Many doctors and health professionals in Colombia have active accounts on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok. However, if you haven't created yours yet or aren't active, this article will give you some easy ideas to help you improve your social media presence. Here we explain the trends of social networks this 2024.
1. Create accounts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Social networks have become a fundamental part of many people's lives, so much so that it is the first thing they look at when they get up and the last thing they see when they go to bed. This is why it is important that you are on the most popular social networks of the moment. Facebook and Instagram are the social networks that have long dominated the market. However, several other platforms have emerged that have risen to fame in significant ways such as TikTok. It is important to start having a presence on these new platforms immediately, to have an advantage over your competitors that have not yet joined. Keep in mind that as TikTok becomes more famous, there will be more restrictions and it will be more difficult to get noticed.
For healthcare professionals looking to improve their online presence, we recommend focusing your efforts on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. These platforms offer several advantages and can be extremely effective in attracting and retaining patients. Below, we explain the advantages and uses of each social network:
Instagram
Advantages:
- Visually attractive platform.
- Great reach among young and adult audiences.
- Tools for content creation such as Reels, Stories and IGTV.
Uses:
- Publish Photos and Videos: Share images of the clinic, medical equipment and treatment results (with due consent).
- Education: Use Reels and Stories to share health tips, tutorials, and answer frequently asked questions.
- Engagement: Interact with followers through comments and direct messages, creating an active and committed community.
Facebook
Advantages:
- Diverse and global audience.
- Robust tools for creating events, groups and announcements.
- Ability to integrate services such as online dating and messaging.
Uses:
- Informative Content: Publish articles, updates on medical practice and patient testimonials.
- Groups and Communities: Create and participate in health-related groups to share knowledge and make connections.
- Events: Host virtual events, such as talks and webinars, to educate the community and attract new patients.
TikTok
Advantages:
- Great reach among young audiences.
- Platform for creative and short content.
- High viralization capacity.
Uses:
- Educational Videos: Publish short videos with health tips, explanations of medical procedures and debunking myths.
- Entertaining Content: Use trends and challenges to make content more accessible and engaging.
- Personal Connection: Show the human side of your medical practice, sharing daily experiences and achieving a greater connection with followers.
General Recommendation
If you don't have the time or energy to manage all the platforms, choose one that you can manage effectively. It is preferable to maintain a constant and quality presence on a single social network, rather than doing it inconsistently on several.
Other Social Networks to Consider
Depending on your strategy and target audience, you can also explore other platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest. Each has its own advantages and can complement your digital marketing efforts.
2. Post videos
Videos are attractive posts and it's what is generating the most results. For this reason, it is very important to start making short videos to put them on reels and stories on Instagram and Facebook and for your account on TikTok. You can make videos answering questions to patients, explaining a disease, treatment, or technology. You could also invite your secretary, assistant, and/or patients, as long as they feel comfortable doing so. Remember that showing the human side of your practice gives the patient confidence. You can also upload the videos you record for your social networks to your YouTube channel. This will help you appear in Google search results.
3. Social networks for customer service
Social networks have become important customer service channels. Therefore, it is important that if you have opened an account on a social network, you answer the questions that your patients ask you. If you do not want to receive messages through this means, you can deactivate that option.
4. Local marketing
It is essential that your followers know in which city you are located. Well, although many doctors already attend virtual consultations, most people will look for a local doctor. Do not forget to add the city and your specialty in the detail of your profile, for example, “Pediatrician in Bogotá”. Additionally, in the publications, you can also add the location. This will help you attract a local following.
5. Post information of interest
By making a presence on social networks, you should share valuable information that helps your patients resolve doubts and concerns. The best way to start is to remember the questions your patients ask you in the office every day. Answering them either with a written post or a video can be of great interest to the community.
6. Tools to make graphics like professionals
If you need help creating elegant and professional graphics, there are many free programs that will create the designs for you. We recommend Canva . Remember to keep your brand identity. That is, use the same colors, fonts, and style so that your social media account looks harmonious, organized, and professional. If you have a logo, it would be ideal to place it in the corner of each publication.
7. Handle negative comments gracefully
It is inevitable that at some point you will receive bad comments. It is important to answer them in a friendly way and without entering a public debate. For example, you could answer: "We appreciate your comment, it helps us a lot to improve in the future." or & ldquo; I would like to know a little more about the problem, I will be contacting you soon. & rdquo; The trick is that the good comments outweigh the negative ones. It is very important to provide good service so that your patients are encouraged to write positively.
8. Keep in touch with your current patients:
Invite your patients to follow you on social media and to recommend or like your posts. Additionally, you can send you special promotions through Instagram or request that they tell about their experience in stories and tag you. Give it "like" and commenting on their posts keeps you close to your patients.
9. Increase your REAL followers
The recommendation is to gradually increase the number of followers with real people who are potential patients. The best way to start is to invite your patients to follow you. You must follow your patients for them to follow you. Place in all the stationery, for example in your business cards, the links of your social networks as well as in the signature in your email. Do not forget to put # with the keywords that refer to the publication and/or the service that you provide in this way your publications will appear in searches.
10. Make strategic alliances
Join a colleague for a live together and talk about a topic of interest. For example: if you are a dermatologist and there are skin diseases that can be caused by eating, make an alliance with a nutritionist. You can also re-post any publication of a colleague that is of interest to your followers.
11. Request written permission to post photos of your patients:
It is important that if you are going to place photos with patients, ask for a written authorization to avoid discomfort. Before and after photos are ideal for all doctors who handle the aesthetic part. If you do not handle the aesthetic part, you can post friendly photos with your patients during the consultation.
12. Testimonials
Publishing the testimonials of your patients is your best cover letter. We recommend making short 30-second videos where the patient explains why they came to the consultation, how the process was, and at the end explain why they recommend it. If you have a profile on Medicosdoc.com remember to send us these videos to publish them.
13. Do not post everything
It is important to publish content to keep your social networks active and your audience happy, but keep in mind that there are publications that are not appropriate or are susceptible to some people and it is better not to publish them. We recommend avoiding photos or videos of surgeries, images that show blood or any part of the body that is inappropriate.
14. Personal account vs professional account
It is important to keep your private or personal life apart from work or professional life. Our recommendation is to have two accounts. A private account so that your followers are your friends and family and you can post photos of your personal life. And a public account where her followers are patients or people interested in her publications on medical topics. Remember that the account must be configured as public so that you do not limit access to it. In your public account, you can put some personal photos if you wish, but you should take into account avoiding photos in a bathing suit or at a party with liquor since this type of image takes away a bit of professionalism and can generate a bad impression of you as a professional.
I hope these tips have been helpful to you. Remember that for a digital marketing strategy to be comprehensive and effective, it must have a presence in all possible channels. The effective channels for doctors in Colombia are medical directories, websites, social networks, videos, blogs, among others. If you want to know more about digital marketing for the health sector in Colombia, do not hesitate to contact us.
If you want to start attracting new patients through our health directory MedicosDoc.com, do not hesitate to contact us at 305 337 7860 or info@medicosdoc.com.