22 Reasons Why Social Media is the Future of Patient Relationships

22 Reasons Why
Social Media is the Future
of Patient Relationships
Shareable Media 2016. All Rights Reserved.
by

“Social media is merely an extension of the doctor-patient relationship.
When physicians are active on social media sites, it affords them with an
additional opportunity to reach patients and impact the daily choices that
patients make. Lifestyle changes are much more likely to be implemented
with regular reinforcement and social media is a simple way to reach
hundreds of thousands of patients [at a time].”
Shareable Media 2016. All Rights Reserved2
-- Dr. Kevin Campbell MD, FACC, Is Social Media The Future Of Healthcare? Forbes, January 31, 2016

Patient Communications Has Changed
in the 21st Century
To build a group or individual
practice in today’s digitally savvy
world, social media needs to be a
priority. Your patients expect it as
part of the doctor-patient
relationship.
Social media now reaches more
people than any other local media
outlet, and data shows that it has
significant influence in the
healthcare decision-making process.
v  7 out of 10 adults 18+ use social media regularly
– including your patients and prospects.
v  Facebook has 1 billion users daily and a market
cap greater than GE, and Ford and GM
combined.
v  Social media’s household penetration, frequency
of use, and “share of mind” in your market far
exceeds other traditional local marketing services.
v  Traditional local media is in a slow death spiral –
household penetration of local newspapers is <
25% nationally, local radio ratings are in decline,
Yellow Pages and Penny Savers are now
irrelevant. Google, Facebook, and the mobile
revolution are driving this.
v  89% of U.S. companies with revenues > $10
million use social media for marketing purposes.
There is a reason they do so: It works.

22 Reasons
Why Social Media is the
Future of Patient Communications

It Makes It Easier for People to
Find and Choose You
1)  Social media profiles rank very high in search engines like Google -- and sometimes even higher than a
practice’s website. If you don’t have a profile, you’re limiting your exposure. If you have one but it’s empty or
out-of-date, it could appear as if you’re out of business when someone clicks over to it straight from search.
2)  In 2016, Facebook and Twitter will offer more reasons to conduct local “near me” searches directly on their
platforms. You will need to post regularly to appear in those results – if you don’t, you risk becoming digitally
invisible on two of the biggest platforms in the world.
3)  When you post useful information on social media, new patients can learn more about you beyond a list of
credentials in a biography on your website, which can only aid in their decision-making process to see you.
4)  Every healthcare provider has an online reputation and footprint whether he/she wants one or not. You can
either ignore it – or take charge of it by conveying the image you want to convey instead of relying on what
others write about you on sites like on Healthgrades, Vitals or ZocDoc.
5)  It introduces and connects you with prospective patients in a more meaningful way than an advertisement,
and in a much more inexpensive way than a sponsored advertorial in a magazine.

It Improves Patient Relationships &
Encourages Word-of-Mouth Referrals
6)  Patients expect their health provider to be current and up-to-date in their education and patient care. If you’re
not on social media, you risk appearing out-of-touch and old-fashioned.
7)  The more you communicate to your patients with useful information, the more likely that they’ll share it to their
own social networks – leading to more exposure of your expertise and more word-of-mouth referrals.
8)  When you post useful content to social media on a regular basis, it shows you care about your patients’ day-to-
day well-being, and that you understand their needs. If you don’t, it implies an attitude of indifference.
9)  In accountable care organizations, useful health content helps promote preventive care, which can improve
health outcomes for patients – which means boosting revenues that you keep.
10)  Fewer people are calling friends/family for referrals and recommendations; they’re posting requests on social
media for people in their own networks to answer. In fact, “social media will a major referral source for
healthcare providers,” according to a Jan. 2016 article in Forbes. This is something money can’t buy.

Data Shows that Patients Use Social Media
for Healthcare Decisions
11)  61% of social media users trust social media posts and activity by doctors over any other group.1
12)  41% of people say social media would affect their choice of a specific doctor, hospital, or medical facility.2
13)  More than 40% of consumers say that information found via social media affects the way they deal with their
health. If that information doesn’t come from you, it’ll come from someone else.3
14)  Social media is where your patients communicate with each other, especially when it comes to their health.
In fact, recent stats show that 33% of consumers now use social media for health-related matters, including
how they feel about doctors, drugs, treatments, medical devices and health plans.4
15)  45% of consumers say information from social media would affect their decisions to seek a second opinion.5
16)  88% of consumers are influenced by reviews and comments online and the ability to search on Facebook will
connect people to these comments quickly.6
1 Price Waterhouse Coopers
2 Demi & Cooper
3 Mediabistro
4 SparkReport
5 Price Waterhouse Coopers
6 LocalVox

It Exponentially Amplifies Your
Experience and Expertise
17)  You can promote articles you’ve published; presentations you’ve given; conferences you’re speaking at;
hospitals you’re affiliated with; your own website and blog; and more.
18)  You can gain attention for causes you believe in like Breast Cancer Awareness Month or Pet Rescue groups,
and details about charity events you’re hosting.
19)  You can spread the word about clinical trials and new research that your patients can benefit from.
20)  It gives you an easy and timely way to educate and comment on items in the news to help your patients
discern between hype and truth.
21)  Through social networking communities and groups, you can connect with colleagues and other industry
experts.
22)  It keeps you top-of-mind. When patients see that you’re posting content that’s useful and relevant to their
lives, they consider you their go-to source for information instead of WebMD or Google -- while reminding
them you’re there for them.

The more you embrace social media, the better your
relationships will be with your patients.
But to do that takes time –
something you probably don’t have.
We do.
Contact us today: info@shareable.media
Your social media presence should be as professional as you are in the
office. Let the professionals at Shareable Media help.
The Bottom Line

22 Reasons Why Social Media is the Future of Patient Relationships

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