Using the Internet in your practice. Part 2: Generating new patients using social media

Getting started with YouTube
Making a video can be easier than you think. First, a video can simply be a PowerPoint presentation. Studies have demonstrated that it is more about the content of the video than a physician being in front of a camera. There are lots of Web sites you can use to record a presentation; one of the most popular and easy to use is https://www.GoToWebinar.com. There are computer programs that make it easy to record and then simply upload the recording to YouTube. Cam Studio (https://camstudio.org) is a free open-source program available that has a lot of flexibility for editing audio and video files, and it is easy to use. Camtasia (https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html) is a popular program that costs about $300 and has a lot of features for advanced editing. Camtasia also has a simple navigation system for the nontechnical person.

Content is key. You can select a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) that your patients regularly ask and simply record yourself giving the answers. Take a look at what is new, relevant, or controversial in regard to the procedures you perform. Or just look at all the pages on your Web site that have the procedures and services you provide and make a video on those topics. The ideal video is 3 to 5 minutes in length.

ATTRACTING PATIENTS VIA TWITTER
The most amazing example of social media and building a fan base is Twitter. Here’s a question: Who are the people that have the biggest following on Twitter? The answer: Celebrities, rock stars, and athletes. As a society, we are obsessed with these groups and want to know their every thought, what they like, what they had for lunch, what they think, and who they think about.

Now how, as a practicing ObGyn, do you expect to build a base of Web site surfers who want to know your every thought on urinary incontinence? The harsh reality is, if you think you are going to get new patients by making posts on Twitter of 140 characters or less every day, you will be disappointed.

However, the return from using Twitter is, similar to Facebook and YouTube, related to the fact that Twitter is one of the top accessed Web sites in the world. Linking your own content from such a Web site increases the search placement of your content when a potential patient performs a general Google search.

ARE SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECTIVE?
The effective use of social media can result in attracting new patients every day to your practice—if you post quality information on a regular basis that is helpful to your existing patients and especially to potential new patients. Overall, social media can help you get new patients through search engine rankings. Even if you don’t want to do any work on your social media sites, you can hire companies that will do it for you.

However, the return from using Twitter is, similar to Facebook and YouTube, related to the fact that Twitter is one of the top accessed Web sites in the world. Linking your own content from such a Web site increases the search placement of your content when a potential patient performs a general Google search.

The bottom line
There will be many ObGyns who will read this article, throw up their hands and say, “Makes sense, but this is over my head.” Because it sounds so technical, many clinicians will just ignore social media and hope it goes away. If your plans for the next 5 years include practicing medicine, we don’t recommend that you take that approach. The Internet and social media are the “places” in which patients of today are searching for their doctors. Trust us—potential new patients are no longer using the Yellow Pages.

The patients of tomorrow will be increasingly technologically sophisticated, and these social media techniques will continue to evolve. Don’t get left behind. And don’t let your competitors dominate one of the most important sources of new patients you have, along with patient referrals and physician referrals. Jump into this world yourself, and you will be richly rewarded. The social media train is leaving the station, and we hope that we have shown you how to hitch a ride. See you online!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Drop us a line and let us know what you think about this or other current articles, which topics you'd like to see covered in future issues, and what challenges you face in daily practice. Tell us what you think by emailing us at: obg@frontlinemedcom.com Please include your name, city and state.