Which social media platform is best for a GP Practice?
With all the different social media platforms out there, it’s difficult to decide which one is best for your practice. Here’s a quick run through of the top three platforms:
Twitter is mainly about status updates called Tweets. You can retweet updates from people / organisations you follow. You make friends through following people and organisations and they can follow you back. Twitter is also a great source of news.
Instead of friends and followers you are chasing elusive ‘likes’. It’s likely that a good proportion of your patient list is already on Facebook, so it’s probably your best bet for rapid growth.
What are the positives of social media for a GP Practice?
1. Interaction
From a marketing angle, the benefits of social media outlets are twofold. Firstly, social media allows you to interact with your customer i.e. your patients; you can react to things in the news, share health advice and communicate practice information and events such as closures or even a CQC inspection.
2. Raise Awareness on Specialised Conditions
Social media can be a great platform to raise awareness of specialised medical conditions. With social media platforms such as Facebook, you can create useful sub groups.
Does your practice have a high number of diabetics, obese patients or does one of your GPs have a special interest? Your practice can set up sub groups that allow patients access to a virtual support group where they can get access to knowledge and advice.
3. Feedback
Another key positive to gain from social media is feedback. As part of your patient participation group, you can set up a private group and invite patients who are already on Facebook to join and leave feedback on the practice’s performance.
As with anything however, there are downsides. Dealing with complaints via social media platforms can be time-consuming and demanding. Complainers are often more difficult and very insistent and want you to be quick to resolve the issue on their terms.
All in all though, social media is a great platform to stay in contact with your patients, invite feedback and become a stronger member of the local community.
Top tips for social media in a GP Practice:
Don’t forget you can find First Practice Management on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
In addition to the information above First Practice Management subscribers can obtain more information about social networking policies in the FPM Policies and Procedures Library.
A Letter to Myself as a New Practice Manager
1 March 2017
Practices' locum pay arrangements under the IR35 spotlight
15 October 2018
CQC has ‘improved the quality of care’ in general practice
23 October 2018
Pension scheme tax allowance changes a relief for GPs
5 November 2018
Secret Diary of a PM – A GDPR Dilemma
21 November 2018