Dental Relationship Marketing

Archive for the ‘Social Media Marketing for Medical’ Category

Are you on board with Google Plus Pages yet?  If not, grab your stake… Perhaps you are thinking “Not another social platform to manage! My team barely has time to keep up with Facebook”.  Or you may be thinking, “Why set up shop there, it’s a ghost town”.  Remember that Google is still the king of search.  Google Pages will become another valuable piece of online real estate for you. I’ve touted how important multiple pieces of online real estate are, and so does Google.  Check out this awesome free ebook, Zero Moment of Truth, from Google themselves and learn how online research and purchase/decision making has changed.

If search and being found on Google matters to you, then Google Plus Pages should matter to you. Will Google reach Facebook’s popularity as a social platform?  In my opinion, no—at least not at this point.  Too many people have made Facebook their social “home” filled with friends, photos, and memories. Plus in some cases baby boomers got dragged kicking and screaming to Facebook—they aren’t going anywhere.

So where do you begin with Google Plus?

1. Set up your Google Plus Business Page.
2. Populate your practice information and upload a profile photo.
3. Enter a status update or two.
4. Plan to check in occasionally to update any followers, and keep yourself informed about changes and upgrades.

At this time don’t worry about implementing a posting schedule to match your Facebook efforts.  In the coming weeks and months we should know more about how Plus Page updates will play a part in Google’s grand search plan.  If you have ever invested money for search engine optimization, joining Google Plus Pages is a no brainer, and could potentially return similar benefits—getting found on Google.

So is Google Plus a ghost town or boom town?  From a networking and “social” standpoint for practices at this point, it is a bit of a ghost town (at least at the time of this writing).  However from a search standpoint—being found on the number one search engine in the US and the UK—it could be a hugely powerful potential boom town. A benefit you could reap with the initial investment of thirty minutes of your time to get set up and familiarize yourself enough.  Here is a list of top resources to help you get set up and familiar with Google Plus Pages.

Remember the key to online marketing today is multiple pieces of online real estate.  Will your practice stake a claim on Google Plus Pages? If search and being found matters to you, I hope to see you there!

P.S. Facebook is still Number #1 for social networking in the US, UK and Canada—and still my top recommendation for practice’s social marketing. Looking to boost your Facebook Marketing efforts? Check out my on-demand webinars for help.

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When was the last time you searched your name or practice name on Facebook? If it’s been a while, you may want to do so today.  I’m beginning to see unfortunate situations where practices have a multitude of Business Pages, Community Pages or Places that the practice or doctor is unaware of.

Doctors, even if you have no interest in Facebook, I encourage you to sit down with someone on your team who is Facebook-knowledgeable and search for your name and practice name on Facebook. It’s important to understand that Facebook accounts, Pages, or Places represent you, your practice—and your reputation.

In one situation, the doctor’s team had created a personal profile for the doctor, as well as several Facebook Pages. The doctor was unaware of his Facebook personal profile, and even worse the profile had begun to accumulate patients as friends. Needless to say, this alone creates a risky situation.

With regard to multiple Pages or Places, note that multiple Facebook properties can cannibalize your “official” Page. In addition, you may have patients leaving comments (good or bad) on other Pages or Places that you are unaware of. How are these pages created? Facebook auto-generates Community Pages, often in the case where someone has typed in your practice or doctor name as their “Employer” in their personal profile. Ask your team members to ensure their employer information is linked to your “official” Facebook Business Page.  You can recognize Community Facebook Pages by their unique profile images, often a briefcase represents a company or what looks like a plus sign within a circle for a dental or medical practice.

Regarding Facebook Places, these pages may be generated via the action of someone “Checking In” at your practice.  This could be created by either a patient or team member. In one situation, a practice was unaware of their Place page and they had several patients who had liked the Place and left testimonials for them. Note at this time, it’s possible to transfer likes/fans, however posts, content, testimonials and recommendations would be lost in the claiming/merging process.  Look for the link that reads, “Is this your business?”    located underneath the profile photo on the left hand column of the Place Page.  Facebook will walk you through a series of steps to claim the Place and merge it with your Business Page.

