but Twitter is the most affordable and easiest way to reach your local media.  Industry leaders, community influencers and news reporters are all over Twitter. You can open lines of communication with them and then when they have the chance to highlight you or use you as a resource, you’ll be ready.

5. Because people like to complain…

People are much more inclined to share negative experiences than positive ones. Let’s face it, by nature, we like to whine and complain. Often, your disgruntled patients will turn to social sites like Facebook, Google Places or Yelp to air your dirty laundry.  If you don’t manage your pages, you can’t defend your practice, correct the situation and improve the patient’s impression of you. Care doesn’t end when your patients walk out the door; you need to be accessible to them.

Read More: What If My Practice Gets a Bad Review on Facebook

Santa's Reindeer as Healthcare Marketing Techniques

At Atlantic Health Solutions we offer a variety of healthcare marketing services. These services are designed to go above and beyond, combining traditional and online marketing to give your company a consumer boost. After reading about how Santa’s reindeer relate to the eight marketing services we offer, click on the link below to be directed to our services.

Dasher: Search engine optimization. Dasher is the leader of the sleigh and just like search engine optimization he gets the sleigh where it needs to be… the top of search engine results.

Dancer: Engaging website. Right up front just like Dasher, Dancer is the engaging website. These two are a perfect pair because once your website is optimized you want the consumers to be directed to a website that is easy to navigate and makes them want to stay. An engaging website is a successful website.

Prancer: Advertising and Public Relations. Prancer is a very important part of Santa’s crew, just like advertising and public relations is a very important part of successful marketing. It is his job to develop strong relationships with industry leaders and the media, as well as brand development. Without Prancer, Santa would be wearing a green suit instead of red.

Vixen: Social Media. Vixen is good partner for Prancer. He controls what content is published on social media accounts and makes sure that all content is in line with the company’s brand. Vixen also makes sure that only Santa’s good side shows up in his Facebook profile picture.

Comet: Traditional Marketing. Comet has always been the one to stick to what works. Traditional marketing encompasses so much of what we, as consumers, see every day. Traditional marketing is anything under the categories: print, broadcast, direct mail, and telephone. They’re older marketing tactics, but they’re tried and true.

Cupid: Online Marketing. Because Comet has so much on his plate its good to have a guy like Cupid on his side. Cupid takes care of the online marketing. This new age type of marketing that uses the Internet, as its medium is a fast growing source of marketing among companies. With how much time Santa and his elves spend on their smart phones, it is no surprise the online marketing industry is taking off.

Donner: Reputation Management. Donner is one of the closest reindeer to good ole Santa. He is in charge of reputation management and keeps a close eye on Santa’s behavior. Reputation management is so important because as a business it is important to stay consistent. Consistency is reliability.

Blitzen: Marketing Materials. The fattest of all eight reindeer, Blitzen makes up the meat of the marketing services. Marketing materials are what define the company image and are the tools a business uses to reach out to new consumers and keep the ones they already have.

Rudolph: Inbound Marketing. Last but certainly not least we have Rudolph. Rudolph’s nose attracts people to him, just like inbound marketing brings patients to healthcare companies. With Rudolph’s nose so bright Santa doesn’t have to work as hard. Lead nurturing and inbound marketing brings people to you, without having to go out and find them.

Find out how these services can work for you.

Understanding Viral Content Marketing

Sometimes it's impossible to tell which of your marketing efforts have the potential of going viral; it can be even harder to understand why. So how can healthcare marketing professionals work to create content that has the potential of attracting widespread attention?

The Basics of Viral Content Marketing:

• Understanding Metcalf's Law and the network effect which can help you calcuate the value of your target market or their "network"
• Know that not all content has the potential of going viral, but in order to have the potential it should beneficial to those sharing it in either message or entertainment. 
• Be familiar with the various kinds of content that can go viral; most commonly these are videos or articles but infographics and image content such as popular memes or GIFs can all grow to be wildly popular.
• Utilize the right design combination of functionality, meningfulness, integrity, appearance and form. 
• Be in the minds of your audience to understand why they share certain things.
• Make it easy to share and encourage your audience to help expand your campaign.

