A Closer Look at Practice Promotion on Social Media: Insights from the ACFAS Annual Scientific Conference

Lisa Levick-Doane, DPM, FACFAS says she thinks fear of liability is a key barrier that some surgeons face when it comes to promoting their practices on social media. She adds that she feels the perception of a generation gap exhibiting reluctance to adopt social media is a myth, as in her experience, a wide range of individuals use at least one platform or related type of site.
 
“The current research shows that the reason why people are so afraid of social media is because of liability, especially in medicine,” she explains. “They feel like there is this barrier between communicating with patients (online) and violating HIPAA.”¹
 
However, Dr. Levick-Doane points out that fear of HIPAA violation or other liability is not a reason to completely avoid promoting one’s practice on social media. 
 
She describes 2 primary type of social media posters online. One she calls “defenders,” who typically post something just to encourage clicks, through humor, and other tactics. This poses a problem, in that it isn’t 2-way communication, and is not likely to be an effective practice promotion tactic. However, research is showing that it may be more productive to be an “explorer.”¹ Explorers utilize feedback and 2-way communication via discussion boards and group forums. Another feature of explorers are that they actively use and evaluate the analytics that these social media platforms provide. They can then decide what types of posts work best for them.
 
Dr. Levick-Doane then describes the brand cycle, a concept common among celebrities, and a representation of who that person/practice is. She points out that “BRAND” is actually an acronym that helps one better understand it. It is vital, she says, to understand why one posts. First, “B” stands for building relationships. Who do you want to engage with, who are you surrounding yourself with? Surgeons must understand that on social media, your audience is everyone; it’s not just patients. Colleagues, former colleagues, potential employers, organizational board members, referral sources, and more could all be interacting with or viewing posts. Dr. Levick-Doane says in her experience, those referral sources are a key audience subsection to focus on, as she finds that this can yield notable results.
 
The ”R” in BRAND, she says, stands for “reality,” which harkens to that necessary perception that people are watching you online, so it is important to remain professional. What do your posts say about you? Are your posts engaging? The “A” stands for assets. What do you bring to the table?
 
“Are you really good at surgery,” she asks? “Do you have really good bedside manner? These are the things that we need to focus on, because what we focus on, we expand.”
 
“N” stands for getting noticed. This is the communication skills, personality, and image one projects online. Although she notes the visual components can be silly, in her experience, she finds that people take note of these things, and may choose to make an appointment with a surgeon because “they look friendly,” etc. Lastly, “D” refers to deliver, as in, how does one deliver or create that engaging content. Dr. Levick-Doane shares there are many resources out there that list what types of content is most engaging, especially for a patient audience, but she feels there are 3 content types that are especially impactful:

• Surgical videos. These would be high-quality videos put out there for other colleagues to view. By sharing this type of content, colleagues may get to know your work, and potentially refer difficult patients for pathologies that you specialize in.
• Authentic content. She stresses that the content has to be true to your brand and personality. It has to show who you are. If it looks disingenuous or hyperbolic, she explains, it can come off as fake or untrustworthy.
• Answer the key questions. This type of content will let the audience know, “what’s in it for them?” Is there a product that may relieve their pain? Is there a treatment option they should know about? However, she stresses that it has to be transparent and clear. Suggestive wording, such as, “If you’re in pain, call us,” is not clear enough. Instead, Dr. Levick-Doane shares her typical approach in these situations: 

“The way that I speak to people on social media is, ‘I know you're in pain,’” she says. “I know you have a problem. I've been there. Come see me because we're going to fix this together. It shows that you're engaged with the patient. These direct empathetic statements are so important on social media because it feels like somebody's speaking to your soul.”
 
Dr. Levick-Doane is a Diplomate of the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and the American Board of Podiatric Medicine. She is a foot and ankle surgeon at Kipferl Foot and Ankle Centers in Des Plaines, Fox River Grove and Algonquin, IL. Dr. Levick-Doane is also an affiliate attending for the RUSH podiatric residency program in Chicago.

Reference

1. Utami NW. The Elements of Social Media Marketing in University During Pandemic Covid-19. Adv Social Sci Educ Human Res. 2021; 596:62-22.