5 Reasons Your Healthcare Brand Needs Social Media

As a hospital, healthcare facility, or medical practice, you may be considering the advantages of using social media or have already started posting on the various channels. You’ve seen how businesses and nonprofits have successfully used social media to connect with customers, clients, and members. You know that you have an eager and receptive audience of patients and community members, but you may not be sure of the best way to reach them through social media.

To engage your audience, your social media content must be high-quality. Your updates to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media channels should be well-written and satisfy the needs and expectations of your patients and community members. To avoid losing the attention of your followers, your content must be fresh and relevant, and you have to deliver it at a regular, reliable pace. By consistently sharing smart social media updates crafted specifically for your audience, you can keep your facility or practice at the top of their minds.

Social media’s power lies in its invitation for audience interaction. Social media channels help build relationships and deepen trust. Every time someone clicks on, likes, favorites, or shares one of your social media posts, their friends and colleagues see it. For example, imagine how far and wide Mayo Clinic reaches when each of its updates goes out to its 1.27 million Twitter followers. Social media offers an added bonus. You can use social media channels to direct your audience to other types of content marketing, such as new blog posts, compelling bylined articles, and useful e-books and white papers.

If you’re still uncertain that social media content is vital for your facility or practice, here are five good reasons that you should give it serious consideration:

1. Community education

Hospitals, healthcare facilities, and medical practices can use social media to foster education, both for patients and for the community at large. Educational content is a great way to establish thought leadership, so that patients think of you first whenever they have a medical or wellness question. It’s also a great way to update your community and other professionals in the healthcare field about the status of research and clinical trials that your facility or practice is participating in.

2. Patient encouragement

Daily words of encouragement can make a significant difference to people trying to lose weight, cope with a chronic condition, or simply be healthier. By providing this support through social media, you can better reach your audience and play a greater and more profound role in the lives of your clients, patients, or followers.

3. Awards and recognition

Let your followers know about your awards, rankings, or other professional recognition. For example, Medicare recently released its annual hospital rankings, which are based on patient appraisals. If you’re a physician, surgeon, or nurse at one of the 21 facilities that received 5 stars from Medicare, you should let your social media followers know. Letting your community know about your expertise will make patients more likely to choose your hospital or practice for procedures and medical care.

You can also Tweet and post about the accomplishments of your facility or practice, showcasing ground-breaking surgeries, cutting-edge research, and the work of high-profile staff members. These post will also foster your recruiting efforts. They show potential applicants why they should be part of a great team that’s making a difference.

4. Patient experience measurement

Measuring the quality of the patient care has always been a challenge for hospitals, healthcare facilities, and physicians. Social media is emerging as a useful tool in measuring patient-care quality. Patient feedback posted on your social media feeds will give you insights about your performance that traditional patient surveys aren’t designed to provide.

5. Fundraising

Twitter and other social media channels can be an effective tool for hospital fundraising campaigns. Instead of relying solely on wealthy benefactors, you can appeal to members of your community and to professional associates. Start direct conversations with potential donors rather than scheduling individual meetings.

It takes time and talent to use social media effectively and responsibly. One winning solution is to outsource your social media content to a companies like Prose Media. We have the talent and expertise to get you started. We create high-quality social media updates that will educate and engage your patients and community. To learn more, sign up for free, no-obligation access to our platform. We would love to see what you have in mind.