As I was monitoring my Twitter timeline this morning, I noticed a tweet by another chiropractor that said the following:
“I am still not sure what the purpose of these social media sites is.”
I was pleased to see an immediate answer to his tweet by a fellow chiropractor that stated:
“Social media is what you make of it. For a chiropractor, use it to build relationships, promote your services, and education.”
Excellent tweet and to the point!
Social media is what you make of it. It’s just like anything else. If you want to see huge returns from it, then invest time in learning how to effectively and efficiently use it.
The purpose of social media for chiropractors is to build relationships. Build the relationships and you’ll establish trust. Establish trust and you’ll more easily convert a prospect into a patient.
But, you may ask, “Why social media?”
Well, because you have to go where the market is.
In a previous post, I pointed to Dr. Bhan, creator of the physician social network, Ozmosis, who said that according to a recent Manhattan Research survey, 60 million U.S. healthcare consumers are using social media to find healthcare information online.
With the increasing use of the internet, that number will only rise. And, as it does, guess which websites come up on top?
You guessed it! Social media sites that I’ve previously recommended — Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Don’t make this difficult. Simply sign up for these accounts and start providing keyword-rich content that prospects will find valuable. Then, use these sites to drive traffic back to your blog.
I know I may sound like a broken record but sometimes things are worth repeating.
Your blog should be the central hub of ALL of your online communications. Use social media sites to leverage yourself online and have your profiles setup where they link back to your blog.
If you’re still wondering why you need a blog, then read one of my previous posts, 6 Essential Reasons Why You Need a Chiropractic Blog. If you’re needing help getting started, contact me. If you already have a traditional, brochure-like website, then let’s talk. You can still incorporate a blog within that structure and successfully make it work.
Even though there are many ways of acquiring new patients, allow technology to do most of the work. Thinking out-of-the-box while simultaneously embracing technology will assure a winning strategy for you in this new economy.
About Dr. Patrick MacNamara
I have been advocating the use of blogs and social media to thought leaders of all types, but especially chiropractors, for years. Kudos to you for the way you have put this together! This is one of the best blog based social media enabled sites I have ever seen…
Todd :: Thanks for the kudos. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. It’s comments like yours that keep me motivated.
If chiropractors would grasp how valuable blogs and social media are, they’d connect with a huge audience that is looking for what they provide. The more I promote that message, hopefully the more they’ll embrace it.
This statement is not gramatically incorrect: “I am still not sure what the purpose of these social media sites is.”
“Is” refers to the subject of the sentence, which is “the purpose.” Just because “social media sites” is plural doesn’t mean it should say ” social media sites are,” which is why I’m guessing you feel it’s gramatically incorrect. You wouldn’t say, “The purpose are…”; you’d say, “The purpose is…”
Even if it were incorrect, it seems inappropriate to embarass a fellow chiropractor by calling him out on a grammar mistake on your blog. I’m sure you didn’t want to seem uneducated by posting something incorrect on your site, but instead, you call yourself out on not knowing proper grammar.
Anonymous :: First of all, I want to thank you for visiting my blog. I’m both honored and humbled that you’ve taken the time to read it.
Secondly, I also appreciate your sharp eye! Wow, how did I miss that?
Thirdly, I’ve made the necessary changes to correct my mistake. However, my intention wasn’t “to embarass a fellow chiropractor”. If you notice, the winking smiley face (
) was used in jest. The doctor who made the tweet even made fun of the post. It was all done in fun — I promise! 
Lastly, in the future, I’d encourage you to come out of your anonymity. It adds nothing to the purpose of social media. I’m a very down to earth guy and have no problem being corrected when I make mistakes. Furthermore, it’s always nice to continue the conversation with someone that isn’t nameless or faceless.