“Blogging, Tweeting, and
Facebooking: How Social
Networking Can Help Your Clinic”
Robert Rosser, Senior Consultant
Primoro, Inc.
GFCN Conference
May 3, 2010
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About Robert
• Owner and Senior Consultant, Primoro, Inc.
• 31 years in the healthcare industry
• Featured speaker for a variety medical societies and
organizations
• Member of the Medical Group Management Association
• Advisory Board Member of the Association of Dermatology
Administrators and Managers (ADA/M)
• Graduate of North Carolina State University
• University of California (non-degree program)
• American Management Association (healthcare management program)
• Lives in Fayette County, GA, married 27years, two children,
and, Sadie, our rescued pup
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This is Sadie
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Agenda
• Define Social Networking
• Tools
– Twitter
– Facebook
– LinkedIn
• Enter the Blogosphere
• Connect social media tools to your blog
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Social Networks Defined
• A social network service
– Focuses on building online communities of people
who share:
• interests and/or activities
• interested in exploring the interests and activities of others
– Social network services are web based and provide
a variety of ways for users to interact
• e-mail, instant messaging services, iPhone, Blackberry
– Social networking encourages new ways to
communicate and share information.
– Social networking websites are being
used regularly by millions of people.
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Social
Networking
Penetration
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Facebook™ Demographics (12/08)
“Atlanta is embracing Facebook faster than any other major metropolitan area,”
Larry Hartstein, AJC, July 8, 2009.
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Power Politics In Cyberspace
Social Followers, Friends
Presidential Candidate Network Site & Viewers
Barack Obama Facebook
MySpace
5,062,831
1,181,171
YouTube 160,669
• Unprecedented use of Twitter 231,996
the internet & social Flickr
Eventful
media LinkedIn
Blackplanet 491,697
• He changed the political Faithbase 2,970
Eon 416
communication channel Glee 2005
Megente 51,727
Batanga 174
Asianave 2749
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Many Social Media Tools
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Enter the “Blogosphere”
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The Blog
• Blogs are nothing more than your written
communication to your audience
• Blogs are the 21st Century newsletter
• Tremendously effective communication
tool
• Are as easy to compose as an email
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Blogging Advantages
• Blogs offer readers/patrons/patients information in the format
they choose
• Provides more frequent community contact
• Avoids drudgery of newsletters
– Time
– Cost
• More targeted, measurable impact
• Economical internal marketing
• Always available, including archives
• Blogs are never thrown away
• You are in control
– Monthly maintenance* not required
– You write and publish without the need of a programmer
Primoro, Inc. * Primoro offers a variety of programs to aid you in maximizing the SN opportunity.
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Blogging Advantages (cont)
• Recent technology update
– Allows blogs to contain multiple pages!
– Blogs can and do serve as mini websites, e.g.
“microsite”
• Allows a lot of content
• Looks and feels similar to a website
• Low cost, with no ongoing fees or registrations
• Not quite as robust as a traditional website
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Make the “Connection”
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Connect Your Blog to
Social Network Sites
• Distribute your blog to the SN sites
– Via html programming feeds
– Once established, distribution is one click
away!
• Measure your visitors activity
– Site meters, analytical tools
– Sitemeter, Feedburner, Google Analytics
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Primoro’s Social
Media Network
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Data Example
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The Finale!
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Six Benefits to Use of Social Media*
• Search results:
– Extending your presence onto other sites elevates your ranking in
search results
– Increases exposure for your business.
– Focus on sites most relevant to your existing and potential customers.
• Brand management:
– Protect your brand reputation, especially with “opinion” site, e.g., YELP
– Using social media proactively finds & builds customer relationships.
– Allows you to help deflect any negative opinions.
– Building positive sentiment for your brand lessens the likely negative
opinions damage your brand.
• Relationships:
– Offers an opportunity to network online and build your business.
– Share, connect, learn and talk business.
* Six Key Benefits of Using Social Media for Small Business, Jason Rudman, Director, OPENForum.com
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Six Benefits* (cont)
• Brand awareness:
– Generate brand awareness among a targeted audience.
– Begin by researching what channels and tools your customers are using
– Engage and linking back to your own website.
• Innovation:
– Serves as a great learning tool
– You learn what your customers are talking about (your products and
services)
– Give them a place to do so on your own site
– Engage your customers in conversations about how best to meet their
needs.
• Competitive Research:
– Learn what your competitors are doing, saying and what customers are
saying about them
– Creates the opportunity to differentiate yourself.
* Six Key Benefits of Using Social Media for Small Business, Jason Rudman, Director, OPENForum.com
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Finally
• Marketing and Advertising budgets should be
1-5% of net collected revenue.
• Most businesses focus on external marketing,
e.g., print, magazines, newsletters, etc.
– Expensive
– Thrown away
– Never seen
– Difficult to measure penetration
• Utilizing social media tools are economical;
due to the internet, your message endures.
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Resources
• www.howtomakemyblog.com
• www.problogger.net
• www.openforum.com
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Questions & Discussion
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