Social Media Management

Twitter's slogan "See what's happening - right now." illustrates an important change in the evolution of the Internet. More people are communicating through Social Media. Real time information now shows up on Search Engines as people – including potential new patients – seek the most timely information on the topics that interest them.

Social Media Management (SMM) is about establishing a robust presence on popular social media sites. So, while a great website is still essential, it is no longer enough. An optimized presence on Facebook, Twitter, and  other key social networks will ensure that more prospective patients find your Practice.

The Importance of Social Media

 

Social Media Sites can be searched. Google searches now include live, scrolling updates. As soon as something is published on the Web, it becomes searchable. As Website Magazine recently stated:

The real-time Web is here. Conduct a search on Google and you might now see a sizable part of the page dedicated to real-time search. This is a scrolling, live update of content from across the Web about your query and one of the most significant public-facing changes Google has made in a long time.

What follows are examples of people on Twitter who posted a message with the words “eye exam” as of the time of this writing. These messages have been posted to public social networks that anyone can respond to. This represents a fraction of search results:

• malee__HA: My visions getting worse and worse by the day. It’s time I get another eye exam.
• erinoka: OK, I def need an eye exam, my glasses are giving me headaches. I guess it's been awhile. I should do that this week, then buy glasses in NH
• NikkiBlak: Where can I go to get a cheap eye exam?
• HairGardenLLC: This is gonna be one LONG week til my new glasses get here. Lost mine at the hair show. Was past due for an eye exam anyway
• firda: Eyes haven't been liking the computer since the eye exam. Wonder if the eye drops are messing them up

Clearly there are patients actively using social media to find an eye doctor. If your social media strategy is optimized, they could become your new patients.

Social Media Strategy

Whether it’s a tweet, a link, a fan, a friend, a vote, a post, a message, a video or a blog entry – a new strategy is now required to improve the Practice’s online presence. EyeCarePro's Social Media Management service includes developing and maintaining a steadily increasing presence on a collection of social media sites. Examples include Tweets, regular updates to FaceBook, ongoing posts to FriendFeed, etc.

Working with EyeCarePro, your social media strategy will include:

• Interviews with key staff to understand Practice goals and to assess relevant options.
• Strategy discussion behind the best on-page SMO tactics to suit your Practice.
• A comprehensive 'blue print' plan for the optimization of your Practice.
• Site by site strategy and recommendations for each SM outlet.
• Implementation of proposed SM efforts to achieve Practice goals.
• Google Analytics key statistics.
• SM Analysis of key success metrics (including postings, friends, fans, etc.).