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Is it possible to fit a patient in contact lenses without interacting with them? I may not win an argument if I argue that it can’t be done, but I bet more than 90% of my readers would agree with me that it shouldn’t be done. I would also opine that the more personal interaction I have with my patients, the higher their opinion is of my clinical skills and bedside manner. In a similar vein, I’ve heard the question time and time again; "I want to incorporate social media marketing for my eyecare business, but who can run a campaign for me?"

I’m here to make the point that social media is not just a new cool marketing trend to delegate, it’s not the “pet rock” of technologies, it is a living, breathing paradigm-shifting method of driving business that is here to stay. It’s not “set it and forget it” either. It involves the brand visionary; the protagonist of the practice continuously learning, interacting, maintaining and, all said, being social, hence the name.

When you hire a social media consultant, they should act as guide and teacher, but they shouldn’t do your homework for you. They can provide ideas, but the person defining the brand of the business must provide the content. It is imperative that the content you create reflect the real you i.e. your brand/your business as closely as possible. People who “follow” you want to follow the real “you.” They are not interested in what anyone else has to say and, even if they don’t realize you are not being genuine at first, they ultimately will, and the campaign you worked so hard to create and build will melt away, reducing your efforts to nil.

Become your campaign; be yourself and watch it take off. The “offline” brand should match the “online” brand as closely as possible. No social media marketing company can be expected to recreate and maintain online what you have created offline - that is your business brand. While other people who work with you might be able to recreate the brand you are trying to spread through your social media channels, no one outside your organization has any hope of attracting the type of community you hope to attract in order to have a successful social media campaign.

I have worked as a consultant for several companies who have expressed frustration surrounding the expectations of their doctor clients. I’ve heard things like “our clients want us to do their social media for them." Some of these companies bring incredible value in terms of the services they offer, going above and beyond to bring value to their client’s social efforts. The expectation that the social media consulting company should create the content (i.e. blog posts, Facebook posts, videos and communications) is unrealistic. Few people understand how vital the “social” aspect of social media is. The desire to delegate a social media campaign is like delegating the fitting of contact lenses to your contact lens rep. The reps introduce you to new brands, technologies and methods, but ultimately your patients expect your professional judgment, personal attention and social discourse around topics related to their medical health. Your social media consultants can be expected to provide the hardware - the concepts, the rules and the backdrops, even some creative content ideas - but you must step up, energize and engage the network that starts to form around the structure your consultants design.

Don’t forget about the social media discussion going on OnToptics, which I participate in; be sure to “Like” the OnToptics page on Facebook and join us at our new location on LinkedIn by searching “OnToptics” after adjusting the LinkedIn search bar to search “Groups” (upper right hand corner of LinkedIn home page). Also, don’t forget to pick up your copy of Searchial Marketing, my how-to, soup to nuts book on social media. http://www.searchialmarketing.com

- Alan N. Glazier, OD, FAAO
Author: Searchial Marketing: How Social Media Drives Search Optimization in Web 3.0
Founder/CEO
Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care
Rockville, MD

Twitter Handle: @EyeInfo
Blog: http://www.youreyesite.net
Website: YourEyeSite.com

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