82 | EYEWORLD | JULY 2023
P
RACTICE MANAGEMENT
Social media
Many modern internet users love the ability to
express themselves online, and social media is
where much of this expression exists. Facebook,
LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram are platforms
that are most commonly used as conversation
starters. These can be especially useful for oph-
thalmic practices as it allows them to share their
personalities and interact directly with patients.
These can also offer honest patient feedback
and how the outside world perceives a brand.
Reputation
As practices grow their online branding ef-
forts, reputation management should be a high
priority. Reputation management is the act of
managing public perceptions about a business
or brand.
2
Following a patient experience,
the practice may not know what reviews that
patient is leaving online. Modern apps and
software allow practices to track, reply, and
manage review sites across the internet. Some
specialize in healthcare reviews, collecting data
from all known medical review sites. These can
be combined to formulate a score or grade for
the practice. These scores can be further sorted
and scored at the individual doctor/facility
level. A flawless online score is unrealistic, but
by utilizing reputation management software,
practices can actively protect the brand and
respond appropriately.
Creating a website, Google account, social
media pages, and reputation management are
only the beginning of a comprehensive online
branding campaign. Web design should be con-
stantly analyzed, social media pages should be
sharing fresh content, advertising efforts should
be optimized, and reputation management
requires daily engagement. Prior to investing
in these tools, a practice must develop a logical
strategy and fully commit to the executables.
Practices that do this will be best positioned to
achieve maximum return on investment.
continued from page 80
The latest ophthalmology news delivered to your inbox every Friday
EyeWorld.org/EWW
SUBSCRIBE TO THE MAILING LIST AT
