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  SOCIAL MEDIA

UTILIZE EXISTING HABITS

TAP INTO FIVE WAYS CONSUMERS USE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

JUSTIN BAZAN, O.D.

YOUR PATIENTS use social media to share their world with the world. That is the most common way social media is used. And so, it can be easy to overlook the many ways patients use social media with regard to their optometric care.

Here are five ways they do so:

1 PRIVATE GROUPS

Your patients join private groups to learn more about their conditions and, often, for support. For an example, consider the closed Facebook group for keratoconus.

To engage this audience, become an active member of a private group. Networking on these platforms often leads to professional connections and referrals. Similarly, an old-school, yet still thriving, form of social media, the online forum, can provide opportunities. For example, check out DryEyeZone.com/talk.

2 BLOGS

Your patients seek information from blogs, for example, visionhelp.wordpress.com. Gather and share your success stories on this forum to display your expertise. Blogs can be important pieces in your digital footprint, as they are a great opportunity to increase search engine optimization because they often contain keyword-rich content and are updated regularly.

One in three American adults has gone online to figure out a medical condition, according to data from the Pew Research Center.

3 HASHTAGS

Patients use social media to stay current on eyewear fashion. They use hashtags to identify trends. Head over to Instagram and search tags, such as #sunglasses. The result is something like 15 million posts! Improve sales by carrying the hottest trends. And utilize these hashtags in your own social media.

4 MESSAGES

Patients use social media to communicate with you, instead of leaving the site they are on to send an email. Features such as Facebook Pages’ “Message” button is an example. My office has seen an increase in utilization of this feature in the last year. With the addition of the “Book Now” button, consumers also can make appointments on social media. To reap these benefits, make sure you utilize these features as well.

5 CONNECTIONS

Patients now have access to up-to-the-minute information about eye care. They also have access to the industry’s top practices and doctors. And they are connecting to both. Twitter is one such platform that allows these interactions. For example, a patient with a recent diagnosis of dry eye disease may query Twitter to gather information and solicit medical opinions directly from clinicians.

Maintain a robust social media presence, with clear ties to your expertise, to make yourself searchable in these situations.

MORE TO SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media has evolved as much more than a “time waster.” It has become something that many patients utilize with regard to their healthcare — optometry included. It’s important to know how patients use social media so we can provide helpful information and beneficial interactions. OM

DR. BAZAN is founder of Park Slope Eye, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He is a member of the AOA, NYSOA and the American Academy of Orthokeratology & Myopia Control. In 2014, he received financial compensation for services from Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, Vision Service Plan, Luxottica, The Vision Council and Foster Grant.