Does Social Media Have a Place in an Ophthalmology Practice?

With more tech-savvy patients than ever, skipping out on web presence could be a loss.

By Samantha Stahl, Assistant Editor

Social networking started out as a convenient way to keep tabs on old friends and swap photographs of family. But the pervasive influence sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have had on the way the world now communicates has stretched far beyond reunion-planning and shooting a quick hello. The 2010 Nielsen ratings estimate that nearly a quarter (22%, to be exact) of all time spent online is devoted to social networking and blogs, which is 66% more time spent on these sites than in the year prior. The survey also reported that Americans spend an average of six hours and 35 minutes a month perusing social media and blog sites. That's a whole lot of opportunity to make a marketing impact, and smart businesses are taking advantage of the low-cost advertising possibilities.

When technologies like TiVo, Netflix and online television show streaming started to alter the way people watched movies and shows, big name companies took note and started to focus their advertising efforts on product placement to subliminally get goods noticed by consumers. While ophthalmic practices don't have the marketing budgets to be featured in a Hollywood block-buster, offices can similarly get their name out through social networking—when used correctly. Beyond spreading the word about your practice's offerings, social networking may also be a key way to collaborate with other physicians.

Media Marketing

There are two sides to the social media marketing tug-of-war. Some say that it is absolutely necessary. Not bothering with Facebook pages and Twitter feeds will leave your practice in the dust, as hipper, Web-savvy offices speed forward with recruiting a new patient base online. Others, however, say that Web sites only offer an inauthentic experience with little commercial value. Could both arguments be right?

Mitchell Jackson, MD, of Lake Villa, Ill., says that his practice sees the importance of Facebook as a way to distribute testimonials that are actually relevant to other people. “Social media testimonials work wonders as trust builders, since they are verified,” Dr. Jackson says. “They enhance brand integrity by showing the real patients who are using the services of Jacksoneye and discussing it.”

Testimonials, he says, are a powerful marketing tool. “They are proof that your business delivers results, has great customer service and gives you and your business credibility.”

But what happens when a disgruntled patient decides to take to the Web to air their frustrations out for all the public to see? In LASIK's heyday, a crop of discussion boards popped up for angered patients to rant about their procedural horror stories. Threatening statistics flashed across the pages, making the treatment out to be a death wish. When left in the hands of the average patient curiously cruising the web for information about the procedure, “facts” in this format can be a deal-breaker. Do social media sites just encourage this style of discontented communication?

Matt Jensen, executive director at Vance Thompson Vision (in Sioux Falls, SD) and manager of the practice's marketing and social media, lives the lemons-into-lemonade ideology. He states that an unhappy patient is an opportunity for service recovery. By getting in touch with any customer who writes a negative review about the practice, he can reach out and have them specify precisely what didn't meet their standards and what they didn't like in their customer experience.

While many who are new to social media fear opening the floodgates to public criticism, Mr. Jensen makes a positive point. “Having a format to air grievances is really healthy because we can respond. Before the internet, people would just go and talk about it to everyone and there was nothing we could do.” After all, everyone encounters a displeased patient eventually—might as well be able to directly rectify the situation.

Mr. Jensen encourages practices to hire a social media professional—yes, such a thing is commonplace these days—if they don't feel comfortable setting up pages on their own. Putting out just the right vibe takes a delicate balance, so for many it is worth enlisting a little help to get Web presence up and running.

Many practices, he says, make the mistake of setting unreasonable goals that do little to better public perception. Simply saying, “We need to have 1000 fans by the first of next month” isn't a proactive expectation. Instead, he recommends, it is better to encourage patients to go online and post a review—not on the practice's Facebook page, but their own. Most people looking at the practice's page are those that have already had a procedure and are happy about it, where as by highlighting their experience on their on site, the practice is exposed to an expanded network of people. By creating a Facebook page for your practice, patients can “check in” and link to the office so it is easy for their friends to simply click for more information about the practice.

All staff members encourage patients that they spot tapping on a smart phone or other device to check in and leave a post about the Vance Thompson Vision page. “It builds better word of mouth as well as building better patient interaction,” says Mr. Jensen. The practice also sets up net-books for their patients to use during their visit.

“We have a tendency to attract a patient population that is progressive and looking for the best that technology has to offer, which coincides with a high percentage of them using social media,” says practice founder Vance Thompson, MD. “We consider our social media involvement core to our marketing and patient education mission.”

Connecting with Colleagues

What about those that don't believe social networking is a worthy marketing tool? There are plenty of other reasons to get connected. Uday Devgan, MD, of Beverly Hills places little value in practice Facebook and Twitter sites as patient-gathering tools. He warns about patient confidentiality issues and says that these are “difficult marketing paths.”

“Word of mouth is best. If a patient is thrilled with you and your surgery, then she will tell her friends in person, on the phone, via text message, email or Facebook posting, but I don't want a Facebook page for the practice.” He says that he wouldn't choose a doctor based on their social media presence, so he doesn't feel the need to present himself in that way.

Instead, Dr. Devgan uses social media as a way to interact with other surgeons to swap clinical tips. “I think the advantage of social media is that you can disseminate information very quickly.” His favorite tool is ASCRS's e-mail listserv, Eyespace MD. Any member can send out a question and can commonly get 40 replies in 24 to 48 hours. It's this kind of communication speed that has the potential to greatly advance medicine in the future. Prior to these kinds of services, discussions about challenging cases were reserved for conferences and infrequent gatherings with other doctors. Now, it's easy to get advice about a tricky patient.

Dr. Devgan also has a YouTube channel where he uploads clinical videos for other ophthalmologists to watch and learn from. The channel, which has garnered over 235,000 views, covers issues like management of iris prolapse during cataract surgery and repairing problems from previous surgeries.

The Future for Pharmaceuticals

While the value of social networking for a practice may be dependent on the type of patient demographic you're trying to reach, pharmaceutical companies face an entirely different set of challenges with company pages. A recent Facebook policy change forces drug companies to allow commenting on their pages. Because the companies can't be seen publicly promoting off-label uses of their products, Facebook previously allowed commenting to be disabled, a practice called “whitelisting.” Pharma could then have full control over online discussions of their products. No longer. Questions remain about how this adjustment will alter Web presence for these companies. Is there too much potential for inappropriate comments to show up on the page? Will this promote beneficial discussion for the patients and companies alike?

The effects of social media—both for drug companies and ophthalmic practices—are evolving as quickly as the technologies that enable them. As trends shift and patients become more technologically-inclined, it's nearly inarguable that every product and office will wind up online in one way or another. So which way will you prepare? Wait for consumers to mold your media presence, or take charge and create your own? OM