Winter 2023
2023 Social Media and the Anesthesiology Practice: Marketing and Your Online Reputation
Kristine E. Squiers, MS
Social Media Specialist, MiraMed Global Services, Jackson, MI
There have been big changes in social media over the last year, with many more promised as Congress consistently looks for answers on regulation of social media and the social media platforms compete. This article looks at best practices for anesthesiologists for 2023, areas of concern and pitfalls to avoid.
What Should I Post?
Anesthesiologists might entertain a range of reasons to market on social media, such as providing information about the practice, emergency closures, new employees or business accomplishments. They might also want to provide information about anesthesia, procedures and insurance. Anesthesiologists and anesthesia groups with aspirations of securing larger contracts, mergers and investments can utilize social media to build a brand.
There are many ways the anesthesia industry is presented and marketed in social media. Many comedy segments feature doctors, nurses or patients. Sometimes anesthesiologists present themselves seriously, providing information about procedures, equipment, instruments or medications. Some clinics take a broad approach and provide social media under the branded name of the practice and utilize the platform to build a branded identity. All of these are legitimate social media marketing methods for 2023.
Social media is interactive. Social media is dynamic. Although you can limit the amount of interaction, best practices favor more interaction. This means, if you want to build more visibility to market your practice, more interaction on your part, and your followers, is required. The less you do, the slower and less dynamic the response. The less interesting your posts are, the longer it takes to build an audience.
Managing Your Brand
One of the biggest concerns for healthcare providers in 2023 is their own personal safety and anonymity. Before posting anything, remember to consider that there are a lot of people who will be able to identify you or your staff if you post any of that information, so be aware of your level of exposure. Also be aware that images you post can have data embedded that share location information. Should your posts become very popular, over time your following could be thousands or even millions of people from all over the world.
Another concern is that the more visible your practice is online, the more likely you are to draw negative reviews, comments and images posted against you. If your goal is brand recognition and establishing yourself as a leader in the marketplace, act with prudence. Attempt to use best practices for handling the onslaught of negativity that inevitably will occur at some point. Consider reading this helpful article to avoid costly mistakes. https://www.yotpo.com/resources/how-to-harness-the-positive-power-of-negative-reviews/
Impacts of Congressional Regulations
In 2023, social media will have another year of battling misinformation and disinformation. Scandalous, unusual, riveting, salacious and conspiratorial posts rise above the millions of boring voices. For the professional anesthesiologist, 2023 posts should provide important information for your patients, so they do not turn to poor sources.
“Misinformation and disinformation—misinformation as inaccuracy and errors and disinformation as a falsehood created on purpose and the spread of it by malicious individuals (human or bots)—gain momentum from the desire to find a solution to a particular disease or illness by patients or their relatives, who inadvertently contribute to spreading misleading information.”1
Because hearings in congress continue to identify genuine concerns about the health, safety and security of social media users and the United States as a whole, many in congress believe that it is time to add to or change the only legislation governing social media:
“The last major legislation to regulate social media was the Communications Decency Act (CDA) passed in 1996. This bill governs most social media platforms, and section 230 of the CDA, in particular, limits platforms’ liability for content published by users. These companies, such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have contended that they are noneditorial platforms and thus they should not be held responsible for what is published on their sites. This interpretation may have been believable 25 years ago, before the growth of social media or the increasing power of algorithmic content curation, but this interpretation no longer reflects reality.”2
It is likely we will see social media regulation proposed by congress in 2023.
Which Platform Should I Use?
Facebook is the most popular platform for patients to use for healthcare information. The next two most popular platforms for healthcare information are YouTube followed by Twitter. All three platforms are great for branding, but Facebook is seeing a decline in younger users. YouTube is seeing a steady increase in all users. Twitter is seeing instability, record losses and a questionable future.
Twitter is experiencing a massive changeover since purchased by Elon Musk. This changeover has jeopardized its security protocols, leading to many data vulnerabilities as well as fake and fraudulent accounts popping up as verified.3
Most companies are pulling back on advertising, and established accounts are considering changing platforms.4
If you are using Twitter, you are going to see changes in 2023, so prepare now for a backup plan, such as an alternate platform. In 2023 you may want to consider utilizing your Google Business Profile which appears in Google search results and on the Google Map. You can post images, ads, videos, statements, information and more. Google Business Profiles are an easy way to manage your online reputation and build your brand. To find out more about getting your own Google Business Profile use this link: https://www.google.com/business/.
In conclusion, it is likely that we will see congress continue holding hearings on the regulation of social media. Questions of social impact, impact on psychological wellbeing, impact on homeland security and impact on the stock market are all open considerations that may yield unexpected changes. Be prepared with a backup plan, as the onslaught of change washing over these platforms could potentially impact you. Always consider safety and privacy issues before posting, and finally be aware that you will be attacked with negative comments, so prepare your responses.
Have a wonderful 2023!
1 A New Application of Social Impact in Social Media for Overcoming Fake News in Health by Cristina M. Pulido 1ORCID, Laura Ruiz-Eugenio 2,*ORCID, Gisela Redondo-Sama 3 and Beatriz Villarejo-Carballido 4ORCID
2 Maybe We Should Make Some Rules Here: A Framework for Social Media, Harwood, Graham. Chicago Policy Review (Online); Chicago (Jan 17, 2022). https://www.proquest.com/openview/1ab243336dcb4e6fdbc2c94ce51aa8c8/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1576347
3 https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/10/tech/twitter-executives-resign
Kristine E. Squiers, MS manages all social media for MiraMed Global Services and its Family of Companies. Kristine began her digital marketing career in 2008, and has extensive experience in search engine optimization, digital advertising, website management, content marketing, lead generation and social media. Kristine has a Master of Science in Psychology with a specialization in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, as well as Graduate Certificates in Diversity Studies and Business Management.