(Read More: 6 Lessons Beyonce Can Teach Healthcare Marketers)

Why we share content:

1. It makes us laugh
2. It makes us cry
3. It makes our jaws drop
4. It makes us ponder
5. It makes us feel connected to others
6. It makes us gasp
7. It makes us shake our heads
8. It makes us question why it's not common knowldege

Infographic Designed by: Voltier Digital and guest posted on ProBlogger

6 Lessons Beyoncé Can Teach Health Care Marketers

When Beyoncé unveiled her fifth solo album in the dark of night on December 16th in 2013, she took her fans bt storm.  The next morning, frenzy ensued, leaving her fans in a state of delirium, her competition stunned and the media scrambling to keep up.  Her influence was heard ‘round the world, despite her decision to forego the madness of traditional marketing. This stroke of genius left us wondering how we could apply some Beyoncé wisdom to health care marketing.

 1.    Be Irreplaceable

In her song Irreplaceable, Beyoncé says not to think you can’t be replaced, which rings true in health care. By providing your patients with the highest quality care, you can become irreplaceable to them though. This means taking extra steps to make them feel valued. This could mean simply listening to patient concerns, staying open later to get more appointments scheduled or cutting wait times.

2.    Have a partner that’s Crazy In Love with you

Despite the turbulent waters of celebrity, Beyoncé has achieved greatness on her own accord. However, her relationship with media mogul Jay-Z, hasn’t hurt her stardom. The health care industry can be equally as chaotic. By partnering with other providers in your community, you can reach more patients and form relationships with referring offices through networking.

3.    It’s all about the Video Phone

Her new album catapulted through the charts, making it #1 on iTunes. What makes this album different is that she released not only 14 new songs, but also 16 full-length videos calling it a “visual album.” Video content is the best way to reach fans and even patients.  Care providers can use simple virtual tours, testimonials and how-to videos to capture new patient leads online.

Read More: Understanding Viral Content Marketing

4.    What Runs the World? Social media

Before lunchtime, the news of Beyoncé’s gift had gone viral, as her fans and took to social media to show their appreciation.  Using social media can also amplify your reach to patients and those in your community. When patients are happy with your service, you can encourage them to share their experiences on social media or review sites.  This is especially valuable in light of the SEO changes Google has made to the weight of social reviews.

5.    Me, Myself & I: Sometimes independence is best

People might have thought she was crazy to leave Destiny’s Child, but Beyoncé needed freedom and independence. With a rise in hospital acquisition and consolidation, practices can lose a lot of their flexibility and components of care. Don’t be afraid to stand alone as an independent practice and preserve what is important to patients.

6.    You are… Sasha Fierce, don’t be afraid to show it

Don’t just rely on traditional marketing to attract new patients. Learn a lesson from Queen B and take a unique approach; your high quality care will market itself. So, instead of paying for a billboard, think about planning a campaign that encourages referring office staff to interact with your brand. 

* This post was also shared via Ragan’s Health Care Communication News.

8 Healthcare Digital Marketing Tips

Tip 1: Get on board.

Let’s start things out by just calling a spade a spade. In the 21st century, “digital marketing” is just marketing. Gone are the days when companies only utilized traditional marketing methods. If you’re not using any forms of digital marketing today, you’re not really marketing.

Tip 2: Utilize social media to get in front of patients.

As of January 2015, there were over 2.078 billion people with active social media accounts. That means that over a quarter of the world’s population is actively engaging each and every day on social media websites. That’s crazy! If your company isn’t using social media as a main marketing tool, then you’re missing out on an easy opportunity to reach a quarter of the world’s population with your message about your brand.

Not using social media yet? Have no fear! It’s never too late to improve your marketing strategy. Focus on building strong social media accounts for your company on the Big Three: Facebook (make sure to use these best practices for Facebook), Twitter (learn how to get Twitter followers and boost engagement), and LinkedIn. Not all social media is the same, and each of these platforms allows you to communicate with different audiences in a different way. Think of each platform as one important piece that, when used in tandem with others, makes up the whole social media marketing pie. They’re complementary, and when used effectively can become a dangerous tool for any marketer. Plus, why settle for one slice when you could have the whole pie? If you’re looking for some inspiration, Cleveland Clinic has a huge following and does a great job with their content and fan engagement.

Tip 3: Use platforms like LinkedIn to target influencers in your industry.

