Social Media BasicsConsiderations for Medical Aesthetics Clinics

Social media refers to the ways which people communicate with each other in online groups. This document explains how to create an account on the three most popular social media websites (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) and gives tips for success in each platform.

Social Media BasicsIn most medical aesthetics clinics, the largest percentage of new patients comes from referrals by friends, neighbours or relatives who are current or past patients. Happy customers of a clinic are inclined to tell their acquaintances about their experience and the success of their treatment, and such recommendations are a powerful motivator for others who seek aesthetic medical care. These “word of mouth” referrals build patient flow and are a major contributor to the success of clinics.

But most patients who refer their friends to their doctor reach a very small number of people with their recommendations. They may tell a neighbour or two, a handful of co-workers and some close relatives, but even a prolific referrer usually brings no more than a few patients to their favourite clinic.

With the advent of the Internet and its massive reach, patient referrals have taken on a completely new dimension. Now, a patient who has a great experience can tell hundreds or even thousands of “friends” about their doctor, at no cost. This ability to influence a large number of potential patients has caused doctors and clinic managers to take a closer look at how people connect and broadcast their opinions over the Internet.

The term that is used to describe the various ways that people communicate with each other over the World Wide Web is “social networking,” and the websites they use are called “social media” sites. There are hundreds of social media websites, some used by millions of people for general socializing and others frequented by smaller numbers of individuals with very specialized interests. Some of these networking sites may provide opportunities for medical aesthetics clinics to participate and to build relationships with patients and potential patients. There is therefore considerable interest on the part of doctors and managers in determining if social media can increase patient flow in their clinic.

Social Media ConsiderationsBefore engaging in a social networking initiative, it is critical to consider a number of factors that affect your ability to be successful. These factors include:

Your Clinic’s Capabilities. Do you have someone who is an engaging writer, with the knowledge and sensitivity to participate in online conversations with your patients? The assigned person or persons will need to be well versed in your services and policies, and will need to know your local regulations regarding appropriate public communications and patient privacy so they avoid violating any applicable laws.

Your Clinic’s Capacities. To be actively engaged in social networking, you or one of your staff members will need to spend significant time posting messages and responding to patient comments, questions and complaints. This task can take a number of hours every week.

Your Clinic’s Strategies. Any forays into social media should be coordinated with and complementary to your other growth strategies. It is easy to understand why your social networking initiatives should be featured on your clinic website, but it is equally important to integrate these efforts with your other marketing, patient education, staff training and operational strategies.

Your Local Regulations. It is absolutely critical to ensure that your social networking complies with all laws and regulations that apply to your clinic.

Whether you decide to participate actively in social media or not, it is advisable to have someone in the clinic monitor what is being said about you in social networking sites. This can be done efficiently by searching regularly for your clinic and doctors’ names in a social media search site such as www.socialmention.com.

If you determine that social networking is appropriate for your clinic, you will need to begin by creating an account. The following pages provide instructions for signing up for three of the most commonly used sites: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. As each of these allows you to connect with your patients in different ways, they will require different monitoring and updating efforts. It is therefore recommended that you choose only one to start, and consider adding additional networking sites in the future.

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Facebook Overview:Facebook is a social networking site where people can connect with others and “like” Pages that are about topics, people, places or ideas that are of interest to them. Within Facebook, you can create a User Profile or a Page.

A Facebook Page can be used to promote your clinic in Facebook. Working within the Facebook infrastructure, your Page will be divided by “tabs,” and at a minimum will have a Wall tab and an Info Tab. The Wall is the place where you will post status updates that others can comment to. The Info Tab allows you to insert information about your clinic. Facebook also allows you to add tabs where you can upload photos and videos, or allow people who read your Page to start discussions.

Beyond these simple tabs, Facebook allows you to build customized tabs. These customized tabs are built similar to a website and require HTML coding. This document will not provide details for how to build customized tabs, but using just the basic template tabs that Facebook includes will provide a powerful networking tool for your practice to utilize.

Getting Started:The following instructions provide the step-by-step process for building a Facebook Page.

1. Before you create a Page, you must have a Facebook User Profile. If you have not yet set up a User Profile, go to http://www.facebook.com and follow the step-by-step process for creating an account.

