How Social Media Marketing Influences Plastic Surgery Practice

1. How Social Media Marketing Influences Plastic Surgery Practice Social media platforms remain one of the easiest ways for plastic surgeons to connect with their patients and thus develop a smooth relationship with them. One of the most competitive specialties, plastic surgery is advancing with minimally invasive and noninvasive treatments, which increases its demand among men and women. To stay competitive, it is crucial for plastic and cosmetic surgeons to effectively market their practices. When it comes to SEO for plastic surgeons, social media has a key role to play. Social media channels provide a great option to showcase a surgeon’s experience and help prospects find their desired surgeon. With social media marketing, plastic surgeons can reach their potential patients, improve communication and trust with social audience and thus get more leads to contact your practice. Selfie, a popular social media trend is also increasing the demand for diverse plastic surgery procedures. Many image-conscious people, especially teens rely on Snapchat and Instagram filters to create an idealized version of themselves in selfie form. Most of them want those features to be the same in the real world and they turn to plastic surgeons to do it. Such potential patients want to work with a surgeon they feel they know and trust. Social media marketing strategies can help plastic surgeons maximize their influence on their target audience.

2. Social Media –Patient’s Perspective A study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons that articulated the plastic surgery patient perspective regarding social media, found that: •Facebook had the greatest patient use and engagement •YouTube is second in use and Instagram second in number of engaged users •Over half used Pinterest, but with little daily engagement •Only one-fourth used Snapchat and the least popular network was Twitter The report also highlighted that patients are interested in seeing posts related to practice information, before-and-after photographs, and contests in a plastic surgeon’s social media platform. Patients expressed great interest in before-and-after photographs, while articles held the least interest. Unique Content for Different Channels Sharing informative posts, infographics, blogs, patients’ experience on the procedures, and the treatments and offers you provide on social medical platforms helps other candidates to evaluate your skill in particular treatments. However, the audience may vary across platforms and so the content you provide should meet their needs. As Instagram is highly visual, you can consider posting before and after photos, staff and office photos, and more, while Facebook is an ideal platform to announce special events, special discounts and to add links to your latest blog post. YouTube helps you to post short videos on your plastic surgery procedures and serves as a platform to educate your prospective patients. Here, you can explain what a procedure is and how you perform it and answer questions about the benefits of different procedures. Consider developing a good relationship with your prospects so that they feel free to ask any queries about procedures and call you for a consultation. Make sure you find time to answer their questions about plastic surgery with accurate information, which showcases your expertise in the procedure. YouTube Videos YouTube is considered as a primary source of medical information. But a study conducted by the Scientists from the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School that assessed the quality of medical information provided in this platform found that YouTube has become a source of misinformation on medical procedures and it is a poor source for advice on plastic surgery. The study reports that the viewers often get unfair information that isn’t patient-specific and details provided don’t focus on the procedure’s risks. Based on the evaluation of the top 240 videos related to plastic facial surgery on YouTube and based on the score in DISCERN criteria, it was found that: •Most videos did not include qualified medical professionals to verify accuracy •The videos with the highest DISCERN scores are often from specialty-related, board-certified physicians

3. Avoid any such issues by providing accurate information regarding any procedure so that the patient gets a clear about the procedure’s benefits, side effects and other relevant details. This helps in improving patient satisfaction. To optimize YouTube videos for search engines – •Research proper keywords while adding video content •Optimize video titles by including such keywords •Add a clear video description on what the video is about •Before uploading, choose the right category •Use video annotations, as it helps optimize conversions through the video •Include video transcripts to help viewers get the information they want Read our blog on YouTube video optimization tips. Healthcare/medical social media optimization services provided by experienced digital marketing agencies are of great support for plastic surgeons to gain greater return of income (ROI). 800-670-2809 www.medresponsive.com