Grow Your Practice and Skills Through Social Media

Social media has changed how medical professionals and the public interact. Clinicians can share research, educate the public, grow their practice, network and break down communication barriers. By interacting and engaging with patients online, clinicians can build trust and open the lines of communication essential to understanding patient needs. Consider this example:

Natasha Burgert, MD, started using social media in 2010 as a way to increase new patient traffic, improve her searchability online, and offer more opportunities to communicate with and positively influence her patients. In that year, she averaged 1 new patient per week due to her social media presence and was able to post frequently asked questions.

Social media can also benefit physicians with professional advancement. In a Medscape.com article, Dr. Crotty, a social media researcher, stated, “There are times when information is shared on social media before it is formally published. I have seen grant announcements made on social media sites first. Medical professionals who follow those feeds have the advantage of applying earlier than their colleagues.”

(Read: "Social Media for Addiction Specialist:Who Should I Follow,and How?")

Platforms like Twitter and Facebook disseminate information quickly and can link clinicians directly to sites that provide the most up-to-date information. If you are not connected with these platforms it may take a few days before the word reaches you, and time is a factor with any opportunity.

If you‘re not sure where to begin, a good place to start would be “Googling” yourself and researching if anyone has posted information about you. Remember most people, including potential patients, research using search engines. How do they perceive you and your practice? Are you visible to them? What is your online persona?

Once you have done your personal research, your next step is to decide which platform will be the most beneficial to you and/or your practice. You do not need to use every platform and having too many can become time consuming. Find one that fits your needs and make a plan that you can stick to. Ask a few key questions:

1. Why is social media important to my practice?
2. What do I want my practice to achieve from creating a social media profile?
3. Who does this social media siite reach?
4. How often will I update my profile?

These questions will help you to create a plan on how you will use your social media profile and build a following. Social media has evolved into a network of marketing strategies and engaging interaction. Clinicians are stepping into this digital world to help patients and to further their own research and careers.

Most popular platforms:(eBiz: The eBusiness, 2014)

Medical Professional Networking Sites:(Phillips, 2013)