2. At the bottom of the Facebook homepage, click “Create a Page” for a celebrity, band or business.3. Select the “Company, Organization or Institution” icon.

Under the dropdown menu, choose your business type, then enter your clinic name. Click “Get Started.”

4. You will follow a series of security checks followed by terms of use and privacy policy agreements.5. Facebook will send a confirmation email to confirm your registration. When you receive the email,

click on the link provided to confirm that you registered for a Facebook account. You will then be logged into Facebook.

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6. Once you are logged into your account, you may begin editing and customizing your Facebook page.7. Click on “Edit Page” to add a Profile picture, insert your clinic’s background and contact

information, manage your page Settings and more.8. Under “Manage Permissions,” you can control the Users Posting Ability. The best practice is to allow

fans’ comments to appear on the Page, though this does require consistent monitoring by your clinic.

Posting Content on Facebook:Now that your Page is published, you can begin posting public status updates to the Page. You can do this by clicking on the Wall tab and inserting information into the status update box. After you have typed your status update, click on the “share” button. The update will then become publically visible and will appear on other’s “News Feeds.”

The status update section also allows you to include a photo, video, events, or other link. Click on the icons below the status update box to utilize this feature.

Tips for Success on Facebook:1. Selecting Your Page Name

Your Page name will determine how people find you within Facebook. Make sure to use words that correspond with the type of words people use to search for in your area of expertise.

2. Keep fans engaged via fresh content and conversation Announce events, offers, and important information via Facebook. Content will drive your Page followers to engage with your Page—and possibly your clinic.

Include videos, photos, blog entries, useful Facebook applications, coupons, etc. Monitor conversations closely and engage with Page followers in a professional way that complies

with all applicable regulations.3. Promote your page both offline and online

Connect your Facebook page to your other social networks Encourage or incentivize your current patients to “like” your page (when they like your Page,

it will show up on their personal profile and give your Page more visibility) Link to your Facebook Page from your website Download a Facebook badge to add to your site at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/promo_guidelines.php Be sure to follow Facebook’s brand guidelines if you link to the Page from your website (covered on above

page) Include your Facebook Page link in your email signature Use your office waiting room to promote your Facebook Page on posters or fliers

4. Create a Vanity URL Once your Facebook Page is “liked” by 25+ people, you can create a Vanity URL for the Page.

Visit http://www.facebook.com/username/ for step-by-step instructions on how to do this. Ultimately this will provide your Facebook page with a URL as follows: www.facebook.com/yourclinicname.

5. Consider Investing in Facebook Ads Facebook allows users with all budget sizes to place ads within Facebook to promote their

Page. For more information, visit: http://www.facebook.com/ads/manage/campaigns.php?act=48101815.

6. Research Look for other Pages in Facebook in similar business categories and begin posting relevant

(not spam) comments on those Pages. Doing so gives you visibility among people on Facebook who are looking for the content that your Page provides.

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AdminAn admin is a person who's in charge of a group. When you create a group, you are automatically listed as both an admin and the group's creator. Admins can invite people to join the group, appoint other admins, and edit group information and content. They can also remove members and other admins.

Ads An advertisement. Users can create Facebook Ads to market their products and ideas. Ads are not free. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

ApplicationUsers can add applications to their profiles, pages, and groups. There are dozens upon dozens of applications to choose from. Some are built by Facebook. Most are built by external developers. Visit the Application Directory to learn more. See General Application Support for Q&A.

BlogWeb log. Used as a noun or verb. An online diary or column maintained by an individual. Blogs generally contain commentary but may also contain graphic images, videos, or descriptions of events.

CauseAn advocacy group or online campaign for collective action. Any Facebook user can start one. A cause can be used to raise money or promote one's position on an issue. Visit the Causes Help Center to learn more.

Chat A feature that lets users talk with friends who are online in Facebook. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Event A calendar-based resource that users can add to their profiles, pages and groups that lets them share news about upcoming events.

Facebook ConnectA single sign-on service that enables Facebook users to login to affiliated sites using their Facebook account and share information from those sites with their Facebook friends. See Facebook Connect to learn more.

