As a healthcare provider, you might think having a social media presence isn’t important to your practice’s success. However, it is a straightforward marketing strategy to implement with a high return on investment (ROI).
With so many platforms and content ideas, it can be difficult to know where to even begin building a social media strategy. In this blog, we’ve gathered 5 doctors who are crushing it on social media, but first we’re going to explain why it’s important for your practice.
Why doctors should be on social media
Social media has become prominently adopted across all generations, making it a great way to reach prospective patients. According to Pew Research Center, the demographic breakdown of people with at least one social media profile is:
- 18-29, 84%
- 30-49, 81%
- 50-64, 73%
- 65+, 45%
It’s clear that millennials are majority users of social media, but the older patient market has also become quite digitally savvy in the last few years.
With a wide variety of platforms to reach these patients, marketing your practice through social media can surely fit within any healthcare provider’s strategic business plan. But it is necessary to narrow down a direction for your brand’s online presence amongst all these options.
If you’re in need of inspiration, here are five examples of doctors who have found success using social media to their advantage.
5 popular doctors on social media
1. Doctor Mike
Dr. Mikhail Varshavski — better known as Doctor Mike — is your average family medicine doctor but with a combined social media following of over 21 million people. Doctor Mike has risen to ranks of celebrity-status, with features in Time, Men’s Health, Business Insider, and People Magazine, just to name a few.
Doctor Mike amassed his 4.3 million Instagram followers by posting photos and videos of his daily life — on the job, at the gym, with his dog. Now you’ll see a similar stream of content, but with a slew of celebrities and sponsored events mixed in. His Instagram presence promotes a healthy and active lifestyle alongside his busy professional work.
He keeps his followers updated with a new post every few days and daily snippets shared on his Instagram story. Doctor Mike follows a strategy that relies heavily on visuals making Instagram a perfect platform. Photos are a great way to connect with patients when it comes to online marketing for doctors. Prospective patients will get a glimpse of who you are before even stepping foot through your practice doors.
See More: Instagram 101 for healthcare providers
Follow Doctor Mike on social media:
2. Dr. Don S. Dizon
Dr. Don S. Dizon is a popular oncologist on TikTok for his fashionable attire and thoughtful videos on cancer. In his videos, he wears a variety of bright colors, bow ties, scarves, and ties. He also shares cancer research and other health topics, plus a mix of his everyday life. Dr. Dizon is currently a professor of medicine at Brown University, as well as director of medical oncology at Rhode Island Hospital.
TikTok
Dr. Don Dizon is on multiple social media platforms, but his largest presence is on TikTok, with over 38K followers. @drdondizon successfully shares a variety of engaging content on social media. On his TikTok account, he shares what his day looks like, health advice based on research, and encourages TikTok users with pep talks and words of inspiration. He also takes advantage of the captions and graphical features on TikTok to keep users visually engaged and informed on the subject of the video.
Follow Dr. Don Dizon on social media:
3. Rose Marie Leslie, MD
Dr. Rose Marie Leslie is a family medicine physician with an especially big following on TikTok. She shares “Daily Doctor Facts” and health education about anatomy, healthcare news, and advice. What makes Dr. Leslie stand out is her responses to users’ questions; she will respond to users about patient-doctor communication, healthcare trends, and news.
TikTok
Creating content that users will engage with is simple when social media platforms, such as TikTok make it easy to record, edit and add graphics to your videos all in one place. Dr. Leslie is great at using screenshots, the green-screen feature, and other special effects to make TikToks that spark interest and are shareable.
Every now and then, because social media should be fun, Dr. Leslie will use trending audio or filters to show off her fun and everyday side. Her feed is a good mix of health education and personality, so online users get to know her and trust her. Social media is a great tactic for your healthcare practice marketing. Patients will get to know your personality and level of expertise, further giving them a greater sense of trust in your services.
Follow Dr. Leslie on social media:
4. Howard Luks
Dr. Howard Luks, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist in New York, has an active presence on all social media channels. Dr. Luks is not a celebrity and provides a great example of how your typical doctor can also upkeep a stellar social media presence.
YouTube
Luks regularly uploads videos to YouTube, where he discusses common orthopedic injuries and patient questions. In one video, Luks explains knee swelling and signs to look for in case of a serious injury. This video has been viewed over 200,000 times.
“Studies report that 85 percent of patients are researching their diseases and their physicians online,” Luks says in his YouTube channel trailer. “Healthcare is not social, sports medicine is not social, but human beings are. Shouldn’t your physicians also be social?”
Again, digital consumers love visual content. Just think about the Dr. Pimple Popper empire. Most other healthcare provider’s online success won’t be in the same niche as her grossly intriguing video clips, but filming a short video explaining a new procedure or common diagnosis provides an efficient way for followers to engage with your practice.
Follow Howard Luks on social media:
5. Kevin M.D.
Kevin Pho is “social media’s leading physician voice.” On his website, Kevin M.D., Pho shares stories from all aspects of the healthcare system. He provides a space for doctors, nurses, medical students, and policy experts to share their insights and experiences. As the founder and editor, Pho publishes articles on everything from physician suicide to electronic health records to, of course, social media tips for doctors.
Pho’s approach to Instagram is different from other doctors. He has over 5,000 followers and shares more thought leadership posts. Instagram isn’t always all selfies and silly videos, and Pho knows that. He shares his podcast, interviews, reviews from his listeners, and other social proof of his expertise and health education. If you want another way to use Instagram that does not rely heavily on visuals, consider using a podcast and informational content on Instagram.
Follow Kevin Pho, MD on social media:
Online marketing for doctors is essential in the digital age. For healthcare providers looking to craft their practice brand, social media is the perfect avenue to create and disseminate shareable content that is relevant to your practice, specialty, and patients.
As a healthcare provider marketing your practice online, social media can also maximize your content strategy. Blogging on healthcare services, trends, or topics of patient concern will allow your website to show more prominently in search results. Sharing links to these posts on social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube will offer an additional way for patients to find you online.
What should you do next?
1. Schedule a free PatientPop demo.
2. Measure your online performance using our free scanner.
3. Watch our learning session on “Social media 101: Attract and engage patients online.”
