The numbers are awe-inspiring.
- 750 million active Facebook users
- 250 million Facebook users access
it via mobile devices
- 30 billion pieces of content are shared
on Facebook each month (links, news,
videos, notes, photo albums, etc.)
- 460,000 new Twitter accounts per day
- 200 million average tweets (posts) per
day on Twitter (as of June 2011; it was
35 million in 2010)
- Twitter use on mobile devices
increased 182% from 2010 to 2011
- 50% of adult Americans are using
social networking sites (Pew Internet
and American Life Project)
As a chiropractor, this means that the
odds are good your patients and hordes
of potential patients are using social
media. The question is, are you? If not,
you may be left behind—or worse,
considered obsolete.
Mike O’Donnell, D.C., Davenport ’09,
uses Facebook to communicate to his
patient base. He has more than 650 followers
and posts to his Facebook page every
day. “Facebook allows us to educate our
patients even when they aren’t in the office.
It gives us a constant presence. In fact,
we’ve had several more new patients per
month than we would have without a
Facebook page.”
Steve Agocs, D.C., Davenport ’00, uses
Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, his
website (www.elitechiropracticKC.com),
a blog and a monthly e-mail newsletter
for his practice. Since he is a full-time
faculty member at a chiropractic college,
his practice hours are limited and his
available time for face-to-face marketing
is “non-existent.” Social media allows
him to “keep a nice, consistent stream of
marketing information going to my
patients and potential patients. It also
helps me stay focused on my message so
that there is consistency across all the
media I am using.”
Dr. Agocs has found that his online efforts
have opened up communications from
patients. His patients often e-mail him
questions or come into appointments asking
him about something he has posted.
Also no newbie to the Internet is Joseph
Ierano, D.C., Davenport ’97. Aside from
the six websites he owns, he uses Twitter,
Facebook and YouTube. He uses YouTube
to post videos on chiropractic education,
media spots as well as items of personal
interest. Dr. Ierano finds that “YouTube is
an incredible way to share information,
interviews and self-made videos. Websites
are best for business. Some patients prefer
making online appointments now.”
All of the doctors agree that you should
keep your professional and private online
lives separate. “I use social media for my
personal life as well as professionally,” says
Ryan Cooper, D.C., Davenport ’08, “but
I do uphold a professional image on Facebook.
I am very careful about what I post
and what I allow on my page. I watch it
daily to make sure it’s congruent with the
image of my office and who I am.”
Dr. O’Donnell believes social media adds a
personal touch and doesn’t detract from
professionalism. “But your page is only as
good as the information on it.” Adding
patient testimonials is a great way to add
value to your page.
Regarding doctors who aren’t sure
whether they should use social media,
Dr. O’Donnell’s advice is to “let go of
your hang-ups and get with the times.
It’s how people communicate now.
Learn how to use it well, and spend a
little time each day online finding
quality information to share.”
“If you aren’t using social media, you’re
missing out on many great tools for
marketing your practice, staying in touch
with patients and building a potential
patient database,” said Dr. Agocs.
For a list of social media quick facts plus
dos and don’ts, visit www.palmer.edu/smqf.