How to Grow Your Practice Using Social Media Marketing

Growing your Practice through

Social Media Marketing

Susan BloomDirector of Marketing & Donor Recruitment

Fertility SOURCE CompaniesThe Donor SOURCEThe Surrogacy SOURCE

Disclosure Information

Neither I, nor any member of my immediate family, have financial relationships to disclose, relevant to the content of this presentation

I will not discuss off-label use of any drug or therapy

What is Social Media?“It’s media (content that is published) with a

social (anyone can add to it) component.”

It is a powerful strategy that will get you links, attention and massive amounts of traffic.

The practice of creating compelling content from a marketing angle.

Social media has grown exponentially

Impact likely to continue being felt more deeply and broadly as time goes on

ObjectiveAt a minimum, social relationship

management needs to enable you to:

Gain insight and information from across all social media touch-points and

Leverage that informationTake action with consumers by engaging online and

participating with them via communities and conversations

Traditional Marketing vs

Social Media Marketing

Marketers Doing Marketing – “Old School”

People Blocking Marketing

Re-Thinking MarketingOutbound Marketing Inbound MarketingTelemarketingTrade showsDirect mailEmail blastsPrint adsTV/Radio ads

SEO / SEMBloggingSocial MediaRSSFree tools/trialsViral videos

Interruption Permission

Benefits of Social Media MarketingNo other low-cost promotional method…

That will easily give you large numbers of visitors, some of whom may come back to your website again and again.

Studies show:People are more likely to take action based on

information in content In-bound

Than information contained in advertising. Outbound

Why is it Important?Can help to grow a website very quickly

under the right conditions

Helps with SEO

Promotes your Blog (or newsletter)

The conversation has already started…JOIN IT – OR BE LEFT IN THE DUST!

The Business Leaders

FacebookLinkedInTwitter

Strategy Items to Consider…

Who is responsibleWhich networks to useHow your competition is using itWho your target isTypes of content that will be sharedFrequency of posts

Don’t “learn as you go” Jumping in without a plan is a

Waste of Time!! SM marketing reflects on your brand

If your brand seems clueless in SM, it may just look clueless, period!

Have a strategy from the get-go

Who is Responsible?Appoint single person or team for oversight

Assign posting/comments to staffRotate for variation of posting/comment styles

Which Networks to UseSearch out relevant networks (FB communities; LI

groups) to join and comment onBecome the known “industry expert”

Choose wisely…Look for networks that will give you the most “bang for

your buck”Be aware of time necessary to make an impactChoose a few sites – don’t spread yourself so thin

your posts are too infrequent

How is your competition using it?

No need to do everything your competition is doing

Stand out – examine their strategy, and emulate it with a twistCreate your own campaignsFind your own style

Who is your target audience?Your target audience in social media isn’t “everyone”Who do you want to engage with?

Existing patients?Potential patients?Professionals in related industries?

Don’t forget your referral base!

Demographic specific target advertisingSearch for groups to comment on within Facebook and

LinkedIn

Types of content that will be sharedOnce your target audience is determined, content

strategy can beginCan be a combination of:

promotionalInformationalConversational

Key is to remember --- social media is about being social.DON’T use it as another one-way medium to advertise!

Frequency of postsVaries depending on many factors

Are you creating lots of great informational content?Share content every day

Important to find the balancePost enough to be noticed

Not too much to be considered annoyingFind the right mix appropriate to the needs of your

followers

Statistics2004 = Facebook.com

4 college students launch Facebook from their Harvard dorm room. Originally only open to those who had a school e-mail.

By Dec ‘04 - Nearly 1 million active users

2006 opened up to business networking, then to the general public ; >12 million active users

Mar 2009 - >200 million active users in 27 Countries

Feb 2012: Facebook jumps to 845 million users

Feb 2012: 845 million users

*Statistics per Infographics and AnsonAlex.com

Jan 2013: Facebook remains the most powerful social media platform available with 1.1 Billion users

Over 50% of the population in North American uses Facebook

*Statistics per Infographics and AnsonAlex.com

More interesting Facebook Statistics

*Statistics per Infographics and AnsonAlex.com

To not take advantage of such powerful marketing tools would be like starting up a business and…

not unlocking the front door or activating your telephone service

Creating a Company Page

First things first…Determine who will be the administrator

Company page must be linked to single profileThis should be the person chosen to oversee your

social media campaign(s)

