Social networking is all the buzz. If you don't have a Blog and an account on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, or the latest social networking fad you're considered out of date. For the naturopath launching a new practice, or the seasoned naturopath wanting to grow their practice, the prudent use of these tools can help build a practice. Social networking tools help to share information with your patients about yourself, your practice, or general health care tips that can become viral on the internet spreading the good word about what you do. One of the most powerfull tools a naturopath can use is the Blog. That't right the Blog, not the web page. Here are some simple tips from one of my favorite books "Crush It." to help you get started blogging.
1. What is your passion - what do you want to tell the world about on your blog?
2. Make sure you have several ideas for posting ready to go - why you are writing the blog, tips on health care, new treatments, your personal philosophy, etc.
3. Buy a user name .com, .net, .biz. (More on inexpensive - Cheaper than Go-Daddy domain purchase in the next blog)
4. Begin blogging. That's right. You can begin blogging within 10 minutes of setting up your site.
4. Sign up for Twitter or Facebook if you haven't already.
5. Sign up for Ping.fm and select all of the platforms to which you want to distribute your message.
6. Be consistent in your blog posts, but don't overdo it. Posting every other week when you first start is fine, then once a week after you have built a following.
7. Ask patients for their email addresses so you can notify them when you post. This is critical to growing your following.
These simple tips should get you started. I recommend "Crush It". for a simple read on how these things interact to grow any business successfully.
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Sunday, November 7, 2010
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I think this is very useful information and I would like to augment it a bit by pulling the lens back to look at what a social media campaign requires. As a busy practitioner, I was amazed at how much time this project would require, though I wish that this opportunity would have been available when I was starting out and had more time.
ReplyDeleteThe quote below is from Melanie Wadsworth, a social media commentator I follow from time to time:
"I have created and designed many a FB [Facebook] page for a business. What bothers me the most is that my customers hire me to start up their social networking accounts and then feel like they have accomplished their goals by introducing social media into their marketing plan. In other words, some of my clients don't understand that having a Facebook page, etc. is a commitment that involves alot of hard work and DEDICATION in order to see REAL results. It is honestly very frustrating to get a client who is excited about joining Facebook, Twitter and creating a blog ( which i consider phase 1) only to discover afterwords that they have no intentions of following through. They must think that these social sites will work by themselves. It's like buying a really cool and top quality vacuum cleaner and then putting it in your closet and expecting it to clean your house without plugging it in and using it.
In essence - you need to use that vacuum cleaner at least once a week (BLOG) to pick up the dirt from your floors, you need to clean your dishes everyday (FB) and you need to straighten up the house a few times a day (Twitter), so you don't trip over the things that get dumped on the floor by your family members. And if all of these social media "chores" are not giving you the results that you expected, then it may be wise to ask yourself ... what part i am playing in this problem."
For those who are relatively new to social media, like myself, and want to educate themselves about this area, Google "10 Social Media Blogs You Should Be Following." Like the Naturopathic Economics blog, some of these blogs may provide high quality information that will be useful to you.
Great post. Thanks for the input. Truly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteEdward and Gary,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great images of social media tending.
Love the idea of house cleaning.
Sometimes keeping a presence in the social media world is simplified by having a talking site (like Posterous) and a listening site (like Hootsuite)
Using tools like these make it easy to keep the social media swirl going without an intensive amount of upkeep.
I find the entire world of blogging, tweeting and facebooking fun and incredibly useful to inform patients. Been blogging since 2006, Facebook and twitter since 2007.
I've set up a second business building these networks for businesses, would be happy to help my fellow ND's get out in the social world.