Facebook Blog The official Facebook blog where you will find hundreds of posts on a wide range of subjects.

Facebook Platform The underlying systems software and application framework that developers use to build Facebook applications. See FAQ.

Fan A person who has joined a business’ page because they like what that page represents.

Friend A person who has joined a person’s personal Facebook profile, usually by invitation.

Friend Finder A Facebook utility that helps users find present and former friends, family, co-workers, schoolmates, and other acquaintances. Visit Friend Finder to learn more.

Group A group is not a page or profile. It is a Facebook site created by bands, companies and other organizations to promote their activities. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Inbox The Facebook mail application. See Messages and Inbox at the Help Center to learn more.

InsightsFacebook's answer to web page analysis. For each Facebook page, Insights tracks the number of page views, unique views, total interactions, wall posts, discussion topics, fans, new fans, removed fans, reviews, photo views, audio plays, and video plays.

LexiconA Facebook tool to follow language trends across Facebook. Specifically, Lexicon looks at the usage of words and phrases on profile, group and event Walls. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

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LikeA feature that appears as a link next to something you see on Facebook that allows users to let others know they appreciate that something, whether it be a video, a comment or something else. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Limited Profile A profile that allows only restricted access.

MarketplaceFacebook Marketplace is a feature developed by Facebook that allows users to post free classified ads within the following categories: For Sale, Housing, Jobs, and Other. Ads can be posted as either available and offered, or wanted.

Member A person who has joined and participates with a group.

Mini FeedSimilar to a news feed, but different. A Mini Feed centers around one person. Each person's Mini Feed shows what has changed recently in their profile and what content (notes, photos, etc.) they've added. Mini Feeds are sent automatically and posted to friends' profiles for all to see.

MobileFacebook Mobile offers multiple Facebook features for your phone, such as Facebook Mobile Web (m.facebook.com), Facebook Mobile Texts and Facebook Mobile Uploads. Go to Facebook Help (Mobile Edition) for more information.

Network A circle of friends and acquaintances that centers on a city, school, company, or military organization. See Help Center to learn more.

Notes Notes are like mini-blogs for your profile. Visit Help Center to learn more.

Notifications Like Mini Feeds, notifications are news feeds from friends, sent automatically as they engage in activity on their profile.

Page

A page is not a profile. It may look like one, but it's not. The features and capabilities are different. It is a Facebook site intended for and created by artists, musical groups, celebrities, businesses, brands and similar entities (not individuals). You can add pages to your profile to show your friends what you care about. Only the official representative of an artist or business can create and make changes to a page. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Photos A Facebook application that lets users upload albums of photos, tag friends, and comment on photos.

Poke A poke is a way to interact with your friends on Facebook. It allows one user to virtually poke another. Some consider it flirting.

ProfileA profile is not a page. It may look like one, but it's not. The features and capabilities are different. It is a Facebook site intended for and created by people who want to share information about themselves and socialize with others. A profile displays a user's personal information and their interactions with friends.

PublisherUse publisher to Publish your status, photos, notes and more into the stream. Posts show up both in your profile, and on your friends' home pages. Tour the Facebook homepage to see the location of Publisher on the profile.

RSSReally Simple Syndication. Wikipedia defines it as a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format.

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Status A micro-blogging feature which allows users to inform their friends of their current whereabouts, actions, or thoughts.

StreamThe stream shows you posts from your friends in real-time. This keeps you up to date on everything that's happening. You can control who appears here. Tour the Facebook homepage to see where Stream is located on the profile.

Tabs

Tabs mark the different sections of a profile.

The Info tab displays basic information about the person or business who created the Facebook profile or page.

The Wall tab displays the user's interactions (comments and messages) as well as status messages.

The Photos tab displays photos and albums.

The Boxes tab displays all of the applications and features not showcased elsewhere on the profile.

Other tabs. Users can feature their Applications by creating a tab unique to that application.

Tag Marking a photo or video with text that identifies the image or the person in the image. See How Do I Tag a Picture or Video to learn more.

Translations A Facebook application that allows translators from around world to translate Facebook into different languages.

Updates News feeds sent to you from pages that you have joined.

