The importance of online visibility for medical professionals
Friday 23 February 2018 - fordoctor
The importance of online visibility for medical professionals. Medicine, dentistry or other healthcare occupations are noble professions, but they remain a business like any other. In order to improve a business and give it a chance to succeed, it needs to be visible and people need to know about it. If patients don’t know that you exist, they are less likely to come to you.
Many medical professionals still rely on tools from the past to get their name out there. That includes word of mouth and passing information through oral communication, distributing business cards or even making large street signs. Nevertheless, they keep forgetting about a very powerful tool at their disposal, and that’s the internet.
Indeed, the internet can be a great tool to get a medical professional’s name out there. Many doctors, dentists and pharmacists to name a few, have adopted this strategy and are actively growing their online presence or visibility.
Why do medical professionals need to improve their online visibility?
Improving online visibility can be beneficial for many reasons:
By having an online presence as a medical professional, you give yourself and your business the opportunity to be seen, known and found. (Potential) patients can know about you and contact you, without being restrained by space or time.
Being present online also helps to improve communication with patients. In this regard, your patients can get to know you both as a medical professional and as a person. This benefits the patients by making medical care more accessible, medical professionals less intimidating and appointment-making easier; while also benefitting you by making sure you stay connected to even the remotest patients. It can also help to attract new patients which can be particularly useful if you’re a young medical professional or just starting your business.
Now that we have established the importance of having an online presence for medical professionals, the next question that comes to mind is: How to have one?
How can medical professionals increase their online visibility?
Creating an online presence and improving online visibility can be done in many ways:
Doctors and other medical professionals can use an online booking platform. Online booking platforms like Zocdoc (USA) or Doctena (Europe) are both useful for patients as they can book their appointments online, and for the medical professionals as they have a very convenient online tool to manage their appointments.
Setting up a profile on business review sites such as Yelp or Google business is also a good idea to build an online presence or reputation, to attract new patients and to have old patients share their experience. However, the profile might need to be monitored closely in case any misunderstandings arise or questions need to be answered.
Creating a blog and consistently sharing content is another amazing idea to improve online visibility. This tool, when paired with correct knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO) and search keywords can efficiently help to increase online presence.
One cannot talk about online visibility without mentioning social media. Indeed, social media platforms are possibly the best way to reach a larger target audience and spread the word about your business. If used in conjunction with the tools afore-mentioned, your business success might reach new heights in no time.
However, some countries have specific guidelines regarding the use of social networks and online communication as a way to improve medical professionals’ visibility. With this said, make sure to educate yourself on your country’s rules first before attempting to set up an online presence.
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