Administrator should create a personal profileStrictly professional - with a bit of “personal” mixed in

…nothing you wouldn’t put on your desk at work for all to see Invite and accept “professional” friends ONLY

Profile Details

Choose a professional photo and cover photo to reflect your Brand

Work Related Contact InfoPhone AddressWebsite(s)Email

Profile Details

Bio section should reflect your position at the company (with a marketing flair)

What do I post?Concentrate your status

updates on passively promoting your company

*Photo credits: East Coast FertilityFacebook

Post your own, or share status updates from your co-workers (or employees) relating to company events

What do I post?

Add LOTS of photos!

Infiltrate into the FB Social sphere…

Search for beneficial pages to “Like” (promote)

Actively Participate in Relevant CommunitiesLook for ACTIVE communities (fan pages)

“Likes” and “people talking about it”

6,028 / 214897 / 75

19,180 / 96

Once your professional profile is complete…

You’re Ready to Create a Company Page!

How Do I start?Go to an existing company page to see the “create page” icon

Choose what type of page to create

This is also where you can create a “cause” or “community” page

Admin Interface

Create a display ad

Decide if you will post as the

company, or yourself

Note: 30 “likes” needed to begin accessing insights

Assign & Manage additional Admin

Admin InterfacePrimary Admin can add multiple admins

assign specific roles

Company Profile ContentDesign your “About” page to passively promote your company

Link to your practice URLDon’t omit contact

information Include satellite officesAdd lots of photos

Staff photosEvent photosPatient baby pics

Link your blog through “networked blogs”

Customizing your Company Page

Consider hiring a professional designer:Look for one that specializes in Social Media applicationsBrand your website theme across all social sitesPlace tracking code into pagesCreate custom app pages & campaigns that link to websiteDesign FB ads

With custom FB app pages that cross link back to your company websiteWelcomeMeet the TeamMake an ApptPhilanthropicVideosEventsContestsTestimonials

*Photo credits: IVF NJ; Boston IVF

Supercharge your SEO

Call to Action Campaigns Use your philanthropic campaign to get “likes” and “fans”

Donate $1 to (insert charity) for every “like”

Promote!!!!! (friends; email contacts; patient DB; Referral Network, etc)

Example of a promotional contest

Summing it upIncorporate the tools you’re already using into your

profile Add the respective app, FB does the rest.

Share your Blog posts: Wordpress.com automatically pushes your post to FB

with Networked Blogs app (along with recent comments)

Use Twitter app to get updates from your FB contacts without following their updates in Twitter itself.

LinkedIn2002 - 2003 = LinkedIn.com

Started out in the living room of co-founder Reid Hoffman in the fall of 2002. Officially launched in 2003. By Dec ‘08 reached 88 Million users

Predominantly a Business oriented social network49% of it’s users are Top Level Professionals

Our target market!

Why Use LinkedIn Company Pages?

Practice ReachConsumer AwarenessSearch Engine OptimizationLead GenerationRecruitment

What makes LinkedIn different?Your extended network

LinkedIn’s core value proposition is simply this:The ability to answer the question…

“Who do I know who knows and can recommend somebody that…” …has a background in electronic medical records? …is an expert in egg freezing procedures? …is a good lawyer specializing in surrogacy law abroad?

How do we use LinkedIn?Business Development / Marketing / Sales

Secrets LinkedIn can tell you about your customers / target prospects

Rolodex substitute – Online / Self ManagedUse “Updates” to announce eventsMarket your business

Career Management / Personal BrandingBecome a recognized subject matter expert on LinkedInEnhance your profile with LinkedIn testimonials from

colleagues or patients

How do we use LinkedIn?Recruiting

Discover talent for future useLinkedIn has been established as one of the leaders in the

recruiting and sourcing of passive job candidates

Narrow down your candidate responsesEliminate resume’s from a stack of hundreds

Grow your Network – New members joining daily!

Keeping in touch - Keep track of your business contacts as they migrate

How do we use LinkedIn?

