LinkedIn for Doctors – Marketing & Content Tips
LinkedIn for Doctors is a fantastic tool used in healthcare marketing. Check out episode #114 of the Patient Convert Podcast below and continue on reading the blog post for more tips not mentioned in the episode.
And social media offers different platforms for you to reach new and potential patients, offering you endless ways to connect and share.
Each social media platform is different, and each platform has a diverse target audience, so depending on who you are looking to get in front of, you can explore using some more than others.
A social media platform that is on the rise and gaining more and more popularity is Linkedin. Linkedin is a social media networking platform designed for business professionals and encourages content sharing and networking connections.
The LinkedIn platform is excellent for sharing relevant and professional content to your practice and only interacting with colleagues and potential patients.
So you can avoid the pet, baby pics, and politics (for the most part).
The Benefits of Using Linkedin for Doctors:
- Attract new patients and drive leads
- Target your ideal audience
- Share information about you and your practice
- Connect with local physicians
- Engage with your target audience
- Encourage your staff and team to support and share your content
- Become a thought leader in your space
So now we know why using LinkedIn can bring value to your practice, the question now is, how?
How can doctors develop a LinkedIn marketing plan to help them grow and attract new patients?
1. Customize Your LinkedIn Doctor Profile
LinkedIn offers numerous ways you can customize your profile to your practice and specialty.
A profile that is customized to your brand shows other LinkedIn users that you are an active user, and you can display your practice information.
As a physician post, an updated and professional headshot (whitecoat preferably) and customize your background to the — branding of your hospital or practice.
Be sure to include your logo and tagline and make sure it is to the LinkedIn size standards to avoid your profile picture covering it up.
Without a clean, professional headshot and customized background, other LinkedIn users may be hesitant to connect because your profile looks stagnant. A stagnant profile means that they are unlikely to get any value out of the connection or engagement.
So make sure you’re sending the right message and customize your profile.
You will see that you will receive and have more connections accepted just with those simple customized updates.
Make It Clear What Kind Of Physician You Are & Where You Work
LinkedIn was built to create an online professional networking system, so make it clear in your title description, what type of medical doctor you are, and where you work.
This way, it makes it easy for those searching to find you, and you appear in search-related terms.
Attach your medical practice or hospital profile on LinkedIn to your profile under experience. That way, they can connect you to where you work, and you get connected with your colleagues, which improves visibility.
2. Post Original Content on Social Media and LinkedIn
Linkedin is a lead generator, so your content needs to be in front of the right audience, providing unique value to what they want to see, and drive them back to your website or practice.
Don’t waste views and impressions re-purposing someone else’s content like WebMD and other health-related articles. Share the content, physician videos, patient journeys, and — blogs from your website.
Not only does that make it unique to you, but you position yourself as a thought leader. Original content drives leads and traffic to your website and increases the likability of them reaching out for an appointment or consultation.
3. Post Valuable & Relative Content on LinkedIn
So we discussed that original content increases the likelihood of converting new leads in your LinkedIn marketing strategy, now it’s about creating value in your post.
The Linkedin-verse wants to see new, fresh, and valuable content featuring the professionals. That means you want to post content that your audience wants to see and finds value in, so as a medical doctor, you want to feature your thoughts on your medical specialty.
So many times, I run across physician LinkedIn post that does not have much if any interaction (likes or comments) this is because it misses that “human factor.”
It is obvious when a physician or practice has someone else posting for them like an office manager or marketing department.
These posts usually have a similar format; It features the title of the article, often the post is promotional for a service, has so many hashtags, and a link.
Similar to this example
What is wrong with this format is…
A. ) It is not their original content
B.) It is obvious that the physician was not the one who posted, so, likely, they won’t engage or interact with you as well.
C.) It is missing the physician’s medical viewpoint, opinion, or what I like to call the “human factor,” or you can call it the VALUE
D.) The post is 24hrs old with one like
Here is an excellent example of a physician adding that valuable human factor, and you can see the difference in engagement and likes.
The point is that the audience wants to know your viewpoint as the professional, not a generic blog title riddled with a million hashtags.
4. Interact & Engage On LinkedIn for Doctors
Stagnant social media profiles are worse than not having one at all. LinkedIn is a social networking platform built to take the professional networking model and put it online.
You wouldn’t attend a networking event and stand in the back of the room and not speak to anyone or allow them to talk to you, right?
Well, that is what it is like if you don’t engage and interact with others on LinkedIn. You will not see growth or attract leads by expecting them to seek out and found you.
Don’t be shy! Like, comment, and share content from others that you want to add to, discuss, or find valuable.
The physicians that interact and engage have more views and engagements themselves.
5. Build New LinkedIn Connections
Get social and start connecting and networking on LinkedIn. Use LinkedIn to research colleagues, referring physicians, and connect with other medical or marketing professionals.
The more extensive your network, the bigger the audience, and you increase your chances of driving new leads and post visibility.
6. Be Consistent with LinkedIn Marketing Plan
Consistency is critical, and this goes for any social media profile. To keep an active audience, attract new patients, and increase engagement, you need to create consistency on LinkedIn.
Develop consistency in creating connections, engagement, interactions, and posts.
Wrap Up: LinkedIn for Doctors
LinkedIn is very similar to its face-to-face counterpart. The more “you” and authenticity you put into LinkedIn networking, the better the results. What you put into it is what you can get out of it.
There is nothing like good ol’ “elbow grease” in order to grow a successful LinkedIn profile that actually drives new patients. Leverage the LinkedIn marketing tools at your disposal to engage with your community!
