Ways to improve patient engagement by leveraging social media
Social media is a great way to engage with patients and build relationships, but it’s not enough on its own. Healthcare organizations need to take a more strategic approach when using social media. Here are some ideas for how you can do that.
Introduction
Social media is the most
effective way to reach patients, but it can also be a powerful tool for
improving patient engagement levels. Social media has become an integral part
of our daily lives, and as such, we spend more time on it than ever before. In fact,
70% of adults use a social network, like Facebook or Twitter, every single day!
Social media is a powerful
tool that can be used to increase patient engagement.
As a healthcare provider, you can use social media to communicate with your
patients in a way that will keep them coming back for more. Engaging patients
on social media is an effective way to increase patient interaction and build
trust with your patients. Social media gives you the opportunity to reach out
directly to your patients and engage them at their level.
By using social media as an
outlet for communication, you can become more familiar with your patients’
concerns and ensure that you are providing the information they need. This will
help build stronger relationships between you and your patients, which will
lead to increased patient satisfaction and better outcomes for all involved.
Share relevant, timely, and valuable
information
A great way to improve your
patient engagement is by sharing relevant, timely, and valuable information.
- Relevant: Share only the information that your target audience needs at that specific time. For example, if you’re at a doctor’s office and you’re offering flu shots in February, don’t post about how excited you are about it because everyone else will see it anyway. If there’s something more important going on in the world—like an election or natural disaster—then share something else instead! Your goal should be building trust with those who follow you so they feel like they can rely on what comes from your account as being trustworthy and accurate.
- Timeliness: The best time to post is when people actually have questions about certain topics (such as “What should I eat?”). If someone asks this question today but doesn’t get an answer until tomorrow morning when they come into work/school/home again then chances are good that person won’t even bother checking back later today because why bother looking up info when I already know everything anyway? So make sure all posts are published before midnight Pacific Time every day so no one misses out on anything useful happening elsewhere online during those hours either!
Humanize your brand
Humanizing your brand is one
of the most effective ways to improve patient engagement. The human element of
healthcare can be seen in everything from how you treat patients, to how you
communicate with them and even the way you present yourself online.
- Use videos, photos, and infographics to humanize your brand. Videos are often a good way for healthcare providers to express themselves authentically and relate their experiences as health professionals. They can also be used as educational tools for patients who may not have access or opportunity otherwise. Photos allow patients an opportunity not only to see a different side of their physicians but also to get insight into what goes on behind closed doors at workplaces like hospitals or clinics where there aren’t many opportunities for public interactions between doctors and patients alike. Humanize yourself through humor: Humor plays a vital role in making people feel comfortable around each other which ultimately leads them toward better relationships over time.
- Share stories about how things were done differently back then versus today so they understand why there are certain procedures now instead of then because these techniques helped save lives both times around!
Engage directly with patients
Engaging directly with
patients is a great way to build your brand, engage with your audience, and
create a social community around your brand. Here are some ways you can do it:
- Respond to patient questions and comments. You may have heard that responding promptly is the key to good customer service on social media—and the same holds true for engaging with patients on social media. If someone asks a question or comment, get back to them quickly so they know that you’re listening!
- Create an account where people can share their experiences with others (like Yelp). This could be as simple as creating a Facebook page dedicated solely to sharing patient reviews/experiences at each hospital or clinic location where they go regularly; however, having an official “patient experience” page allows this information (positive or negative) to be aggregated into one place where all stakeholders can find it easily—making it easier than ever before for employees in charge of promoting patient engagement initiatives within specific departments across multiple locations within an organization such as yours!
Listen to your audience and learn from them
When you listen, you’re able to identify what your audience is saying
and make decisions based on that information. You will be able to see trends in
their behavior, which can assist in improving your service or product
offerings. As such, it’s critical that you pay attention not only when
designing an experience for patients but also to ways for them to engage with
the service (e.g., via social media).
It’s also important that healthcare organizations work with their
clients and patients to create an experience they want, not just what they
think is best. Streamline your processes, but don’t ignore the human element.
Encourage reviews on social media and
third-party review sites
Reviews can help patients make
decisions about where to go, and they can also help potential patients find
you. Reviews are a great way for them to get feedback on their experience with
your practice, which gives you an opportunity to learn what’s working well and
what might need improvement.
If
you want to get more reviews on your practice’s social media pages, here are a
few tips.
– Promote the page on your
website and in your office. -Have an easy way for patients to leave reviews,
like an email address or phone number that they can reach you at. -Ask patients
who are leaving reviews if there’s anything else they’d like you to know about
their experience with your practice.
– Encourage patients to share
their reviews on social media and other platforms. -Be proactive in asking
patients if they had a good experience with you and what they think could be
improved.
Integrate social media into your practice’s
website
If you have a website, it is
important to include links to your social media accounts on it. This will allow
patients to easily share information with their friends and family, as well as
make them aware of new developments in health care that can help them better
understand their health concerns or remember to come back for follow-up
appointments.
Social media for
physicians is a great way to holistically improve your
practice. You can also use this method as an opportunity to promote other
aspects of your practice such as education programs or community outreach
events that may not be directly related but could benefit from increased
exposure through these channels.
Conclusion
Social media can be a powerful
tool for effectively improving patient engagement levels. The key to effective
use of social media is to share relevant, timely, and valuable information with
your audience. This means that you should be humanizing your brand and engaging
directly with patients on a one-on-one basis. Listening to what they have to
say also helps you understand their needs better, which will help you create
solutions that meet those needs as well as exceed expectations.
We’ve outlined seven ways to
leverage social media to increase patient
engagement, and hopefully, this article has given you some
ideas on how to get started. Remember that while all of these strategies will
work well with social media, they may not be as effective when compared to
other marketing systems or programs. The key is finding what works best for
your practice and patients based on their needs and preferences.
BraveLabs helps physicians and healthcare
providers engage in highly effective social media campaigns. Contact us today
to start social media marketing for healthcare at
your practice.
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