Social Media: Opportunities and dangers
With social media, health professionals have many tools at their disposal to help build their business. Social networking sites can be a powerful tool in the hands of people who know how to leverage its full potential. When social media is misinterpreted or misapplied, it can become a time sink where many hours have been spent more productively in other ways to build your business. In the media, it is easy to misunderstand, which will help to clarify some of these areas.
One thing that makes it confusing is that social media uses terms that people often assume they understand that "red", even in the field of social media, has very different meanings.
Social media and meetings
With 128 million people using the Internet in the United States, how to reach people and be relevant to their needs have changed. This means that the way we do business has changed. The public now sees your phone for the best buys on products and services. They also use their phones to buy items. Changes in the way business is conducted also affects health.
Social Media offers many tools that you as a healthcare professional can use to build your business. With the use of social media (interactive), the nature of the business of construction has changed. Social networking sites provide an interactive way to deal with potential customers. In previous generations, the relationship between a health care provider and potential customers is limited to interactions so dominated by professional health care. Today, patients talk using Facebook, email, Twitter or any other service, ask questions, and want as a health professional to respond. If you provide a good service, they can tell others, if your service is poor, his reputation suffers much faster when using social media.
In previous generations, any type of marketing is the ads that say about the services provided and contact information. If the health professional had social skills, they can even participate in the network as a way to grow your business. In previous generations, network consisted join groups promoting local businesses in the local community. A health professional usually joined the Chamber of Commerce, the local professional group of specialization, a group of companies like lions or rotary or are really adventurous, Toastmasters.
With social media, groups of a medical professional who aspire joined changed. Of course, there are still some of the old groups used in previous generations, which can be used. Social media offers more options. There are doctors like the Sermo.com sites that are a social network dedicated to physicians only.
In other areas of health, professional groups such as the American Psychological Association and the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists have developed their presence in the media. This allows former professional groups have a place to meet new Internet.
In addition to these groups, there are groups on social media sites themselves. LinkedIn has many professional groups in place, as does Facebook. These groups vary by specialty. There are groups in oncology, depression, professional support health, etc. These groups often offer forums where you can discuss topics of interest to you as a healthcare professional. I remember a recent animation on the existence of discussions Sex Addiction LinkedIn where health professionals approach the issue from different angles. They provide a place to find the latest information and stay in touch with colleagues.
These groups provide a forum for healthcare professionals to meet and connect with others who share the same interests. This is a new application of old-style social networking. The network that occurred monthly or annual meetings is available on a daily basis. Meetings and always important relationship professional development of health in your business building remains essential.
New challenges and new networks
Social media is changing the application of the word "red" in new ways. With social media, professional new dimension to the health faces when they have to deal with interactive media. In previous generations, building a practice involved the use of static media. With social media, the relationship between the health professional and the client becomes interactive. This is not a way with the health care provider to tell the public they are the experts and the patient must accept it. Now back to your public conversations, want proof of your experience, care and empathy. In the past, you could get away with just "being health care." In the age of social media, they want to know something about Dr. Jane or Jack the therapist.
With the new implementation of the "networking", including customer interaction, health professionals are in the new game. The customers and ask questions and interact with them in an environment where health care Health is not in control. Professionals and potential clients to health now share control. Potential customers are now asking questions and participating in social interactions that did not exist ten years ago. With social media, the potential client empowered.They more and want more than a decade ago.
With social media, patients often self-diagnosis today before seeing the doctor. In one study, 81% of respondents said they expect to find help on the Internet, including medical assistance. This means that the public is going to the Internet and social media to support health including self-diagnosis. In a recent study 47% of those seeking health information have also been self-diagnosis. This practice has become so common, there is a tendency to refer to Dr. Google. One of the main challenges of this information is, is that the public is not always verify the accuracy of the information they get.
Not only are the public going to the Internet for help, being themselves often diagnosed in the information they have access to. Dr. Bryan Varabedian said "Information is the new third in the examination room." (Dr Varabedian maintains a blog addressing the convergence of social media and medicine.) Health care providers who build their businesses are now dealing with patients who have and use more information.Some information is good, while other sources is not tested. Another challenge is when patients have the right to information, but use it in a unorthodox way.
With patients who know more, who began to self-diagnose their problems presented problems.The idea or patients who dare self-diagnosis is perceived as a threat by some health professionals. In Texas, a group of doctors continued chiropractors, podiatrists and family therapists because they dared to diagnose clients. This is far from Pennsylvania, where all 277 of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) sent e-mails, which offers digital home visits. In this condition, some patients are diagnosed without seeing a doctor (or health care) in person or talk on the phone. Remains to be seen how health professionals to respond to patients themselves diagnosis. Social media of today warned patients are also presented with more information and make better informed than previous generations questions. Health professionals must now be prepared to meet this challenge of patients who have health care decisions informed voice. Today, patients do not always go with health care options, all according to your word. They can also compare your information with what they find on the Internet. This means that the needs of healthcare professionals to provide good information and be on top of the latest trends and developments in their field.