Also ensure your team is aware of the potential risks of these multiple properties on Facebook. I’ve seen practices with up to five different Business Pages, each one started and abandoned by a team member for “unknown” reasons.  While Facebook can be fun and taken lightly, it’s important to be well informed about this platform.  Invest in team training or consulting when needed. Remember that your online reputation, whether on Facebook or other online platforms, are your responsibility. Take time today to ensure your Facebook presence is representing you well.

Boost your Facebook Marketing Efforts with Rita’s On-Demand Webinars!! (available whenever and where ever you like!)

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Do you wish Facebook and other review sites would just “go away?”.  If so, you are not alone.  At almost every live event I speak at, there is at least one person who’d love it if all this “social media stuff” would disappear. Unfortunately the genie has been let out of the bottle ... people realize they can now easily vet you before making a decision about whether you are a good choice for healthcare or if they should allow you to deliver the treatment you recommend.  Online research has become a pastime for many people. What this means for practices (and all businesses) is that social media and reviews will continue to either help or hurt your business.

Remember when the phrase, “As Seen on TV” was a great selling point? For years, “As Seen on TV” helped to skyrocket the sales of many products—however what about today?  I recently heard about a cool new product called CitiKitty (you cat lovers will especially appreciate this).  CitiKitty, is a “revolutionary” product that can help you eliminate the use of cat litter by helping you to essentially potty train your cat.  Imagine the sales possibilities. Seriously who wouldn’t want to give up the miserable chore of cat box scooping?

I decided to look into CitiKitty for my smart kitty.  A Google search and visit to their CitiKitty website made their product look great. CitiKitty had a nice little video on the website showing an animated version of how fabulously their product worked.  The product seemed almost good too be true, which is why I was so relieved to see the Facebook logo on their website homepage.  Perfect, I’d visit their Facebook Page and check out what real people are saying about the product. Note that before Facebook came along, I (and likely hundreds of others) could have been “sold” outright on the website presentation alone and purchased the product then and there.  Remember, before the social media genie was let out of the bottle, we didn’t think about researching to the level we do now.

Back to the CitiKitty Facebook Page.  The Page had a spattering of success stories, which had mainly been posted by the Page administrators.  The Page was fortunate enough to have good participation on behalf of “likers”. Many of the  Page posts had several (in some cases 12+ comments), however quite a few of the comments were questions, concerns, or stories about failures (I won’t get into the details about the reported kitty potty failures).  The point I want to make is that rather than respond to questions or concerns, the Page administrators ignored the majority.

So what does this say about CitiKitty?  It might mean that CitiKitty needs to go back to the drawing board and make product improvements.  At minimum, CitiKitty needs to respond to their existing customers.  This situation is a real life example of what not to do on Facebook. Don’t expect to set up a social media presence, post a lot of positive PR about yourself and ignore any questions or concerns that may pop up.  Here is a list of Facebook “Don’ts” that CitKitty (and all of us) can learn from:

1. Don’t ignore your fans or followers. Always respond to comments, questions, or concerns. Good, bad, or ugly. Social media is not the place for complacency.
2. Don’t put your head in the sand. Learn from patterns. Whether consistent themes of kudos or complaints exist, there are lessons to be learned.  What do your clients (or patients) consistently say they like—or dislike?
3. Don’t rely on automation as a solution. To make matters worse, CitiKitty Page administrators have recently integrated their Twitter to their Facebook Page. So at the time of this writing they are not only seemingly ignoring their community, they are also posting loads of (what non-Twitter users will interpret as) non-sensical hashtags and gibberish.

The purpose of this article is not to bash CitiKitty. I think the woman who invented the product had nothing but good intentions.  Perhaps her kitties are just smarter or more trainable than others …  I’d love nothing more than for CitiKitty to go back to the drawing board and find solutions to make this product work on a grand scale. Or perhaps CitiKitty wouldn’t work for every household, but the company had such a positive and well loved kitty community that people bought the product regardless.

This is a great example of the enormous power of social media. It can literally make or break businesses.  Today, it’s not just about how you handle yourself in one on one conversations—it’s also about the way you handle the conversations that are occurring between you and potentially dozens or hundreds of others.  How will you learn from the lessons CitiKitty has stumbled upon?  When patients research you online, what will they learn (and think) about you?

Learn more about Facebook marketing for your practice, check out Rita’s new on-demand webinars here.

