Why Social Media Matters in Healthcare

While those between 55 and 65 are the age group visiting the doctor the most, you have to know how to leverage your audiences. The thing is, oftentimes, older adults are being seen frequently to manage current healthcare conditions. While any age group can be susceptible to prolonged health problems, those that are younger with no adverse medical history could use a push to get into a doctor's office.

Did you know that people between 18 and 24 actually say that they trust medical information shared on social media outlets by others? This leaves a window open for any practice daring to use social media to their benefit. One common misconception is that healthcare and social media aren't related when in fact, in this day in age, healthcare leads and expansion can be very dependent on how you manage your social presence. 

Social media has been a game-changing force in many industries, and healthcare is no exception. People today are more connected than ever before thanks to social media, which means that patients can now easily connect with their physicians or even find a new one all through...influence. Because of these benefits, hospitals, medical schools, researchers, and stakeholders are leveraging the power of social media to achieve better business outcomes at lower costs. 

Let's talk about how.

The Ways Social Media Is Transforming the Way We View Healthcare and Healthcare Marketing

Social media's evolution and popularity have come a long way in the healthcare industry by combining, healthcare and social media marketing and it presents significant transformations in a few key ways;

• Promotion of better health behaviors
• Enhancing the opportunity for physicians to reach prospective patients
• Allows for policy debate
• Streamlines information sharing

At least 60% of physicians actually say that social media has positive effects and improves the overall quality of care being given to patients. With more physicians getting on board with the effects that social media marketing has on its service areas, we are likely to see a spike in healthcare access and patient care plan compliance. Even 26% of hospitals throughout the U.S. utilize social media.

Why Social Media in Healthcare Actually Matters

While a large amount of the population uses social media to learn more about health, that doesn't necessarily mean that there is a large number of people directly reaching out to doctors' offices via social media. The main reason for this could simply be mistargeting your audiences or not at all. 

41% of people actively rely on social media to decide on where to go to seek out healthcare but unless the content was created for the particular web surfer, they will only be able to go off of random and general information that they find. Instead, tailoring your social media efforts can put you and your practice out in front of that person actively seeking care. 

The Top Differentiators Between a Clinical Practice That Does Use Social Media and That Doesn’t: The Difference In Success

Because engagement, followers, and brand recognition are extremely valuable for any practice, you can often tell the difference between a practice with no social media presence and one that does. The use of social media can help to improve and establish a practice's reputation, increase the number of patients seen, and improve the overall patient experience. 

These are all important for increasing revenue and growing a practice. If a practice is not using social media, there is often an entire population of people that won't access your service but would....if they knew it existed. A practice with a social presence will often have an easier time with things like;

• Establishing a reputable brand
• Using marketing research and analytics insights to expand their business
• Extending medical education and recruitment for staffing (realize that millennial doctors are the next wave of physicians and although social media is only used 12% of the time for job-searching by millennial doctors,79% utilize social media, multiple times, every day so you could bridge this gap and use that as an opportunity)
• Enhancing patient care and outreach (especially in rural areas)

Of course, if you are a long-standing practice with strong community ties, some of these things may not be as much of an issue but newer practices should consider leveraging social media power and efficiency.

Optimizing Your Practice

Social media presents healthcare organizations and HCPs with a variety of unique opportunities. If you are interested in establishing a new presence across social media, or enhancing your existing presence, Curated Virtual Solutions can work to optimize your practice, the way you recruit, the way you operate, and the way you present your facility…all through strategic social media marketing. Get in touch with our team today to get started.