Market Your Facility With Social Networking

Setting up a Facebook page for your facility couldn’t be easier. Just ask the staff at St. Rose Ambulatory Surgery Center in Great Bend, Kan., who spent about 30 minutes a couple of months ago to launch their own. As of this writing, they have 53 fans who receive e-mail alerts whenever St. Rose updates its page with news. A recent post highlighted the center’s new bone density scan machine.

Here are some tips for creating your social media presence:

The Facebook for Business page offers simple, step-by-step instructions for publishing your own page on the popular social networking site. Be sure to add such basic information as a link to your website, a company overview, your mission and the services you offer. Add your logo or another picture that represents your business.

Many of your patients are already on Facebook. Encourage them to “like” your page. Once you have some fans, it’s easier to get more. Once you’ve attracted 25 fans, you can register a customized web address with your facility’s name in it.

Offer your fans useful and relevant information about your center, such as new surgeons, new specialties or new hires. Stacy Hefley, who manages St. Rose’s Facebook page, posts news updates once or twice a week with health tips, links to articles on other websites and photos of new surgeons. “Know your fans and make your content relate to them,” says Sarah Albertson, St. Rose’s director of healthcare marketing. “Think of your Facebook page as something that’s going to constantly change. All you need is some good basic information, pictures and links, and you’re ready to go.”

Dan O’Connor

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