Building a Social Network for Your Practice
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Social networking may well be an effective way to keep in touch with your patients, and to become known to potential patients.
by Rodger D. Johnson
If you’re a new physician, then you’ve probably heard of social networks, such as, Myspace and Facebook. You may have an account with one of these services. Now you can have a online social network for your patients. Take Facebook for example, its company data speaks for itself:
- More than 61 million active users.
- An average of 250,000 new registrations per day since Jan. 2007.
- An average of 3% weekly growth since Jan. 2007.
- Active users doubling every 6 months.
While a social network for your practice will never have 61 million subscribers, the shear number of people using social networks is staggering, demonstrating that people are connecting, communicating and building community in an otherwise fragmented, hectic world. “A new report by Strategy Analytics claims that roughly one out of every 6 people on the face of the earth will be using social media in 5 years,” writes Marc Meyer on his blog, Emerson Direct Marketing Observations. So what is a social network anyway?
What exactly is a social network?
Simply speaking, social networks are groups people join for numerous reasons. For example, I belong to a global social network of communication professionals; on the one hand, I’ve created a network of friends using Facebook. The first group I use to connect with colleagues from around the world who share my interest in communication. We blog and share information with each other, hoping that will make our jobs easier and our communication better. My Facebook group is mostly for friends, which means I keep in closer contact with them, even if some are half way around the world.
Rising from web developers’ need to share ideas, work and research, online social networks solved that issue, but what developers didn’t realize was how fast others would want these networks too. “This desire has fueled a cottage industry of niche based sites that are geared towards like minded individuals cut from the same cloth,” writes Meyer. In fact, by 2012, nearly one billion people will be using social media networks like, Myspace and Facebook. “It is clear that user-generated media will increasingly compete with professional media when it comes to the attention and free time of users,” comments Martin Olausson, Director of Digital Media Research at Strategy Analytics.
What does this mean for physicians?
In other words more and more people are relying on social networks as a means of communication. And if you want to stay connected to patients, provide them with the advice and care they need, you will want to consider using a social network.
Today social network platforms are being infused with Web 2.0, or user-generated, technology. Ning is one company that’s pioneering in this area. The company supports a social network platform (software lingo) that is fully customizable to a group’s need. “Platforms give everyone the freedom to create what they want, ” writes Gina Bianchini, a Ning employee writing for its corporate blog.
These networks offer many ways to build a community with your patients. The important thing to remember, however, is that you want the network to be interactive, which means you’ll want to give patients a forum to connect with others and with your professional staff. As a physician, you can discuss medical and health-related issues with your patient, say, to remind them of their annual flu inoculation, or write about ways to eat healthier. What’s nice about social networks, is that you can also invite other professionals to join, such as a trusted fitness trainer, a nutritionist maybe.
Technology is going to advance, there’s not quetion about that. And the trend is that people are growing more reliant on social networks for information. By infusing this technology into your practice now, you’ll distinguish yourself from the competition and grow your practice faster, while developing deeper relationships with patients by providing information that make their lives better.
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Building a Social Network for Your Practice copyright © 2008 Rodger Johnson and AdvanceMyPractice.com. All rights reserved.
Rodger Johnson is an expert in social media, public relations, and corporate communications, and manages all facets of marketing and communication for his clients.
Questions about promoting your health care practice through social networks may be directed to RodgerJohnson@AdvanceMyPractice.com.