What is social media?

ChatGPT explains to a doctor what social media platforms are:

“Think of social media platforms as digital meeting places, similar to a medical conference that takes place all the time. People create profiles here to share knowledge, news and experiences in the form of texts, images or videos. Platforms such as LinkedIn focus on professional networking, while Facebook or Instagram offer more private insights. Many doctors use them to share research results, educate patients or provide further training. But beware: data protection and the quality of information are particularly important in a medical context.”

Why does a medical practice need social media marketing?

A doctor can use social media in a variety of ways to both improve patient care and promote the practice. There is no question that the use of smartphones has permanently changed doctor-patient communication. What seems simple for many of us in our private lives is often a problem in a business context. Here too, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., can be used very easily to interact with existing and potential patients, increase awareness, advertise services (or products) and ultimately increase sales.

Practices can use social media to share specialist information, offer patient services and ultimately receive valuable feedback. It also makes it possible to gain direct insights into the needs and preferences of patients and to derive appropriate actions from this.

How does a doctor find the right social media platform?

Before choosing the right social media platform, you should ask yourself the following questions:

• Who is my target group?
• What are the interests and needs of my target group?

And define your goals more precisely, such as

• Patient recruitment
• More visibility?
• Would I like to inform existing patients?
• Should primarily new technologies, devices or products be advertised

Here are some approaches:

1. patient education and health information:

Doctors can regularly publish informative articles on various health topics to educate patients and help them make informed decisions about their health.

2. communication with the patient community:

Engage in an open dialog by interacting on social media with patients, answering questions and getting their feedback, which strengthens patient loyalty and satisfaction.

3. raising awareness of practice services:

Present your services and specialties on social media to appeal to potential patients and communicate the benefits of treatment at the practice.

4. sharing success stories and case studies:

Share positive results and real-life experiences to build trust and give hope and confidence to other patients.

5. event advertising and health events:

Keep the community up to date by sharing information on health events, lectures or workshops on education and prevention opportunities.

6. collaboration with other healthcare providers:

Interact with other healthcare professionals on social media to share knowledge, foster collaboration and make recommendations.

7. crisis communication and health tips:

Provide important information, safety tips and advice on social media in the event of an emergency or health crisis.

8. insight into practice and medical expertise:

Give an insight into the everyday life of your practice and present medical topics in an understandable way to strengthen trust and credibility.

9. patient reviews and testimonials:

Share positive reviews and feedback from satisfied patients (with patient consent) to gain the trust of other potential patients.

10. Integration into the local community:

Support local initiatives and events by reporting on them and encouraging community participation.

What does that mean for you as a doctor?

Why? Those who offer good things must also communicate this to patients.

Even if the word-of-mouth is of course still valuable, it is essential to represent yourself, your practice, your treatment methods and your USP, i.e. your unique selling point, to the outside world.

Does that take time? Yes, and not a little, you have to be aware of that. But you don’t have to do everything yourself. Artificial intelligence (AI) can help with this. There are now more and more AI tools that efficiently support medical practices in the use of social media platforms.

How can artificial intelligence (AI) help with social media ?

There are various areas in which AI can support social media marketing. Here are a few examples:

1. personalized content:

AI analyzes the behavior and preferences of users to display personalized content that is better tailored to their interests.

2. better privacy and security:

AI can detect suspicious activity and warn users of potential dangers such as fraudulent accounts, phishing attempts or cyberbullying.

3. automated customer service:

AI-based chatbots can answer questions, solve problems and provide instructions, making customer service faster and more efficient.

4. sentiment analysis:

AI can analyze the mood and opinions in posts and comments to understand how users react to certain topics.

5. real-time translations:

AI can translate texts in real time, which facilitates communication between users from different countries and language groups.

6. filtering of content:

AI can automatically detect and block inappropriate or offensive content to ensure a safer and more enjoyable social media experience.

7. trend analysis:

AI can identify current trends and popular topics in order to offer users relevant and up-to-date content.

8. automation of posts and interactions:

AI to help you schedule and publish posts for your practice and respond to comments and messages, even outside of opening hours.

9. recommendations and personalization of ads:

AI can recommend relevant ads based on user behavior and preferences, providing a better user experience.

Last but not least:

It is not enough to simply share other posts. The most important thing is regularity and frequency in order to be successful on social media.

It is important to emphasize that the use of AI in social media also involves ethical considerations and data protection aspects. Of course, personal patient data must never be shared on social media. Medical confidentiality is more important than any Instagram story.

Responsible implementation and regular review are therefore essential.

And now?

Together with marketing expert Miriam Bonvini, I offer AI workshops especially for medical practices, in which we find exactly the right tools for your medical practice and introduce them together with you. Find out more on the AI for doctors page.