How Healthcare Organizations Can Use Social Media to Engage More Patients In 2020

1. How Healthcare Organizations Can Use Social Media to Engage More Patients In 2020 Knowing how to make use of social media in healthcare digital marketing helps build patient engagement, and increase loyalty & satisfaction among patients. With every year, the use of social media is growing rapidly and an increasing number of people are joining social media every day. Social media for healthcare can contribute to increased communication among patients, doctors and other healthcare providers, efficient treatment and organizational transparency. In order to engage and interact with the patients, social media promotion must be a part of a good healthcare digital marketing strategy. Businesses are focusing on social media marketing to attract more potential patients and broaden their reach. A report released by HubSpot shows that about 45% of people spend more than one hour a day watching videos. On top of that, 39% of potential

2. patients call to make an appointment after watching a video on a healthcare topic. 65 percent of potential patients visit the practice’s website. This shows that people are actively searching for health information on social media channels. Therefore, today majority of the medical practices, hospitals, pharmaceuticals and other healthcare businesses are focusing on social media marketing and they recognize the potential of social media to improve patient experience. So, healthcare organizations can use this space to ensure that patients are equipped with the right information when they need to make important decisions about their own healthcare. So, let us see the social media marketing strategies that can help medical practices and healthcare businesses to improve patient engagement. Show that you are a trusted source of healthcare information to your patients: Patients may need to always ask questions, they sometimes have certain doubts related to healthcare for which they look for answers online instead of raising a question. As per Pew Research Centre, 80 percent of adults in the U.S. look for health information online. You can use social media as a platform for giving answers to any of the patient’s questions and thereby provide services while also establishing your credibility in a public setting. To do that, you can share links to blogs, video clips or any other piece of valuable health information on social media and educate your audience. Social posts that connect with audiences and meet the need of the patients are creative posts that can improve your credibility. After encountering an accessible and engaging introduction to a healthcare issue in bite-size form, consumers may feel better informed as well as motivated to seek further information and they are likely to associate with your medical practice or healthcare brand. Don’t make it too formal, add some fun: Healthcare organizations need not restrict themselves to delivering statistics about serious health conditions which people may find alarming. Healthcare organizations can use social media platforms as an opportunity for content marketing so that it is more human and approachable. Adding more fun to your healthcare related content helps improve patient experience as well as patient engagement. Encourage light-hearted conversations with your patients just as having a friendly conversation with your friend rather than having a formal conversation. For example, every November many healthcare organizations raise awareness about men’s health issues on social media using hashtags. A healthcare organization used this opportunity to invite people to take a selfie of themselves with a real or fake moustache-and post it to the healthcare organization’s Facebook page. Every week one participant was chosen and given fifty dollars. This drove increased traffic to the medical center’s website for men’s health content-further educating the public on common health issues like prostate cancer, testicular cancer, as well as mental health and suicide prevention. Be up to date and share timely information about health related events: Whenever there is an urgent event that is related to healthcare, social media can be used to reach out to a wider audience. For example, when severe storms and flooding recently impacted local communities in Tennessee, United Healthcare shared timely information about how its members could make alternative arrangements to access the care that they needed and provided emotional support line in the wake of the emergency. These types of social media sharing can make your organization a trusted resource that people can depend on at the time of crisis and for their everyday preventive and ongoing care.

3. Maintain social media privacy: Social media marketing helps healthcare organizations to attract many potential patients but there are a few important things to keep in mind when it comes to privacy and compliance. Patient privacy is an important element that healthcare marketers must keep in mind. So, while keeping an active presence on social channels you should be careful about what you disclose in this very public setting. When you share a patient’s story on social media, make sure that you adhere to HIPAA guidelines and also have a patient’s written consent to reveal the specific personal health information. HIPAA Journal points out that your employees must be fully trained on HIPAA social media rules to avoid the possibility of accidental violations. Also, it is vital to get the patient’s documented consent before using images and videos that someone may use to identify the patient. Your staff must be well-trained on HIPAA social media regulations so that no violations are made. This is one of the best ways to connect with patients. Meaningful stories related to actual patients and their experience could help other patients understand that they are not the only ones suffering from specific health issues. Patient success stories help build optimism and a positive outlook in other patients. Patients with similar conditions will become more confident to approach you and utilize your services. In today’s digital world, doctors, hospitals and healthcare businesses should maintain a proactive presence on social media. This helps to build patient engagement, and increase loyalty and satisfaction among patients. Therefore, it is important to know how to make use of social media in healthcare digital marketing. A professional medical SEO service provides the right strategies and techniques to improve brand awareness, and help you reach out to a wider patient base that really need your services. (800) 941-5527