Ignore Social Media & Lose Your Authority

The Internet and social media have profoundly altered your relationship with patients, regardless of how you feel about it. If you ignore this change, you risk losing your influence over patient care and behavior.

Unlike in years past, today you must have a presence in social media because that’s where the vast majority of patients are. While it seems a bitter pill, your survival is no longer based on your expertise but on your presence.

Consider one of today’s most hotly debated healthcare topics, childhood vaccinations. Social media has elevated the opinions of celebrities, politicians and others who have only limited knowledge to the level of equality with physicians, real experts who have devoted their careers to studying and researching this issue.

It’s painfully apparent that many doctors have lost their voice and their authority by ignoring rather than embracing social media. Instead, they find themselves correcting patient misinformation and calming patients’ often-unfounded fears.

The good news is that it’s not too late. You still have a golden opportunity to build your own social media program where you can present information that is confirmed by actual medical research instead of unsubstantiated water-cooler gossip.

Learn more about healthcare, medical and dental social media marketing here: (https://www.practicebuilders.com/marketing-services/social-media-marketing/).