VideoA Facebook application that lets users share videos on Facebook. Users can add their videos with the service by uploading video, adding video through Facebook Mobile, and using a web cam recording feature.

Wall A featured section inside a Facebook profile. It's a space on every user's profile page that allows visitors and users themselves to post messages for all to see.

WarningsNotices from Facebook that you have engaged in a prohibited activity or that you have reached a limit that suggests you were using a feature at a rate that is likely to be abusive. See Warnings on the Facebook Help Center for more information.

1 Adapted from http://www.howdoifacebook.com/glossary.htm

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Twitter Overview:Twitter is a microblogging service that allows users to post messages up to 140 characters. These short notes are called “tweets.” Within Twitter, people can communicate with and follow each other by signing up to read each others’ updates and by posting tweets of their own.

Getting Started:The steps below outline the process for staring a Twitter profile.

1. Go to www.twitter.com 2. Click on ‘Sign up’3. Add full name4. Add a username, which will be your handle or alias as well as your URL name. For example, the

username “JSmith” will be www.twitter.com/JSmith 5. Follow directions to insert password and email address, then click “create account”

Once you get to this point in the account set up process, Twitter will begin to help you locate people or topics that are of interest to you. To do so:

6. The Interests page will appear. Click on topic(s) that interest you, and begin following people who tweet about these topics Example: Click on ‘health’ category to bring up relevant companies, media, consumers related

to this topic. Click follow. Twitter allows you to insert names of companies/people and check if they are on Twitter; if

they are there, you can opt to begin following them.7. Click “next step: friends”

Twitter will display your email address and automatically locate your email contacts that are also on Twitter so that you can opt to “follow” them. You can also sign into additional email accounts to retrieve email contacts that are on Twitter.

8. Click “Finish”9. You will receive an email saying, “Twitter Account Confirmation”

Click on the link in the email to verify the account, and you can start tweeting10. To post a Tweet, log into your account on www.twitter.com, and type up to 140 characters into the

“What’s happening?” box in the upper left-hand corner of your screen. Then click “Tweet.”

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While logged into your account, click on “Profile” on top middle of home page. Once you are on the “Profile” page, click on “Edit your profile,” on the left side of the page, which will allow you to change your account information, set up text messaging, receive notices, customize your profile, create a bio, change your Twitter page design, and create connections.

In the “Profile” page, you can also link your clinic website to your Twitter account. Under the “Design” tab, you can use a template background picture or to insert your own background image. If you have the graphic capabilities, a custom design can help your page stand out.

Tips for Success on Twitter:1. Post often, at least daily or several times/week

Post quality content that matters to your audience Provide unique information that positions you as a valuable resource

2. Use specific keywords your patients will be searching for online3. Use relevant hashtags, or categorized labels, to widen the reach of your tweet4. Engage with your followers by asking questions and responding to them

When you are speaking about someone on Twitter, use the @ symbol before their profile name so that they know you are speaking about them

Your followers appreciate it when you retweet a message from them or promote them5. Stick to 120 character updates in order to leave room for others to re-tweet you6. Re-tweet important news or information from your followers7. Use URL shorteners such as Bit.ly8. It is polite to follow those who follow you9. Promote your account both online and offline by linking to your Twitter account on your clinic

homepage, and promoting your Twitter account in your office waiting room.

Twitter Glossary:

To follow Subscribing to a user’s updates.

Tweet An individual message, publicly displayed, can be seen/searched by anyone on Internet.

DM or Direct Message Private message on Twitter, only allowed when users are following each other.

RT or Re-tweet Reposting a valuable message from somebody else on Twitter and giving them credit.

Trending topics Most-discussed terms on Twitter at any given moment.

@username Public tweet to or about an individual on Twitter that shows up in the individual’s@replies tab.

Hashtag # symbol followed by a term and included in tweets—is a way of categorizing all the posts on a topic.

Shortened URLsBecause Twitter allows only 140 characters per message, many members will use a URL abbreviation website to shorten web addresses that are included in their messages. Common sites for this purpose include TinyURL.com, Bit.ly, and BudURL.com.

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YouTube Overview:YouTube.com is a website that allows users to post videos on the Internet so that others can view them. Businesses use YouTube to share videos of their products and services with online visitors and potential customers.

