By Lonnie Hirsch and Stewart Gandolf, MBA
The explosion of social and community-centered Web sites is an Internet phenomenon that seems to be everywhere. But approach with care. These are upper-level marketing tools for some health care organizations, group and individual practices, hospitals, and businesses. This is the second in a series of articles about social media and health care marketing.
Social media is the new marketing firestorm
Be careful. There's a strong temptation to be drawn into the online flames just because they’re everywhere. LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, FaceBook, and YouTube are some of the biggest, and chances are you have already tested the waters. But do so with caution.
We recently received a call about social media and online marketing from a practice that had never done any marketing. We also saw an extremely poor attempt at creating a YouTube channel by an office that didn't have a proper Web site. Those are two false starts.
We call it the shiny lights syndrome. "Look, over there, something shiny, exciting and new. Let's go do that next." (If you are a shine-aholic, don't worry; there's hope. Stewart has been known to chase a few shiny lights, too.)
Social media is generally an advanced strategy that won't produce effective results without first having a solid lineup of basics in place. The baseline for health care organizations, hospitals, and practices of all types is — you first need the fundamentals of a great Web site, ongoing patient generation systems, and a well-considered marketing plan before moving up to the social media strata.
That said, this article, the second in a series, presents our take on social media and marketing tools. To start, we'll focus on Twitter, one of the fastest growing social network sites.
Twitter is a real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices. Launched in 2006 as a free micro-blogging service, users can post or read brief text messages (known as" tweets"), limited to 140 characters.
The Twitter concept is to build a community of followers. Messages are posted on the author's profile page and are delivered to followers (subscribers). Users can also send and receive tweets or updates as phone text messages. You can follow others, and they can follow you.
Some people follow everyone who follows them, but we suggest you be selective about whom you follow because you simply don't have time to follow hundreds or thousands of people. There doesn't have to be a quid-pro-quo. People should follow you because they’re interested in what you have to say, and vice versa.
One of the great things about Twitter is that it is not like e-mail. You won't get a cluttered in box with Twitter. Where e-mail is like a fire hose rushing water at you so that you have to respond (or at least delete messages), Twitter is more like a well. You go there when you’re thirsty. There's no obligation to respond, or even go to the well at all.
Our Twitter DO and DON'T recommendations
DO — register your name so that you own it. If you plan to use it now or later, stake out the space; it's free.
DO — personalize your Twitter page. There are hundreds of social sites and millions of users, so move beyond the free customization that comes with Twitter. There are a number of free template sites online (Google "free Twitter templates") but if you are serious about this, get a branded one designed for yourself. (We can do this for our clients as part of their larger branding packages. Call for details.)
DO — provide great thoughtful and useful content. At 140 characters, it can be challenging. Many of our Tweets include intriguing headlines, with links to robust content.
DO — include important keywords in your Twitter bio so that people looking for you or your subject can find you.
DON'T — share anecdotes about your cat's adorable new kittens. Unless you are a rock star or celebrity, other people don't care.
DON'T — try to follow thousands of people. Our recommendation is to start with a handful of thought leaders in your field, maybe up to 100. This is a great way to tap into thought leaders and actually get a lot of value out of Twitter.
DON'T — use the automated services (bots) that follow thousands of others in the hope they will follow you. It's not a popularity contest, and besides, what are you gaining when your robot follows their robot?
DO — use helpful applications like Twellow.com (to look up people), TweetDeck.com (instead of Twitter’s clumsy interface), and maybe TweetLater.com if you want to spread tweets over time. To shorten URLs so that you can stay within 140 characters, use www.bit.ly.
DON'T — start or expect much too fast. Commit to doing a little bit every day for a couple of weeks. Then, once you know the lay of the land, you'll be able to better evaluate your experience.
DO — tell patients and colleagues that you are on Twitter, and promote your Twitter address so people can easily follow you. When Stewart attended an Internet marketing conference recently, all the speakers had their Twitter addresses on the final slide.
If you want to really understand the Twitter world, DO read "The Twitter Book," by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein.
Conclusion
Twitter can be strictly personal, entirely business, or something of a crossover, in short bursts of text. It's a network of user-generated pages (sometimes about goods and services) that can be promoted within the network.
Twitter (and social media) are advanced marketing strategies and may not be for everyone. Don't go there except as an adjunct to the basics, such as a sound marketing plan and a solid Web site.
If you are trying to monetize your Twitter efforts, get in line. Some people are using Twitter to drive lots of traffic to their Web sites and therefore make sales, but we recommend you think of Twitter more for passive research and recreation (when you follow someone) or publicity (indirect free press) when someone follows you.
Once in awhile you may have some great content on your Web site that can also lead to sales. When that happens, go for it, but be judicious. No one likes a spammer.
Check with us before you leap into the social media phenomenon, and watch for additional articles in the future. In the meantime, you can follow Stewart @MedicalMktg and Lonnie @HCSuccess. Or you can reach us by e-mail or just pick up the phone. It may be old school, but it's still highly effective. Call 800-656-0907.
Editor's Note: Dental Economics managing editor Kevin Henry can be found on Twitter @kgh23.
Stewart Gandolf, MBA, and Lonnie Hirsch are cofounders of Healthcare Success Strategies, and two of America’s most experienced practice marketers. They have worked with dentists for a combined 30 years, have written numerous articles on practice marketing, and have consulted with more than 3,000 private health-care practices. You may reach them by calling (888) 679-0050, through their Web site at www.healthcaresuccess.com, or via e-mail at [email protected].
Reprinted with permission from the Healthcare Success Marketing Advisor Newsletter. Click here to subscribe.
