EyeWorld India December 2019 Issue

EWAP DECEMBER 2019 65 NEWS & OPINION Contact information Boling: HBoling@BolingVisionCenter.com Jacobs: Carrie.Jacobs@chuvision.com Miller: ryan@etnainteractive.com This article originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of EyeWorld . It has DGGP UNKIJVN[ OQFKƂGF CPF CRRGCTU here with permission from the ASCRS Ophthalmic Services Corp. S ocial media can be a valuable tool for an ophthalmology practice in terms of reviews, raising brand awareness, and more. Ryan Miller, Carrie Jacobs, COE, and Hayley Boling, MBA, COE, discussed some of the pros and cons of social media, how to encourage patients to leave reviews, how to deal with negative reviews, and strategies for growing social media use. Social media pros and cons Many clinics underestimate the time and expertise to excel on social media, Mr. Miller said. “Clinics should ensure that social media contributors are adequately trained in HIPAA and the protocols needed to both protect patient privacy and limit practice liability.” Today, social media is as much about exposing the human side of your clinic as it is about the careful deployment of paid social advertising, he said. “Popular social platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, severely limit the circulation of a business’ social posts,” Mr. Miller added. “To reach prospects, clinics must carefully build target audiences and test advertising to ensure a positive investment return.” He also said that for clinics that can avoid privacy pitfalls and expertly execute paid advertising campaigns, social media offers a cost-effective way to attract new refractive patients. The pros of social media are endless, Ms. Jacobs said, including that it’s an inexpensive way to reach your marketplace. “The targeting you are able to do now demographically with postings has made social media marketing a no-brainer approach to round out your traditional marketing efforts,” she said. “Your followers’ and fans’ posts about your practice and experiences are invaluable.” Authenticity is what drives the bus, she added, and you just don’t get that from traditional marketing efforts. “There are not many cons to social media,” Ms. Jacobs said. “But I would say that if you think it’s easy, it’s not. It is work!” Ideally you would have someone committed to handling the social media in your practice, she said. “You can’t be the occasional poster,” she added. “You need a social media plan and have it thought out based on what is happening in the market, in your practice, in the world, and be willing to change it up should something big happen.” Ms. Jacobs recommended deciding which major platforms you want to be on and consistently posting on them. As with every business “opportunity,” there are pros and cons to social media as well, Ms. Boling said. “The obvious pros would be the ability to grow your practice’s overall brand awareness/reach through low cost, direct-to-consumer marketing efforts,” she said. “Lesser known pros would be the pinpoint accuracy to which you can segment the market you’re trying to reach as well as developing/nurturing community engagement and dialogue through intentional, real-life, «iÀܘ>ˆÌއwi` «œÃÌð» The biggest con, she said, would be the need to monitor your social reputation at all times. If someone engages negatively, it’s important to have a proactive plan in place ahead of time to address the comment publicly—to show that you’re on top of it and working to resolve the issue—as well as professionally while not violating HIPAA or other privacy policies. Ms. Boling said another potential con could be that a practice might spend money on brand awareness through social media that never directly results in a single patient coming through the door or scheduling an appointment. However, she said not to worry. “This is a way to spread your positive message, build community engagement, show off the unique personality/ culture of the practice, and bring the practice out into the community.” Where social media makes a difference Social media can attract «ÀœÃ«iV̈Ûi «>̈i˜Ìà >˜` >vwÀ“ their decision to choose your clinic, Mr. Miller said. “Effective posts, ads, and promotions will allow you to reach prospects unfamiliar with your clinic,” he said. “Patient feedback and your own participation in the social conversation can make you look like a smart choice for their care.” Ms. Jacobs said that social media can help build awareness and community, but you can also use it to promote optical sales and trunk shows or specials that may be happening by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Senior Staff Writer / Meetings Editor Embracing social media in a practice AT A GLANCE • For practices who want patients to share positive reviews, the most important thing to do is just ask. Asking a patient directly may be more successful than relying on happy patients to spontaneously supply a review. • When dealing with negative social media posts, practices should have a plan. • Acknowledging the comments and offering to speak to that «iÀܘ V>˜ Li Li˜iwVˆ>] LÕÌ it’s important not to become combative or disagree, as this could make the situation worse. • If possible, have someone in the practice dedicated to handling social media.