Online Reputation Management for Healthcare Professionals

Featured Article by Robert Cordray, Independant Technology Author

The Internet contains everything today. If you doubt this, just do a simple task, Google yourself and see what the results are. A lot of information about you will pop up some of which you didn’t even know prevailed. As a medical professional, the internet is a potentially good platform that can enable you attract huge client base. Every day, patients resort to using the internet to connect with medical professions and seek medical assistance. A study done in the US reveals that 88% of consumers trust online reviews more than personal recommendations. The research further highlights that 30 percent of the consumers look for doctors online. It is the time a healthcare professional can take to lure in more patients and market services.

However, before you build and fully embrace marketing to improve your reputation using the internet, here are important factors to consider.

Patient Needs

Patient needs are an important factor you must consider regardless of which field of the medical profession you belong. It is vital to ensure that you accommodate the needs of your patients and possibly highlight your specific area of expertise before beginning to connect with patients online.

Ensure you provide a platform where you can share with the potential patients on health tips to ensure that they have access to a variety of information about health on your site.

Privacy and legal concerns

As a healthcare professional, privacy and legal concerns should be one of the top things you have to observe. In every country, healthcare professionals surely are familiar with the various health guidelines set by the local authorities. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act mandates that all information related to the patients must be kept confidential.

It’s illegal to share a patient’s medical history over the Internet without their consent. As a result, ensure that your website is designed in such a way that it can offer an alternative to discuss patient’s problem in a private setup. To make this very simple, provide your contact details so that the patient may reach you and address the health issues in a confidential manner.

Get your website in order

A visually impressive website that provides a simple user experience is essential for successful healthcare professional that uses online marketing and service provision. Create a relevant logo for the site to ensure visibility both online and offline. Plug in the right keywords to enable your website gets a good search engine ranking.

You must also use the right technologies to facilitate effective interaction between your place of work and your online patients. For example, ensure you have a properly configured PACS system to enable you import relevant diagnostic images to patients using online means.

Take advantage of social media

Major sites such as Facebook and Twitter, when used in the right manner, can be valuable tools for marketing yourself. Many people use Facebook and Twitter to connect with friends and other organizations worldwide. Many healthcare professionals are hesitant to take advantage of huge traffic that these social sites have, to enhance their professional life.

Every healthcare professional should have a professional Twitter account. Make sure you actively tweet on the medical issues in your area of expertise and also respond promptly to the questions that follow the tweets. You also want to keep in touch with existing as well as potential patients. Monitor closely the trending hashtags and formulate or adjust your tweets accordingly to blend with them.

Facebook also offers you a huge platform for grabbing potential patients. Don’t shy from opening a professional Facebook account. Ensure you give the account a professional appearance and tone. Also, ensure you modify your privacy settings to manage photos and videos on your page. Like on Twitter, ensure you regularly update on medical issues to make the site more relevant to the most recent medical developments in your field of expertise.

Twitter and Facebook are among the biggest websites in terms of traffic in the world. As a health professional, take advantage of their reputation to build yours.