Savvy doctors who successfully leverage social media know it’s a vital inbound marketing strategy to attract and retain new patients, foster engagement, as well as build loyalty.
Reaching your audience, keeping a steady flow of patients coming through the door and standing out from the competition is more important than ever before, especially when it comes to millennials. According to analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the Pew Research Center, millennials are the fastest growing population in the U.S. and represent 75.4 million, exceeding Generation X and baby boomers alike.
When it comes to looking for a new doctor, millennials are searching online and reading reviews before they make an appointment. Unlike other generations, they also lack loyalty. In fact, according to a survey by Accenture, 32 percent of patients between 18 and 34 shop around and switch providers to get a better deal.
Leveraging social media to your advantage can help overcome these obstacles, yet many physicians are still unsure about how to best use social media to grow your practices.
According to a survey by Zocdoc, more than 50 percent of physicians have a Facebook account and 21 percent use Twitter, but 30 percent say they don’t have any social media presence at all.
If you haven’t been able to effectively leverage social media or worse—you don’t have a social media presence, here are 5 doctors you should follow to get the inspiration you need to start.
1. Dr. Josh Axe
With more than 221 thousand followers on Instagram, 34 thousand on Twitter and 2 million likes on Facebook, Dr. Josh Axe, a certified doctor of natural medicine, doctor of chiropractic and clinical nutritionist knows a thing or two about social media. Dr. Axe has a clear understanding of who his audience is and what they want. He offers an interactive experience by sharing informative, relevant content about topics like nutrition, weight loss, and natural remedies, responds to comments and shares a sneak peak of his personal life cooking in his kitchen or enjoying time with his wife.
2. Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson
Flu season is coming! Smart: #FightFlu & protect yourself, loved ones & community w a flu vaccine this season. https://t.co/rsXzj1u3kb pic.twitter.com/CCZEjxrOSq
— WendySueSwanson MD (@SeattleMamaDoc) September 28, 2017
Known for her popular Seattle Mama Doc blog, pediatrician Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson has amassed more than 36 thousand Twitter followers and an active Facebook page, where she reports on and shares the latest health news and information and tips and tidbits for parents. She an expert at newsjacking and responds to recent studies or concerns parents care about like Zika, phthalates and flu shots and has a two-way conversation with her followers.
3. Dr. Kevin Pho
Primary care makes a difference for patients and the nation https://t.co/naphZJJako via @kevinmd pic.twitter.com/EzZAz326QJ
— Kevin Pho, M.D. (@kevinmd) October 2, 2017
In 2012, Klout named internal medicine physician Dr. Kevin Pho, the number one social media influencer in healthcare and medicine. Pho, the founder of the popular blog KevinMD.com, which has 3 million monthly page views, has an engaged social media audience of 156,000 followers on Twitter and more than 108,000 likes on Facebook. He shares timely and relevant content for physicians and patients alike, and has effectively leveraged content to establish himself as digital marketing expert and speaker.
4. Dr. Amy Myers
NY Times best-selling author Dr. Amy Myers is an expert at using her social media presence to build and engage an audience of Myers’ loyalists. A functional medicine doctor who specializes in autoimmune diseases and thyroid dysfunction, Myers shares health information, tips, and recipes on Facebook where she has more than 117,000 likes on her page and more than 17,000 followers on Twitter. Myers provides tons of value with the content she shares, interacts with her audience and uses her social media channels to promote webinars, events and products to grow her business. Follow her on Instagram—and 17,000 of her followers—to see what she’s cooking up for dinner and photos of her adorable new baby.
5. Dr. Catrise Austin
Named as one of the Top 25 Women in Dentistry in 2015 by the Dental Products Report, Dr. Catrise Austin is cosmetic dentist in New York City and an expert at using social media to attract patients, keep her audience engaged and make seeing the dentist (almost) seem fun. With more than 11,500 followers on Twitter and 24,600 on Instagram, Dr. Austin knows that video for social media marketing is one of the powerful and effective ways to reach your audience. Austin frequently posts educational videos about procedures, patient testimonials, celebrity endorsements and “SmileMakeOver” stories and shows her personality with videos of her singing along with her patients in the exam room, for example.