Submitted by Business Builders’ Marketing Team
What makes a good health care provider? According to various patient surveys, the number one answer is communication skills.
In the exam room, that makes complete sense… who wouldn’t want doctors or nurses to be friendly, knowledgeable, and compassionate when discussing important health issues? Creating that customized connection ultimately makes providers feel more personable and facilities feel more authentic. In addition, it gives the providers and the facilities more credibility and charisma, while also increasing their regional competitiveness.
But what’s actually driving these social media relationships? Well, lots of things. To make sense of it on a very broad level, we’ve assembled a list of current health care trends that patients are seeing now, or soon will be. As a patient, it may give you some additional insight regarding what you may see happening in your own social media circles.
Health care is becoming more personalized, and its social media marketing strategies are, too.
The global shift to digital has resulted in technologically savvy e-patients — patients who see themselves as equal partners with their providers in the health care process. According to healthed.com, “an e-patient is more than a ‘googler’ (we all do that). An e-patient is a patient… who has a voice, an opinion, a question, or a solution and shares it with others via the web. E-patients may even interact with their health care team via the web. With ever-changing technologies at their fingertips, the growing community of e-patients is becoming even savvier.” The reason? Educated patients get more involved in their own health and wellness, and become self-directed decision-makers in their own wellness or treatment options. Overall, social media health care connections help patients feel more in control when weighing their options.
DIY health care and the rise of “edutainment.”
Another response to the e-patient movement is the emergence of “Do-it-Yourself” (DIY) health sites. While most legitimate health sites won’t claim to comprehensively diagnose your symptoms online (always make an appointment with your doctor for a proper evaluation!) — research tools like WebMD.com and even Wikipedia.com can help patients voice their symptoms more clearly during an actual doctor’s visit. If additional care is needed, specialist providers and facilities then might use social media to detail the treatment services they offer. To deliver their specific messages via social channels, providers may regularly link to their own interactive websites, infographics, and/or web and mobile videos. This fusion of education and entertainment — “edutainment” — enhances a patient’s initial experience with the provider, meaning more patients and referrals for that doctor or facility.
Finders Seekers: Social Media’s Current and Upcoming Role in Internet Searches
Search engines are always fine-tuning their Internet search formulas to produce faster and more accurate results. Because of social media’s staying power, top engines like Google are placing more importance on social media as they collect the data they need to output the best results. The bottom line: The more connected a health care provider or facility is, the more chance they have of being located in a general web search. In addition, patients like you who explore providers and facilities online can be assured those coming up first in your search have made a commitment to social media. That’s a good indicator that they’re keeping your best interests in mind outside the exam room, too.
Business Builders combines leading-edge digital, mobile, video, and web capabilities for more than 75 unique industries, making them Central Illinois’ first choice for professional video production, website development, and revenue generation. Visit them on the web at www.BuildRevenueNow.com.
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