In its initial stage, healthcare social media was perceived by some as “free advertising”. That was a grave misunderstanding.
Such a perception might have come about because there were no direct cash outlays for using this communication channel in healthcare organizations. Brochures, print, TV, and phone communication all have a usage price tag on them, but social media has a different kind price tag–time, creativity, openness, and a love for the services you provide.
In short, there is nothing free in healthcare social media. As with everything else in life, a successful healthcare social media presence takes work. But that being said, following some basic principles will get you going and keep you on track. As an example, below are some best practices for management of your medical practice Facebook Page …
1 – Keep your Healthcare Facebook Page alive
At least once a week, share an article on your Facebook page. You do not need to be the one creating this content every week; share a 3rd party’s content. Share a story that relates to your healthcare services, would be interesting for your followers, or is really meaningful to you. Comment on it.
2 – Engage your patients
Do not treat Facebook as a broadcast medium. Social media was created because people demanded to have a voice. Encourage and facilitate interaction by posting questions, polls, and comments on follower’s activity on your wall. Make it clear to all visitors that there is a real human being running your page.
3 – Be transparent with your healthcare community
Allow followers to comment on your wall, posts and photos. Do not lock down the wall, and do not set the default view to only your posts. You want to foster a community; let them see each others’ activity.
4 – Keep curation at a minimum – HIPAA
The only posts or comments by followers you should delete are those who violate HIPAA rules or are inflammatory. Negative feedback is very rare, but you should prepare for it in advance so that your immediate response is not the delete button. How you deal with negative feedback will show your followers how mature your organization really is.
5 – A picture says a thousand words
People love photos. Don’t just post articles. Upload a photo or a video clip to break the stream of text. Visuals are a powerful tool that create emotional connections between your followers and your healthcare organization. Use them!
Follow these best practices for your healthcare Facebook Page. They are easy to implement and require no technical know-how, Facebook App integration or custom programming.
30 Responses to “Best Practices for Healthcare Facebook Page”
Audun Utengen
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beth gormley
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Lea Carey
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Lea Carey
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Lea Carey
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DCPatient
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Howard Luks
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Matt Allen
Great summary points Audun. I particularly like to highlight the fact that although social media platforms are free to use, that doesn not mean they are any less effective, or take any less work to (and therefore $) to manage and engage across effectively from the perspective of the provider or business.
It’s important to understand the managing, curating, and engaging on facebook or any other channel takes dedication over time. And, when done right, the benefits can be enormous.
Audun Utengen
Hi Matt,
Thanks for your input, we’re in complete sync.
Monetary resources are not the only resource in constraint for a typical medical practice. Time is a very valuable resource, and a successful social media presence will need some of your time.
We’re constantly faced with healthcare providers getting overwhelmed by all the non-stop activity that is taking place in social media. We help them by providing some easy to use tools and strategies that save their time.
Keeping it simple is a great recipe.
Audun Utengen
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Audun Utengen
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Nicola Ziady
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Audun Utengen
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Jorge Arturo
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Audun Utengen
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Audun Utengen
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Audun Utengen
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Audun Utengen
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Neelesh Bhandari
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Neelesh Bhandari
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Neelesh Bhandari
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Jill Celeste
Great advice here! I would add that healthcare organizations might benefit from a comment strategy or process, so that they can plan on how to react to negative comments before they occur. That way, when they see the comment, there won’t have a knee-jerk reaction to take it down. Instead, they can use their pre-established process to help respond to the comment – and show that maturity you mention.
Again, great information! Thanks for posting!
M Teresa Leiva
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Manuel Armayones
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