Social Media Analytics for Physicians

Social media is cost-effective and easy to monitor which makes it ideal to market your practice. Sites like Facebook. LinkedIn, and Twitter are growing at a rapid pace. “The fastest-growing demographic for Facebook is those 35 years and older, while Twitter ranks 45- to 54-years old as its top age category. The younger generations that once dominated the internet are being eclipsed by the patients you want to reach—the old and young—and they are at your virtual fingertips.”

Word of mouth advertising is (and has always been) the most effective advertising for physicians. With the Internet and social networking websites, opinions reach more potential patients and spread faster than ever before. Edelman’s Trust Barometer study found that peer credibility on a social networking site increased 88% between 2011-2012. “Citizens now trust one another more than they do established institutions,” says Edelman.

Do Your Homework

Know your current patient demographics and find out where those patients spend their time on the internet. Are the individuals you are trying to find to grow your patient database online? If so, where do they go online?

Websites like socialbakers.com and digitalbuzzblog.com provide national statistics on popular social media sites. By looking for the number of users in your target market and how they use the particular site are important statistics to look at when considering a social media presence. Facebook also has its own analytical tools for identifying what content is of interest to fans.    

Track Your Efforts

Be sure to add your website URL to your social media profiles. The number of fans on your Facebook page does not equal success or the lack of success of your Facebook page. Analyzing the traffic from Facebook to your website is more telling of the success of that page than the number of fans.

If you choose to do additional advertising on social media websites, track the conversion rates and advertising spending. If you do not recoup your efforts in the first few months, reduce or pull your social media advertising budget.

Understanding who your current patients are, who your target market is, and how to reach them via social networking can have a great impact on driving business to your practice.

References:
http://www.asoa.org/sites/all/files/Social%20Media_0.pdf
http://bsmconsulting.com/BSMConnection/OPH/Resources/Library/Articles/Marketing/SocialNetworkingInterview.pdf
http://www.asoa.org/sites/all/files/Marketing_AE%20Fall%202012.pdf