Health 2.0The New Word of Mouth Embrace it or Ignore it?

During the recent American Dental Association (ADA) House of Delegates meeting, the delegates were asked how important it is for a dentist to incorporate social media into their practice

• 68% of delegates thought it was very important for dentists to embrace social media• 29% thought it was somewhat important• 3% thought not too important

These statistics exemplify social media’s growing popularity amongst the healthcare industry and confirm that not only the general public is interested in receiving information in this format, but health professionals are as well.

Health 2.0Where is Social Media Headed?

Social media has gone mainstream and ignoring it is no longer an option. The internet is not just a source of information. It is a two-way communication highway where users provide as much content as traditional companies and media. People want information now. And they want it in whatever format they want. They don’t want to be talked at. They want to be talked with. They want to tell you their opinion and they want you to listen. And, they want to hear back from you.

So where is your target audience going for these conversations?

Social networks, blogs and YouTube.

Three billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is those 35 years old and older. Hundreds of newspapers are going out of business or going online. Traditional media is losing share to online social media. Simple paid advertising is not working the way it used to.

Health 2.0The Facts

According to a 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study, 60% of Americans use social media –which is defined as the phenomenon of internet based tools and spaces where people share information with each other and create their own content.

The survey found that:

• Of that 60% another 59% interact with businesses on their sites. One in four respondents say they interact more than once per week.

• 41% said businesses should solicit feedback on products and services.

• 37% said businesses should develop new ways for consumers to interact with their brand.

• 25% said businesses should market to clients.

• 43% of Americans said businesses should problem-solve in social networks.

• 93% of social media users feel a business should have a presence in social media because they are better served with direct contact.

Health 2.0Creating a Social Media Strategy

If you want to brand The Smile Shop as the area’s most experienced, well-respected and specialized group of pediatric dentists offering state-of-the-art dental care, than your online efforts must reflect that. As Web 2.0 continues to transform the marketing landscape, it is important to remain technologically savvy and incorporate the latest communications methods and tools to your fullest marketing potential. We will work with you to fully understand your objectives, create a strategy and utilize the most effective tools to compete in the new online and interactive media. We have been studying and training for the past three years, and continue to do so every day, to make sure we are on the forefront of modern communication. And, never history, has communications and marketing changed at such lighting-fast pace. We will make sure you are engaging your customers and future customers in the method they most prefer. Ultimately, by incorporating a Web 2.0 strategy into your overall marketing matrix, we will ensure you build a brand people trust and recommend.

Health 2.0Your Target Audience is Online

The Smile Shop’s target audience is online in all these spaces. The way we market and communicate has never evolved and changed as rapidly as it does today. Social media is a useful tool for communicating with pediatricians and family doctors and opens dialogue with parents and others involved in the healthcare industry.

Health 2.0Parents OnlineMoms have moved beyond email and search, and are now active users of Web 2.0 technologies. The majority of moms are using social networks (65%) and text messaging (56%).

Women today take advantage of limitless opportunities to connect with other moms online. With the advent of social networks designed specifically for parents, it is easy to make new friends, find local playgroups, and get support and advice for their children.

The Smile Shop must communicate the value of selecting a specialist for their children’s dental healthcare in a space parents prefer to be reached.

Momslikeme.com

Northwest Reno Mother’s Club

Reno Parents

Mama Source

MomsLikeMe Twitter Account

Health 2.0Doctors Online

One of the most interesting developments in the social media arena is social networks for doctors. The theory is that most doctors work in small practices, they are busy and overworked and are geographically separated from their peers and can't enjoy the sort of collaboration, intelligence-sharing and collegiality that can do them (and their patients) a lot of good. Some are finding online communities to meet this need. The idea is that when doctors share ideas with trusted colleagues in real time, knowledge spreads more quickly, resulting in faster adoption of best clinical practices--and, ideally, better patient outcomes.

Health 2.0Doctors Online

A service called Sermo is the largest social network for doctors, with a reported 50,000 members and Ozmosis is a similar physician community that allows doctors to share favorite journal articles and research by using social bookmarking functions, vote resources and postings up or down, or, like participants in any public online forum, ask and answer questions or join discussions. In addition to online social networks, doctors are using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as method of communicating with other doctors, patients and healthcare patrons.

Orthodontic Partners Absolute Dental Twitter Page

Dr. Steven Althoff Absolute Dental YouTube Video

Dr. Krista Colletti Revolution Health Blog

Dr. Katie Dolan Blog Talk – Pediatric Dentistry

Winnemucca Dental Care

Health 2.0MassMedia Capabilities

Our online campaign will incorporate the most modern and popular Web 2.0 tools and technologies to communicate with our audiences in a more interactive manner that stimulates two way conversations, not just outbound communications to spread our ‐messages , build client loyalty and stimulate product demand. This Additional element to your marketing campaign will include: Plan DevelopmentWe will identify a social media strategy that integrates the features of your brand and utilizes the platforms best suited to meet your goals. BlogsThe best communications strategies encompass not only authorities in new and traditional media but also those voices in the blogosphere. Bloggers help carry information and discussions among your customers directly, in a true peer to peer approach.‐ ‐

Health 2.0MassMedia Capabilities

Online SurveysWhether conducting an internal company survey or questioning hundreds of customers, an online survey will simplify the process.

Online VideosVideo sharing is extremely useful business tool. It now includes higher definition video along with the ability to embed, view full screen and connect with other related videos allowing brands to create a home for their product. PodcastsUser convenience and accessibility drive the popularity of podcasts and they allow the company to convey interesting content with a human voice.

Health 2.0MassMedia Capabilities

Social NetworksSocial networks give individuals a place to meet up and connect online. Users can communicate with their friends, network with professionals and share advice. Whether it’s creating a community or group on Facebook or creating our own exclusive social network for patients, we will utilize this forum to engage your target audience, promote events and specials and build patient loyalty.

TwitterTwitter is one of the fastest growing methods for staying connected in real-time. This is an exceptional way to communicate with your customers quickly and often and can be received on their mobile phones. Google AdWordsGoogle Ad Words allow you to unobtrusively advertise to people already interested in your service and only pay for the clicks you receive.

Health 2.0MassMedia Capabilities Real Simple Syndication (RSS)Publishing and syndicating web content is one of the best online marketing tools for enhancing your image, increasing search engine visibility and improving productivity in your organization. We will add RSS feeds, ping news aggregators, and add bookmarking capabilities, tag content and keywords, simple content management and metrics to your online presence. Reputation MonitoringIt is important to track the online groundswell about your company across multiple social media platforms to ensure your brand is portrayed in positive light online. We monitor all platforms to gauge and respond to the public’s opinions of your company and its services. Search Engine OptimizationOur webmasters ensure that your website contains all the key design elements to improve the volume, traffic and placement of your site through organic searches. We regularly monitor your content, hyper and backlinks, keywords and html coding to remove barriers to the indexing activities of the search engines.

Health 2.0MassMedia Capabilities

Web Analytics, Tracking and ReportingSocial networking tools including Facebook, Youtube, and Google, etc. provide excellent application that measure traffic to your social network and website allowing us to gain detailed demographic information about your audience and their online activities, and in turn, constantly refine our messages and activities to be the most effective.