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Issue: January 2018
ByAgustin L. Gonzalez, OD, FAAO, ABCMO
January 01, 2018
2 min read
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Social media can help you conduct business

Explore how you can market your practice with this platform, one expert says.

Issue: January 2018
ByAgustin L. Gonzalez, OD, FAAO, ABCMO

By 2015, it was expected that nearly one out of every two people worldwide was already using some form of social media (Ragan). We know that number has been increasing ever since. More and more people are engaging in sites that allow users to promote, engage and even share details of their lives. The business models of these sites allow users to promote their goods and services online.

Between Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and many other sites, there have been numerous uses of social media over the years. Here is a look at popular and innovative ways people are using social media today.

Networking

These days, any doctor of optometry does not have to go out to meet other ODs. From ODs on Facebook to ODWire.org, there is a chance for you to meet other ODs and even hire an associate. Social media allows us to network just by reaching out for our phones or computer. All we need is an Internet connection to find potential colleagues in the field.

Agustin L. Gonzalez

Social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook connect people with common interests and allow them to network. In today’s environment, any business owner can build an entire network of partners and clients by engaging with them through social media.

Running businesses

In today’s world, businesses run on social media. You can have your office link up with potential patents online. Many times, retailers arrange for shipments from their wholesalers on social media messaging apps.

Just like the big companies, you can use online ads and have dedicated pages within your website to market your specific products. Some doctors’ offices are even getting creative and smarter about it; they are letting their users become part of their marketing strategies by allowing them to upload user-generated content onto their websites.

Building companies

A lot of people are taking advantage of niches in the services we provide, from myopia control to scleral lenses and dry eye. Use social media marketing to build your expertise.

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One good example is Google, and another is Veriton. Google acts a data collection company, collecting data about its user’s habits and selling them to companies so that they can plan their marketing strategies. Veriton offers much of the same service but differentiates it a bit. Instead, it buys the data from companies such as Google, analyzes, interprets and arranges it, then sells it to consumer firms to use in planning.

Google and Veriton are just two examples of a multitude of companies taking creative advantage of social media for profitability, and you could too.

Providing health care services

Make no mistake, the era of smart apps is upon us, and we better get used to sharing the space. The concept of telemedicine is not new, but the surge of computing power that will enable companies like Opternative will improve. Just look at online stores such as Therapy on Demand, among other services, that allow doctors and patients to interact and have their sessions over the web.

Social media is a platform for numerous companies to conduct their business and interact with each other. It allows people to forge bonds, get treatments, network and even learn. The question is not should you be on social media but rather what can you create with social media?

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  • Agustin L. Gonzalez, OD, FAAO, serves as a practice consultant and is a member of the Primary Care Optometry News Editorial Board. He can be reached at Gonzalez.Agu@gmail.com.

Disclosure: Gonzalez reports no relevant financial disclosures.