Organizing and joining GroupsGroups help drive traffic to your web site via your

linkedIn landing pageAids in SEO

Get high visibility in search results and profile views (in the form your group logo/name)

Place website links w/in postsFind your prospects via the LinkedIn “Group Search

Feature”

Where to Begin

First…

Create a personal profileto link to your company page

Get Connected!* Consider upgrading your membership to a paid membership

Summarize your Qualifications in the Background Section

Use keywords for SEO

Skills & Expertise - Be Thorough!

Your connections will be prompted to endorse you

Each one is search-able

(who do I know?)

Ask for Recommendations

Update your Status Regularly

Share your status updates: • Just your LI connections• All of LinkedIn • LinkedIn and Twitter page

Post Strategically!!

*Photo credits: Dr. Vicken Sahakian; Linked In post

*Photo credits: Dr. Jane Frederick; Linked In post

Join Relevant Groups

Seek out groups where your target market isUse the “group

search” feature

Actively PostBecome the

“known” expert

Which Groups?LI’s NEW “Group Statistics” feature…

Allow you to analyze Demographics and activity of Group

Form Your Own Group(s) Promote your

Group

Moderate Posts

Invite Participants

Promote your groupPost to your own

profile

Feed to Twitter profile

Post to group(s)

Send to individuals

Tips for forming LinkedIn GroupsYour group name is important!

Consider which keywords your target members will search for. Make sure your group name is clear and includes these keywords.

Create a group for your industry, not your company People are more likely to join a group when it's not simply for

fans of your company.

Design a group logo to fit the small standard logo size The group logos that are displayed will actually be quite small -

keep this in mind, and don't cram lots of hard-to-read-text into the small image.

Tips for Promoting LinkedIn GroupsPromote the group on your website, blog, email

newsletter, and social media networksPurchase a unique URL to go with your group, and redirect it

to a page on your site with more information about the group. Provides more content, engagement and visibility for your group. Aids in SEO efforts for your company website

Your Group automatically displays in the Group Directory and on members' profiles Take advantage of the functionality already in place on

LinkedIn to help your group get more visibility.

Tips for Promoting a LinkedIn GroupInvite coworkers, colleagues & patients to join and start

discussionsMake sure people know that you have a group and how to

join Don’t forget to invite your referral base

Leverage your existing network to get your group started After all, who wants to join a group with no members?

Invite key industry experts to join and engageSeek out the highly respected industry experts, invite them

to engage with the community

Tips for Promoting a LinkedIn GroupCross-market to related groups that you manage on

different networksCreate a similar group or Page on Facebook and invite

members of each network to join the group on the other network

Integrate LinkedIn into all of your marketing effortsEvery time you do a webinar or go to a conference, notify your

group and invite those you meet to join the group as wellAdd the group URL to your email signature

Creating a LinkedIn Business Page

Customize Your Page New Format similar to Facebook

Must link to Individual profileCan add sub-pages

Create an Aesthetically Appealing Main PageAdd your logo and main photoHome; Products; Insights – Standard / AlterableConsider adding: Recent News & Careers;Change out Products for “Services”

Company Home Page

Create Sub-Pages

Drive Engagement

Take-Away’s

Consistency is Key to SuccessPost frequently - Set up a schedule

Utilize Networked Blogs for consistency with Facebook

Give your readers a reason to come backRandom bursts off effort don’t produce sustainable

results. Planning is key, so use a content calendar

Bringing the message Home

Social Media is…

Blogs

Wikis

PodcastsRSS Mashups

Social Networks

Well…

sort of.

Social Media

Really

is…

a Conversation…

That is powered by…

Blogs

Wikis

PodcastsRSS Mashups

Social Networks

It is a conversation

between…

Customers…

Employees…

Investors…

…People!

And guess what?

The social media conversation is…

Not Organized

Not Controlled

And not on message.

The conversation

is…

Vibrant

Emergent

Fun

Compelling

and full of insight…

…if we choose

to join!

To join the conversation, we

need to be…

Present!

We begin by listening.

If we listen,

we will learn.

It may get messy …

…but it will allow us to

join the conversation!

Social Media is…

…a brand new way of understanding

markets,

not just another messaging channel!

Are

You

Listening?

Thank You

?’sDon’t forget to pick up my “Tips

to remember handouts!