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Today, digital reputations are increasingly shaping patient decisions.  This is motivating questions and concerns about what doctors can, and should, do to help protect their online reputation.  My advice to dentists and practice administrators is two-fold—including how sites like Facebook can benefit you …

Listen to Top Tips to Protect and Enhance Your Online Reputation (15 min. audio)

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Did you catch the summer edition of Rita’s Relationship Marketing Digital Magazine?  Inside “The ultimate guide to word of mouth, referral and social media marketing”, you’ll find:

Word of Mouth Has Gone Digital: Is Your Practice Positioned to Succeed – Learn about word of mouth champions and how they can make or break your practice marketing efforts.

Move Over Small Talk, How Social Media is Revolutionizing New Patient Experiences and Referrals.

Social Media Marketing for Dentists & Medical Professionals - A Digital Magazine

Also, see What’s on Rita’s Bookshelf … Follow some of Rita’s social marketing conversations, and more.  Access the magazine, here.

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“The marketers will flood in and ruin Facebook”. This is a quote I heard a few months ago while I listened to Gary Vaynerchuk speak. Gary is the author of Crush It and The Thank You Economy.  He is also a visionary with phenomenal instincts for social media and relationship marketing.

Rita Zamora and Gary Vaynerchuk, Boulder CO

Gary said that sooner or later the marketers would finally convince late adopter business owners to jump on board with social media. In this rush to get on board, people would push out traditional marketing and sales messaging and ignore the nuances of new media etiquette … and that this “push” marketing would result in zero returns and thus a mass Facebook exodus of marketers, businesses, and potentially users.

There are many practices who have their social media efforts down to a system. They are engaging patients, having fun, and getting concrete results like testimonials and referrals. Likewise, there are many practices who are posting willy-nilly on Facebook—with no system, no plan and in some cases no clue. So what can you do to avoid destroying your Facebook Page and experience? Whether you are already on Facebook or not, consider the following tips:

Tip 1) Practice owners, don’t let someone “talk you into using Facebook” to market your practice. If no one in your practice likes or uses Facebook, this tool will not be a good fit for you. Unlike traditional media where anyone could write a check and buy an ad, mail postcards or run a radio campaign, social marketing is different. A key component to Facebook marketing success is participation from within your practice—at least one person in your office needs to co-participate in the management and promotion of your Facebook efforts. Why? Because the only way for your practice to benefit from relationship building is through genuine interaction.

Tip 2) Page Administrators, If you don’t have have anything good to say, don’t say anything. Traditional marketers wake up on Monday morning and think, “How can I push my marketing/sales message out to users right now?”. Remember that social marketing is not direct marketing. You can’t push out a batch of sloppy Monday morning posts and expect them to result in something good. On the other hand, mail out a pile of recall cards first thing Monday morning and that could result in phone calls. See the difference?

Social media is different—users have an internal radar that alerts people to sales messaging and tactics. If you don’t have something fun, clever, personalized, entertaining or useful (useful in their minds, not yours) to post, it may be best to not post anything.

Tip 3) Users, clear out your Facebook clutter. Do you find yourself scrolling through your newsfeed and feeling frustrated because of all the “mindless chatter” that is before you? I found this article Social Utopia Isn’t Coming interesting, because it talks about how we all have a limit to how big our social circles can be. If you have befriended lots of clip art friends (people who literally use clip art for a profile photo and are trying to hide their identity for whatever reason), or people who you don’t really know, or care to know, take time to prune your network. Be conscious when you are friending new people. All of that space in your newsfeed is taking up space on your computer screen and your psyche. You throw out rubbish from your mailbox and inbox, do the same to tidy up your Facebook.

Just as yellow page advertising got more expensive and “harder” because each new ad you competed with got larger and larger, so too will Facebook marketing get trickier. Likewise, email marketing. People are often now ninjas when it comes to protecting their email address. We handed our email addresses and got saturated with too much messaging.

In order to continue marketing successfully on Facebook, be mindful about how you use the platform. Honor your friends and followers. Those practices who genuinely enjoy Facebook, have great patient relationships, enjoy talking with patients, and appreciate the nuances of social networking will continue to reap the benefits of amplified word of mouth and new patient referrals. Those who do not, will likely abandon their Facebook and join the mass exodus that Gary Vaynerchuk described.

The future of Facebook marketing will continue to evolve. What are you doing to keep your Facebook efforts nimble, fun, and effective?

