Pros and Cons of Social Media in Healthcare (2022 Guide) — Digitalis Medical
With 4.48 billion users, social media has become an essential part of daily life for millions of people worldwide. It is therefore crucial that we use it to our advantage.
Nowadays, the Internet is widely used by the public to search for healthcare providers and services. This is why a provider with great online presence has a greater chance of making new connections than those who do not use the Internet to build their practice.
Social media and the internet can be used to support healthcare marketing. This allows people around the world to get advice. It is important to be aware of the pros and cons to social media in healthcare before you start using it in your practice.
Benefits of using social media in healthcare
1. More patients are using social media sites
Around 80 percent of patients have used the internet for one search related to healthcare in the last year. Approximately 63 percent choose one provider due to their strong online presence.
2. Cost-effective marketing
A strong online presence for a doctor’s office can be a great way to educate and share information online. Patients can access the information from there and then share it with their friends.
3. You can use social media as a platform to share your accomplishments and activities
Patients want to know their nurses and doctors are active in the community. Posting information shows that you care about patients and their well-being. This makes your patients more likely to value your practice and visit you.
4. It’s easy to build relationships with patients
Communication is essential and patients want to have close relationships with their doctors. A survey conducted by the American Osteopathic Association found that 42 percent of adults would like to follow their healthcare professionals on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
Potential patients love the idea of these healthcare professionals being included in their news feeds on social media.
The Drawbacks
1. False information
False information is a common concern in healthcare social media marketing strategies. About 34% of top health stories for 2018 had misleading or inaccurate information. This means that false information may be shared 70% more often than the truth.
2. Lack of control
Social media in healthcare has another drawback: you don’t have control over what you share. Negative comments can easily pop up on your posts, and every person’s social media account shows this. There will be many different responses to your messages, and sometimes even criticism.
Although you might be able delete negative comments, enough people may have changed their minds about you.
3. Self-diagnosis is a Danger
Although potential patients may search about their medical conditions online, they often turn to social media for self-diagnosis. Some tend to rely heavily on the content they see on social media for diagnosis, without consulting a doctor’s opinion about their health.
4. Security risks
In 2018, more than 56 per cent of compromised data records, which was over 4.5 billion, were related to social media.
Social security numbers and other private information could be leaked, which could lead to you being held legally liable. Social media allows you to make mistakes more easily. Everyone must be concerned about patient privacy, particularly the healthcare provider.
How to Overcome Social Media Problems in Healthcare
Now that you are aware of the difficulties you face when using social networks, let us discuss some solutions. These are:
- Determining the role of social media into your campaign and your approach to it
- Blog posts that keep patient information private
- Monitoring platforms and maintaining policies current
- Account security
Tips to Utilize Social Media in Healthcare Marketing
- Share informative and educational content
- Ask for online reviews
- Engage with existing and potential patients
- Use infographic and video marketing strategies
- Evaluate competitor’s healthcare marketing strategies
- Use health-related hashtags
- Provide live medical training sessions
- Spread positivity
- Don’t be afraid to advertise
- Comply with HIPAA
Conclusion
Although social media can have its drawbacks as well as benefits, it is important to maintain a balanced style. Remember that not everyone likes social media, especially senior citizens.
Switching to an online-only model will mean you lose the potential customers who would rather call or come in. Social media is a great way to reach patients and build relationships with them. Even though it is risky and takes time, you can still achieve positive results by sticking with it.
You’re the expert. The internet needs your wisdom. When people see you are online, their popularity and revenue will increase.
Originally published at https://digitalismedical.com on January 18, 2022.