Social Media Bridging The Gap Between People And Dentists Regarded as one of the most significant achievements in recent years, online social networking has infiltrated our homes, schools and offices alike. Today, everyone is connected one way or another. According to eMarketer, a digital marketing firm, social network users are expected to grow to 1.43 billion this year whereas nearly 63.2% of internet users are expected to visit a social networking site at least once a month. With this much traffic, the social media exposure is for real.
“The medical industry has begun realizing the potential of social media. It is after all a powerful communication tool,” shares one health IT consultant. According to a private survey by the wealthy dentist, a dental marketing firm, more than half (57%) of the respondents (dentists) were using social media sites for professional purposes. A dentist in Diamond Bar CA explains, “Social media is allowing doctors to connect with their patients, share medical news, new treatments or even staff additions. It’s helping personalize interactions and form long term relationships.”
Social media allows certain leverages to medical practices. With a larger audience at stake, dental practices can create more awareness and a brand image. After all, being socially active is considered a qualitative trait in the service organization. Many organizations today are regarded for their social contributions. Physicians and dentists who actively communicate through use of forums and blogs tend to establish a loyal following along with opinion weightage. By sharing useful information, medical professionals can help stimulate the audience and improve patient learning. “When we talk about establishing a preventive care structure, we know we need care co-ordination, especially with patients. Social media is allowing us that outlet,” shares the Diamond Bar dentist.
While the word of mouth and referrals have always been the bread winners for most dentists, the social media networking allows your patients to become brand ambassadors. “We often have our regular clients chatting up at the community forums, or re-tweeting and sharing our links. It’s like free press!” exclaims the dentist in Diamond Bar CA. Community forums and rating sites such as and , etc. help individuals share their experiences. Patients can write reviews and testimonials about doctors and their services, helping others make their choice. Doctors can too benefit from such mediums, receiving quality feedback along with a dose of constructive criticism.
“The internet right now is a huge information repository and social media is helping us push that information around. It is not just about business, most of my colleagues are on twitter and facebook. We share useful information, talk about new equipment, highlight risk of new procedures, etc. and then there are the grad students we are helping out,” chuckles the Diamond Bar dentist. Social media is about communication and in any service organization, communication is vital.