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Watch Rita Zamora’s interview with Randy Alvarez of The Wellness Hour about how dentists and doctors can use Twitter for their practice.

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Is your practice Facebook Page flailing? If so, chances are you may not have a Facebook champion in place.  Social marketing is all about people, growing relationships, and interaction. Without the right champion in your practice, your Facebook efforts may go nowhere.  An effective champion can help to motivate patients to like your Page and build excitement around your online community with both staff and patients. So what traits make for an ideal Facebook champion?  See the list below for several important qualities:

Enjoys talking with people. This is a person on your team who can connect with just about everyone.  They are gregarious, friendly, cheerful, and may smile a lot:)

Is a life-long learner. The one thing that will remain constant moving forward is change.  You want your champion to be open to new ideas and technologies. This person enjoys learning and exploring new opportunities.

Is web 2.0 comfortable. An ideal champion will not fear digital conversation and interaction, whether it be via Facebook interaction, email or live online chat. Here is where some practices are struggling, but rest easy, you can always train and educate your champion. This trait will continue to become even more critical with internet marketing taking over a growing portion of many practice marketing budgets. And while some social marketing activities can be outsourced, even the best social media program will fail without internal participation at some level.

Is a natural at nurturing relationships. Remember you can teach someone technology skills, however there are some traits that you can never change.  People who connect well with others and can nurture those relationships—whether online or in-person—are naturals at what they do.  You’ve heard the term “hire for personality”, and the same holds true for your champion.  Just because someone “loves Facebook and has hundreds of friends in their network”, doesn’t mean they will be effective at asking patients to like your Page.  Natural relationship builders also often have an internal sensor that guides them on the right or wrong thing to say.

In working with numerous practices across the United States and internationally, I’ve heard many team members say, “None of our patients are on Facebook” or “Facebook isn’t working for us”.  However with the right person, training, and tools in place, their Facebook Page efforts skyrocketed resulting in amplified engagement and word of mouth.

Who is your Facebook Champion?

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Stories continue to arise about how employees complained about their boss, their life, or their situation on Facebook. Some people blame Facebook for these annoying, disturbing and sometimes damaging comments.  However it’s not Facebook that’s the culprit. In social media—where authenticity and transparency are the norm—our own true colors shine.

So what are your employees, friends, or vendors “true colors”? If you have an employee who is bad mouthing you on Facebook, chances are they are also bad mouthing you offline.  If your Facebook “friends” are always complaining about their situation and think life sucks, this is likely their true mind-set.

With social media, the cream rises to the top—and the rest will eventually settle.  When people are open and honest about their thoughts, values, and beliefs, it accelerates your knowledge of them. Social media is a relationship tool that can grow relationships or destroy them.  Like-minds attract like-minds, and vice versa …

If your Facebook friends annoy you on occasion, maybe it’s simply because they like FarmVille and you don’t:). On the other hand, if your “friends” are constantly whining, negative or put others down, and this is against your values or preferences, then perhaps it’s time to prune your social network.

I’m not going to downplay a situation where an employee is bad-mouthing their employer.  However, rather than blaming Facebook, should we be grateful we have faster ways to reveal the true personalities of people?  With that said, now is a great time to consult your human resources advisor about adding a social media policy and related expectations to your HR manual.

Most importantly, remember that a social world accelerates and amplifies our true colors. If this scares you, perhaps it’s a good time to be introspective and ask why.

What are your thoughts?

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Are you using automation tools to post to your Facebook Page?  If so, it’s important to be aware how too much automation can hurt you. There have been several situations where I’ve seen automated RSS feeds pushing out way too many posts at a time—for example, 5 or 7 posts pushed out on Facebook one right after another.  This comes across as spammy.

What makes it worse is an automation symbol can scream “there’s no human on the other end of this post”. Often posts may not include a graphic image …. take a look at a Page that’s over automated and it will likely lack visual interest.

Another reason I’ve cautioned practices about over-automation is that it makes it too easy to ignore your Page.  There is a direct correlation to the amount of time you spend promoting your Page and the results you will get. As SocialBakers said, “Take the time with your communities, make sure you manage them, manage their expectations, and be social on your Facebook page!”

Read Social Bakers “Automated Facebook posting can make your page fail… Engadget now knows.” P.S. I’m a huge fan of SocialBakers—great resource!

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