Foursquare, a location-based mobile platform, is the place to be for medical practices looking to "gain an online social edge" says one social media expert. Without it, he says, you won't be found.
"Social media geo-tagging platforms have the ability to connect patients with doctors, in real-time, when people have an actual need for a doctor," said social media advisor Glen Gilmore. He calls Foursquare, "one of the easiest and most effective social networks medical practices can join" to expand their digital footprint.
Gilmore, principal at Gilmore Business Network, a social media marketing firm, and an adjunct professor of Social Media Law and Digital Marketing at Rutgers University, shared with Healthcare IT News five reasons for medical practices to "check in" to Foursquare.
1. It's easy to use. Users sign up for a free account by visiting Foursquare online. They download the Foursquare app on their smartphone. They can look to see who else they may know is using the network, so they can connect and share information about the places they visit. They may "check in" to Foursquare to announce where they are, or simply to see where their friends are. Users may also leave tips about the locations they visit. Users check in by simply pressing the "places" icon on the app, which allows the GPS of their phone to identify where they are. They can share a comment or a picture. A doctors' office would sign up the same way, claiming its medical practice location and providing a brief description.
2. It's big, and getting bigger. Foursquare has more than 8.5 million users – and about 27,000 new accounts are opened each day. It grew by 3400 percent in 2010.
3. It's a search engine and a way of being found when people are looking for a doctor. There are more than 2 million check-ins on Foursquare each day. When a user is looking for something, such as a doctor's office, they can check in to Foursquare to search what they're looking for and see what's nearby. If your medical practice hasn't claimed its location on Fourquare – or if no one has done it for you (anyone can add a place), you won't be found. If you have claimed your place and provided a description of your medical practice, you just may be found by someone in real time who's looking for a dentist, say, or an ear, nose and throat doctor. Why would someone look for a doctor's office on Foursquare? Because it's easy to use, it's local, it's fun and it's likely to have real recommendations from friends.
4. If you don't claim your place, someone else is likely to do it for you. Don't leave your brand in someone else's hands. Don't miss a new patient because someone else completed your medical practice profile and didn't include your specialties. Claim your place and improve your chances of being found.
5. It says your medical practice is social and tech savvy. For doctors, the benefits of being on a social network are being able to tell their story, listen to their patients, grow their authority and practice awareness, while promoting health and practice loyalty. Foursquare is a network that helps physicians get found, shows that they're tech savvy, lets their biggest brand advocates compete for becoming "mayor" of a particular medical practice, while letting their friends know they trust it with their health. All that, just for taking five minutes to sign up.
