UTSW Radiology Social Media Guide

10 Tenets of Social Media Usage

Social Media Best Practices

1. Everything is public.

2. Be respectful.

3. Do not “friend” patients.

4. Protect your identity.

5. Be transparent about your role at UT Southwestern.

6. Respect copyright laws.

7. Only incidental personal use is allowed.

8. Be cautious.

9. Report inappropriate activity.

10. Do not respond to media inquiries.

There are 2 key audiences that we market to.

Consumers

Healthcare Providers

Method: Social media marketing and digital marketing are most suitable to market to consumers.

Method: Network marketing is the most effective way to increase access and knowledge of our services to at-risk patients.

Social Media Marketing New Trends

Social media usage has jumped by more than 12% in the past 2 years - the largest increase since the boom in 2011.

According to 2020 statistics, the typical user now spends roughly 15% of their waking life using social media platforms with the average 20-year-old spending 3 hours on social media each day.

Instagram is projected to grow even 10x faster than TikTok - the 2nd fastest grown social media platform.

Social Media Channels Department Uses: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Twitter

Our

Social Media Best Practices

Healthcare Social Media Statistics

40% 31% 41%

More than 40% of consumers say that information found via social media affects the way they deal with their health. (source: Mediabistro) 31% of healthcare professionals use social media for professional networking. (source: MedTechMedia) 41% of people said social media would affect their choice of a specific doctor, hospital, or medical facility. (source: Demi & Cooper Advertising and DC Interactive Group)

Social Media Best Practices

Healthcare Social Media Statistics

60%

60% of social media users are the most likely to trust social media posts and activity by doctors over any other group. (source: Infographics Archive)

Doctors are viewed as respected members of society. As such, doctors are also highly revered for their opinions when they are shared on social media, which is even more reason to help boost your reach as a healthcare professional and actively use social media to discuss the industry, patient testimonials, research updates, and professional achievements.

@utsw_radiology @UTSWRadiology

Instagram and Facebook More than 50% of people under 24 will research an organization's Instagram page before visiting their website. Through videos, graphics, and reels, our team, in partnership with CMPA, produces PCC-appropriate content to help build trust and turn clicks into clients.

Instagram: Best Practices Reach a Wider Audience Instagram is a really great platform for practices and their physicians to reach a wider audience and gain potential patients. By using keywords and relevant hashtags in your captions, you can target specific audiences and reach people who may not have known about your practice otherwise.

Showcase Services and Facilities Instagram can be used to showcase the services and facilities offered by a healthcare practice and solo physician. By sharing genuine pictures and videos of the facility and the staff, potential patients can get a better idea of what to expect when they visit and feel more comfortable during their initial visit. Getting your entire practice involved in creating video content of the day-to-day life of the practice performs better than any other kind.

Sharing Patient Testimonials Sharing patient success stories on Instagram is one of the most effective ways for Doctors to build trust with potential patients. When a person is looking for a service online, reviews play a huge part in their decisionmaking. They want to see genuine reviews from real patients. So you should always try to collect testimonials from patients who have had successful treatments or procedures.

Instagram: Best Practices Educate Patients Create educational content about health-related issues, services being provided at the practice, how procedures are done, and more. These posts showcase your knowledge and expertise, while also being a valuable resource for patients when making informed decisions about their health.

Foster Community Engagement When doctors use Instagram to share news, updates, and information, healthcare practices can foster a sense of community around their practice. Creating a sense of community can help your patients feel more comfortable when they come in for their initial visit or service! This also helps with brand awareness online, which is extremely important in this age of social media.

@UTSW_Radiology

Twitter Twitter can help you stay in touch with your current patients, attract new patients and build your online reputation. Although building a loyal Twitter following takes time, energy and plenty of relevant posting, these followers in turn become brand advocates for your medical office and staff. The key to succeeding at Twitter

is

sharing

content

and

conversations in a thoughtful manner.

joining

Twitter: Best Practices Follow, Follow, Follow Research shows that your page’s followers increase as you begin to follow more people. With that concept in mind, follow health organizations like RSNA, frequently visited health resources like Healthline, leading physicians in the field, and physicians that you refer patients to or physicians that refer patients to you.

Your Bio is Your First Impression As the point of entry for your audience, every element of your profile— your @username, photo, bio and links—should reflect your professional identity and personality. Think of this as your elevator pitch to other users as to why they should follow you. Your profile image and cover photo should visually represent your identity and be sized. appropriately. Your Twitter bio is the modern business card. Write a clear, concise bio (160 characters or less) that describes who you are and why users should follow you.

Twitter: Best Practices Be Consistent If you create a Twitter business page and then spend a large percentage of the time ignoring it, you can expect the rest of the Twittersphere to ignore you in return. Here are some quick tips to begin crafting tweetable posts.

Post at least 3 times per week in the beginning and more frequently— 1-3 times per day—as your brand awareness on Twitter increases.

Write posts related to health and wellness which would be seen as helpful or informative in the eyes of your patients.

Find news articles or other forms of content you can link to, either from a popular news source or your own website.

Posts with images receive more likes and retweets than posts without.

Use Hashtags Although hashtags (#) are present on almost all social media sites, they are vital to Twitter. Hashtags are keywords that tag your message, and all others using the same one, into a single stream of content on Twitter to help searchers find information. It is ideal to have two or three hashtags in a Tweet.

UT Southwestern Radiology

LinkedIn LinkedIn for doctors can also be used for enhanced online visibility so prospective patients can find you.

With an elevated personal brand, healthcare professionals can be discovered by medical industry leaders and medical recruiters and have more opportunities for professional referrals and career advancement.

LinkedIn: Best Practices Complete Your Profile Don’t repeat your full resume here, but you should include your areas of medical expertise, your education, training, continuing education, skills, areas of interest and contact information. Include keywords that relate to your specialty or practice so that your profile will rank higher in searches, and people are more likely to engage with you.

Personalize Your Headline Instead of letting the headline on your LinkedIn profile default to your current job title, personalize your headline to describe yourself and your experience.

Keep it Current Keep checking in at regular intervals to update your LinkedIn profile with new items such as certifications, additional state licenses or other professional activities. Stay as active as possible by sharing articles or commenting on other people’s posts. Join groups that interest you.

Connect at Conferences The next time you attend a conference or meeting for a professional association, connect with others in attendance.

Connect at Conferences Your specialty organizations will almost certainly have a LinkedIn presence, so be sure to follow them and get updates.

UTSW

MedBlog Blogging Blogging provides the opportunity for healthcare professionals to not only share their expertise with the public but also to increase their digital reach. Applying on-page search engine optimization (SEO) tactics to medical blog writing can lead to effective healthcare marketing and powerfully improve a medical practice’s business in many ways.

Summarizing Social Media Social media plays even bigger role in healthcare marketing today than ever before. Social media marketing enables providers to engage with the public, promote new professional relationships, share information, educate patients and caregivers, and improve the brand reputation and credibility of doctors.

If you need assistance with creating social media profiles or would like to share information on the Radiology social media platforms, please submit a request to the I Want App. Have questions? Email the Communications Team at radcommunications@utsouthwestern.edu.

Social Media Best Practices