Getting Started:Before you can upload any videos to YouTube, you must create a YouTube account for a “user channel.” This is done by going to the YouTube homepage and clicking on the “Create Account” button, which will then provide you with step-by-step instructions for setting up an account. One of the first prompts is to select the name and profile image for your YouTube account. As you select your name and profile image, keep in mind that they will show up on your page and whenever you comment on any other videos within YouTube. Your page name will also become your YouTube URL. For example, if you called my YouTube user channel, Dr. John Smith, the URL to your user channel will be www.youtube.com/drjohnsmith.

Once you have created your account, YouTube will send a confirmation email to confirm your registration. When you receive the email, click on the link provided to confirm that you registered for a YouTube account. You will then be logged into YouTube.

Click on the dropdown menu containing your YouTube user name and choose “My Channel” to begin customizing your page.

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The following table includes a brief explanation for each section and a few tips for maximizing success.

ProfileAllows you to insert information about yourself or your clinic. It is what people will read about you when they come to your channel.

Keep the information clear and concise. Include your clinic website (or Facebook page link) in the section that asks for a website.

Customize Homepage

Prompts you to select the colors and design for your channel.

Make sure to select the “Advanced” option, which will help you upload graphics or photos to your channel background. This section also allows you to determine what YouTube Modules will appear on your channel, such as Subscribers and Friends. Please see the YouTube Glossary below to learn more about these modules.

Playback Setup Gives YouTube information on how you want to watch videos on YouTube N/A

Email Options Helps you outline how YouTube can contact you.

Make sure to opt in to get regular updates from YouTube.

Privacy Gives you options for increasing or decreasing your privacy.

The fewer privacy restrictions you place on your YouTube channel, the more people will have access to your channel and videos.

Activity Sharing Allows you to determine how your YouTube activity is tracked by others.

If you have other social media channels, make sure to use this section to connect your channels to each other.

Mobile Set UpHelps you connect your channel to your mobile device so that you can upload videos on the go.

This feature allows you to create and upload videos to your channel from your phone.

Manage Account Allows you to manage your account details. N/A

TION DEFINITION TUploading Videos:Now that your video channel is set up, you are ready to start uploading videos. To do so:

1. Click on the “Videos and Playlists” tab in your account2. Click on the “Upload Video” button3. Select the video file4. Customize the upload

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Upload Fields Tips

Video Title Select a title that is descriptive to users and that will help people who are searching for information about aesthetic medicine.

Video Tags Select tags that relate to the words that people would use when searching for information about aesthetic medicine.

Category Select a category that describes the content of your videos.

Privacy Fewer privacy restrictions will give you more visibility in the online space

Sharing Options Giving people the option to share your videos can help them become more viral on the Internet.

Auto ShareUse this section to connect your YouTube account to your other social networks. Once you do so, you’ll be able to share your YouTube activities on your other social networks.

Tips for Generating Channel Views and Activity:

Keep videos short, around 2 minutes

Upload new content often

Subscribe to pages that are of interest to you and those whom you would like to view your page

Promote your channel on your other social media channels, as well as in your office waiting room

Include your channel information in your email signature, on your website, and in any of your offline advertising

Comment on other videos within YouTube (people will then see your channel image and link)

Respond to the comments that people post about your videos or about your channel

YouTube Glossary:

Upload Fields Tips

User ChannelA user channel is the page that users create to show their videos. A user channel is free and can be customized with a channel name, image and some channel design.

Brand A brand channel is an upgraded user channel that allows a business more flexibility in customizing their YouTube site.

ChannelThese are users with YouTube channels who have opted to “subscribe” to a particular channel. Channel subscribers are automatically notified (though their own user channel) when their subscribed site has uploaded new videos.

Channel Subscribers These are channels that a user has subscribed to on YouTube. Users can opt to have thumb nail images of their subscriptions show up on their own channel.

Channel SubscriptionsA channel friend is a YouTube user who “friends” a page. Channel friends do not receive automatic notifications when the channel is updated, but can be sent messages regarding new content. Friends can also view videos that are marked as “private” on a channel.

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