Admission of patients in healthcare decisions has great potential to improve the quality of health care. Use social media, patients are not only decisions knowingly, they talk. With patients who have a voice, health care providers who listen to their voices and respond shall be considered as the expert. This means that health care must be more sensitive to patients in general if you want your business to thrive.
Potential patients also want to know their health care providers. When patients are often limited in terms of which the patient can see, when patients have a choice, they often have questions and want to interact with the provider. Social media provides a way for them to "meet" your health care. Providers learn how to use social media in the treatment of patients will be ahead of your competitors. Suppliers must also develop social policies "Media", written in the treatment of patients. Healthcare providers who use social media must be clear about the boundaries between them and customers, specifying what information will be shared about themselves and their accessibility.
In the use of new social media, the public will now Facebook or Google to find help before going to the yellow pages. This means that health care providers who do not have a presence in social media will be neglected. They even for consideration by potential patients seeking health.
The importance of social media
When millions of people use social networks, health professionals who choose not to be part of it through the exercise of "social media abstinence" are disappearing in changing the way people interact. The health professionals who choose to avoid social sites are completely paralyze. The public now use them extensively. Whether in the use of their computers or phones, or both, it is a reality. Social media has changed the way people interact on the market.
Dr. Ross Speck, who investigated the social networks in the 1970s saw the coming changes. He said: "If the psychotherapist is to maintain a healing relationship with humans in this situation [social change] -If be of value in the relief of distress, it must innovate." While the comments were aimed psychotherapists Dr. Speck has application to any health professional in practice today. Increasingly important for health care providers on how to use social media, or hire someone to do it for them.
Dr. Ken Cohn MD, emphasized the importance of new media and medical practice. Often this is about. He sees the times for health care providers to act in social media is now, "... because the leaders of doctors in the next two years will influence service delivery models for the next 25 years."
Social media is also a way for a health care professional who aspires to compete with much larger competition, either from other people in health care, publishing or speaking. The use of social media eliminates the size advantage that some feat in the delivery of health care.
Dr. Ken Cohn has been a pioneer in the collaboration between physicians, hospitals and patients used new media to present the message of their work to others. In promoting his book, "I see social media as a great equalizer" He saw social media to improve the quality of care in hospitals He also saw how, with his book could compete with the big publishers.. using social media.
Social media also allows little person just beginning to make a name for themselves. A professional in the highly sensitive health can establish a name for themselves with the public instead of always having to rely on the power brokers of established practices.
Social sites are changing health care, including health care providers how to build your practice. Changing the way customers find them, interact with them, and the services are rendered. It also changes health care providers in order to find potential patients. How to use and control the media is fundamental to any health care professional who want to build their business on social media saturated culture today.
Social media tools
Once a medical professional has a social media policy, you must use the tools available. Here are some of the social media tools and how they can be used by a professional in building your business health care are presented.
Facebook: Facebook is the largest social community. With increasing frequency, people are looking for Facebook to your needs. You can have the company's page to establish the knowledge of your business. Given the size of Facebook, it is essential that the health care professional has a page to remain relevant.
LinkedIn: This social site allows health professionals to network with other professionals. 80% of small business owners on a 2011 report of the survey using LinkedIn. Having a profile will let others know that you are in business and lead to significant business opportunities. Building a business often involves joint ventures. LinkedIn is a way to meet potential partners for joint ventures.
Twitter: This site provides a platform to keep people informed of "what happens". The public often likes to know what's new. Stay informed about events and new products coming out. In the US, 13% of the population uses on twitter line.
Digg this new site can be used to develop a taste for health care providers.
Google: Although not often seen as a means of social communication, has many functions that involve social interactions. This is where people look for services. Have a good Google ranking can make a difference in the visibility of your business.
Once a health care provider has visibility, you will need to use social media to interact with potential customers.
The health care provider can use these tools to ads, patient education, answer frequently asked questions, dealing with common health issues and health issues that may be of interest to them.
Summary of how to use social media
To summarize how a healthcare professional can use social sites to build your business the following steps can be taken:
1. Network with other professionals and people from the local community.
2. Ensure proper patient information. Become a resource. For example, if you are a chiropractor, you could write a series of articles, blogs, etc., in the exercise, healthy eating, how to lift heavy loads, etc. With each item, would improve their expertise in the eyes of potential customers.
3. Have a written policy on social communication media, and use social media to promote your business.
4. Interact on social networks on issues and concerns. Be prepared to answer questions and made available on these websites. You can use them to publish interesting articles, videos, etc.
5. Know how to use social media to its full potential. Social media has many possibilities. You can configure a BlogTalk radio, have periodic episodes on its own channel on YouTube, has LibraryThing book club. You are only limited by your own imagination to reach customers and provide good quality care for patients.
6. Let the community knowledge that are visible on the social sites. Include your Twitter, Facebook or logo in their advertising.