There is one simple reason why I decided to write this post. I happened to Google, the name of a laparoscopic surgeon, and the first thing that popped up in the search results was the website Mouthshut.com where people write reviews on various products or services. A couple of people used foul language to describe the doctor I mentioned and attacked his credibility for reasons that were hardly mentioned.
How can #Doctors establish a proper #OnlinePresence? This article covers the topic in detail!
I know the doctor as being of high repute for his knowledge, skills, and academics and popular even among other laparoscopic surgeons. But any layman or patient searching his name would end up developing a very different (and completely wrongful) perspective on him.
Don’t Let Others Control You
It’s important to note that if you don’t have control of your online presence, someone else might. There’s no telling what a random stranger will do with your name, so make sure that doesn’t happen by controlling yours now.
Let’s say you’re a patient. You’re about to undergo a major surgery – knee replacement, triple bypass, back surgery – you name it. You get the name of the surgeon only to find out you’ve never heard of them. You do a Google search… nothing. You try the clinic’s/hospital’s website. Also nothing. As a patient who is about to have major surgery, do you stick with the unknown, or do you find a surgeon whose reputation you can actually access? For many, the answer is a quick and decisive “find someone you can read about”. It brings a sense of security when you can read about a doctor’s professional history.
Therefore it is essential for you, as a medical practitioner, to manage and control your own online presence. Doing so will ensure that your content appears in the search results when a patient googles your name.
“Don’t leave yourself at the mercy of online content about yourself that is generated by business directories, medical review sites, and articles that feature your name. These platforms can be misleading or supply incorrect information about your practice and often have paid to be ranked in search results.”
What Is an Online Presence?
It refers to you creating content about yourself on the Internet, either on a website, blog, or social media platform. You will find that many international opinion leaders are motivating doctors to get involved on social media, but at the same time to be professional and careful when doing so.
Don’t view an online presence as advertising and an opportunity to gain more patients (which many doctors don’t need), but rather as a tool to make your life easier.
“Every doctor needs to be aware of what information is out there about them. All must regularly search their name on Google and see in what order information appears on search results pages.”
Why You Need an Online Presence?
Patients Are Online
According to the latest studies conducted, it is evident that more than 85% of people go online when looking for health information. Now, 80% of them start with search engines, while others use social media platforms and blogs.
As a medical practitioner, your patients are among those who are constantly using the Internet to self-diagnose and conduct research on medical conditions, surgical procedures, and different treatment options. And while these “research” options are available, your patients should have this information presented to them by their treating physician rather than relying on random websites.
Social media platforms such as Facebook are also used to enquire and read reviews written about local doctors, and some of these may not always be to our advantage. This is a great opportunity to grow your practice and establish your brand on multiple platforms.
Target Patients
You will need to target your marketing efforts on patients in your local area. Search engines such as Google understand this, and with a little bit of help, businesses can get an online presence and target people in their locality. This is an online marketing strategy that healthcare professionals like yourself can take advantage of and reach many patients that are searching for services.
Build Credibility and Integrity
Just like in other businesses, healthcare professionals need to establish a certain level of credibility in order to win more patients. But how do they do this? How do patients decide whether you are the right doctor to visit? It’s simple. Online reviews!
When you have an online presence, patients that you have previously treated or helped will write reviews about your services and probably rate you. If you are good at what you do, then you are guaranteed to have many good reviews, which ultimately translate to more patients. That’s the power of an online presence.
Establish Trust
As a healthcare practitioner, how do you ensure that you build trust with your existing patients as well as potential ones? One of the ways to do it is by creating trustworthy content and posting it to your blog and social media accounts.
Sometimes, patients may not be interested in how great you claim you are or how good your facility looks. They want you to share your knowledge so they can make the right decision.
Offer this information, addressing all their concerns through your website or Facebook/Twitter page. This is how to build trust and get long-term patients.
How to Create an Online Presence
Mark Your Presence on Google
Everyone is using Google to find any local service or their contact details. People don’t look into directories, but they look online. Thus, as a medical practitioner, if you want them to find you, mark your presence.
“Adding your name and address to online directories is like a double-edged sword. Since these websites are better ranked on Google, they appear first, but your name in the directory pages depends on other factors like sponsored results. So, rather have your own website or practice page appear first in Google search results.”
A better option is to register your name and practice on Google My Business as these results appear on the right side of the search page.
Steps
- Visit https://www.google.com/business/.
- Add your practice details, working hours, contact number, etc., and mark it on Google Maps.
- Get a verification code sent by post to your home and verify your practice all for FREE.
Create an Account on Social Media Platforms Like Facebook
Always create a separate page for your clinic/practice. Do not create a separate account for your clinic; you can create a business page from your personal account. The advantage is that you can interact with your patients as your clinic or as a person within the same account.
Creating a Facebook page is very simple; just follow the instructions:
Make Your Personal Website
A website will be the first point of contact for anybody trying to know or approach you, thus make sure it is crafted by an expert and speaks well of your services. Provide easy details about your background with a smiling photo, contact number, and your address. Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices so that you appear on top when people search for solutions to their needs, and you will soon know what the advantages of having a website or an online presence are.
If you would like to add extra functionality to your website, you’ll need to deal with what is called the backend of the site, and that falls under medical software development. Luckily, there is a small dozen of IT companies that have experience in healthcare software development and have the necessary certifications and licenses.
Communicate With Your Patients
- Provide your patients with an e-mail platform so that they can use the correct channel should they wish to lodge an official complaint or enquire to make a booking.
- Make downloadable documents available such as:
- A “new patient” form to fill out prior to their first visit.
- Informational documents about how to prepare themselves before a procedure and what to expect after the procedure.
- Cholesterol and diabetic diet sheets and other relevant information.
- Your billing protocols.
- Promote a specific area of interest that you might have.
- Promote your own expertise in certain procedures that you perform.
- Share content or video material on medical conditions and procedures that you want your patients to see.
Digital Marketing
Paid ads on Google or Facebook and digital marketing are a whole different topic. That is something that has its own pros and cons, and we will not discuss it in this article.
Will Social Media Have the Final Word?
Doctors who don’t build an online presence are likely to become irrelevant on networking platforms online. For that reason, all physicians who are hesitant about building an online presence for whatever reason should seek help from a friend, mentor, or colleague so they can better explain to the physician what consequences await if they never take on that task.
“If you don’t have a social media presence, that doesn’t mean you’re not a good physician in the traditional sense, but maybe it’s your rigid tradition that is holding you back from being a great one.”
In closing, physicians need to take control of their online presence to ensure prospective patients (and for that matter, prospective colleagues, nominating committees, associations, recruiters, the media, family members, and friends) see them and their professional achievements in the best possible light.
