How to make good use of your social media time

As interactive media and online communities are getting an increasing amount of use in doctor – patient relationships, many doctors wonder when the best time to connect is. In a recent survey of 474 social media users, conducted by Npress, 54% of users said they are engaged in social media throughout the day.

Twenty one percent of the survey participants reported using social tools during the evening and weekends, 14% on their lunch breaks, and 8% in the morning or before work. All users in the study reported using interactive media tools at least 5 hours per week. 

 

Social Media Usage Trends by Time of Day 

 Users 

 

This means, if you are using interactive media in your practice, you should make time during your day to build relationships with your patients online. Properly communicating with and listening to patients online can take time to do it right, and you'll see your efforts will go much further if you meet your patients where they are. Pre blocked scheduling can help ensure that you have time for conversation and you can let your patients know ahead of time when they can expect to reach you. 

 

I've seen doctors helping 4-10 patients a day through interactive networks. Imagine what it could mean for your patients' experience, their online health literacy, and prevention knowledge if you took a 1/2 hour each day to converse with patients online. (Not to mention what it could do for your marketing and practice growth!)  

About the data: This Npress study is based on telephone interviews, interactive media surveys, and live questioning with a nationally representative sample of 474 social media users who use interactive tools at least 5 hours per week.

They're not just going to know: Educating your patients about your services

Often times when my clients think about marketing, they focus most on attracting new patients. Obviously, this is an important goal but there is another, often overlooked, marketing opportunity within your practice: Telling your patients everthing that you do and increasing your patients' utilization of your care.

Many doctors I've worked with believe that their patients already know everything there is to know about their practice. Let me tell you, in reality, your service offerings may be something that your patients know least about.


How do you tell your patients about additional services?

Take one minute at each visit to relay a short story message about something you offer. Make it easy to relate to, like a dentist might say, "I had the wife of a patient come in yesterday and she said "please do something with my husband's teeth. They are so brown, I'm sick of looking at him." This opens an opportunity for you to talk with your patient about an offering that they may not have tried in your practice.

My favorite tool for educating patients and igniting treatment requests is a practice newsletter. You can create one as an e-zine or a mailing - both are great. The added benefit of a mailing is that the newsletter can be a referral tool. It can be left on a coffee table (where it can be seen), or given away and shared. If you need help getting started with a newsletter, email me: sarah@focus-evolve-succeed.com or visit www.npressnewsletter.com. I've spent a lot of time researching and testing the best way to use this tool and I am happy to send you a sample.

Testing... Testing...1,2,3

A friend of mine from my kickball team is having trouble with the latest direct mail piece for his chiropractic practice.

The postcard he’s using is nice- it looks really professional. It’s glossy, has nice images of his target clients, all his contact information, a testimonial, and even a call to action. He spent a little over $2,000 to have 4,500 copies made. During his first mailing, he used a 2000 person mailing list… but he’s had no calls from new patients.

“Why isn’t the phone ringing?” he asked me over coffee yesterday. “I copied the style of an ad I saw in a magazine. What should I do differently?”

If marketing were an exact science that anyone could learn with ease, then every business in this country would be flourishing. To use a kickball analogy, in marketing if you do everything right, sometimes you get a home run, but more often then not you bunt to first or get a double which is usually more than good enough. Sometimes, you strike out completely.

That is why, whenever launching a new marketing initiative, it is important to test it out and measure the amount of response or new patients that you get.

For many of us, the word “test” is a little scary. After all, tests are used to see if we are sick or if something is abnormal. Tests are used throughout our school years to gauge our aptitude and knowledge retention. Now, as professionals and practice owners, testing can be equally (if not more) important - especially in the world of marketing. Testing can be a powerful tool to move your marketing program forward. Testing can also help you move from, “I don’t know what works” to “It works for us”.

When testing the elements of your marketing pieces, like the call to action, one time is often not enough to draw conclusions. I usually start with 2 different versions of a piece and compare the response. Sometimes, you may need to test more elements but it will be dependent on your business and the type of initiative you are working on.

It’s important to only test one element at a time so the results do not get muddled. The most common tests are:

Timing – Are you always mailing during a holiday season or when people are away for the summer? Vary the timing of your offer to gauge open rates.

Headlines – The headline is often the most important part in hooking the reader. Make sure you are speaking directly to your target demographic.

Calls to action - Are you including strong or passive calls-to-action? Think about things that influence you to act on something and try to incorporate those ideas.

Images/graphics – Is the image you’ve chosen in sync with the message you’ve created? Does it create an experience or inspire emotion for the reader?

Idea for today: Get out there and start testing! What are you waiting for?Stay tuned for ideas on how to measure your marketing coming soon…