Not every marketing effort should be geared towards consumers. To be truly successful, it’s just as important to make sure that your brand is reaching and engaging with influencers in your specific industry. Promoting your posts on LinkedIn is one of the best ways that you can do this. Not only can you target people based on interests, groups, and industry, LinkedIn also allows you to use much more specific criteria when targeting, so you can promote your posts to people based on their specific job titles or positions as well and ensure that the right people at the right level in the right industry are the ones seeing your posts.

Tip 4: Keep it concise.

Let’s face it. In the fast-paced, consumer-driven 21st century, people want twice the information and they want it delivered in half the amount of time. We don’t have the time to scroll through pages of text in order to glean the few bits of information that we’re actually looking for. Got something to say? Keep it short, sweet, and simple. That’s why digital marketing tools like videos and infographics are two of the most popular types of marketing content. They’re simple, visual, and allow marketers to condense several pages of information into one user-friendly element.

Tip 5: Don’t be afraid to get emotional.

One of the benefits of digital marketing is that it’s actually a much more effective medium for storytelling. Being able to package stories with video, audio, photographs, and text then easily share them via the internet has been HUGE for 21st century marketers, not to mention much easier and much cheaper than traditional alternatives. It’s also easier for us to track how consumers are reacting to the content that we’re sharing. Emotional appeal is a huge influencer when it comes to a post’s likelihood of engagement, and the more you use digital marketing tools to help your audiences relate to your message the more they’ll connect with your brand.

Take this commercial from insurance giant Metlife, that tugs at the heart strings and as a result had huge engagement from consumers. WARNING: do not watch in public or without a box of tissues handy.

Tip 6: Consider ditching that direct mail campaign for an email campaign.

We’re not too young to remember the days of direct mail campaigns, which means we’re not too young to remember how expensive and annoying they can be. Address lists aren’t cheap, and neither is paying someone to spend hours folding, stuffing, addressing and stamping your letters. Email is the new direct mail, and the benefits are huge. It’s cheaper, it’s faster, it’s easier, and it’s track-able. There are tons of email marketing services out there (here’s the list of 2015’s best email marketing services) and almost all of them give you the added benefit of tracking the success of your campaign. You can see how many of your emails were opened, how much time was spent reading them, how many people clicked on your website links, etc. In comparison, direct mail campaigns are just more difficult to measure success for.

Tip 7: Recognize that a strong website is key to your success.

With so many other fancy digital marketing tools out there, it’s easy for companies to forget about what we think is your most important asset: your website. It’s the foundation of your brand, the bread and butter of your marketing tools, and it can make or break you. Your website is, in many cases, your first point of contact with a consumer. Sure, it’s possible that they saw your page on Facebook or they heard about you somewhere else, but that true brand connection? That moment when they decide they’re excited or disinterested by you and what you have to offer? It happens the first time they visit your website. Your website should be as strong as your brand, so to be a killer brand you’ve got to have a killer website.

Here are a couple of things you can do to strengthen your website:

-Make sure you understand how to reach consumers with your website

-Make sure that your website is mobile-optimized so that you don’t miss out on consumers who are using their phones

-Make sure that your website is interactive, user-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing

-Make sure that your website is SEO friendly

-Make sure it stands out

If you’re looking for a real life example, check out the website for Oscar Health. It’s fabulous. 

Tip 8: If you can’t do it well, don’t do it.

There are so many tactics available when it comes to digital marketing, and it can be easy to freak out and think that you as a marketer need to be using every single one of them. You’re wrong. One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a marketer is to over-reach and spread yourself too thin. Less is sometimes more, and if you have to choose between using 15 marketing tools mediocrely or using 5 marketing tools really really well, always opt for the smaller number. Mediocrity is the bane of our existence, so stick with your strengths and work to further refine them. This doesn’t mean that you should never try new things, it’s important for your digital marketing efforts to continue to grow and evolve and embrace new technologies, but if you’re doing something and it’s not relevant to your brand or hasn’t been successful in reaching your consumers, you might be better served by pulling the cord and focusing those efforts on a tactic that’s been more effective. 

If you know that you need to do something but your team just isn't big enough, don't hesitate to ask for help from the experts in health care marketing!