At first discussion, many of the medical professionals I speak with don’t see the value in having a Facebook fan page. In order to explain the benefits of these pages to physicians and practice managers I often use examples of existing pages from other practices. Therefore, I went on a quest to find the absolute best examples of medical practice fan pages on Facebook.
As of this past week, Facebook is boasting 400 million users and each of them is a patient in one way or another. Connecting with these users can have a very positive impact on the marketing efforts of a medical practice. However, it’s not just about the number of fans you can acquire. It’s about connecting with your advocates and encouraging conversation.
The following medical practice fan pages are the best examples I came across in my quest. I encourage you to visit these fan pages to get ideas on how to make your own page better.
1) Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Center
Location: Westerville, OH
- 343 fans
- 172 fan photos
- 27 links
- 3 videos
Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Center (OFAC) has done a wonderful job providing valuable information to their fans with frequent updates and links to relevant information regarding their specialty. The most impressive element of the OFAC page though is the amount of activity on their wall.
They have managed to engage their fans with a “fitness challenge” which began just after the 1st of the year. Since that time, there have been over 100 guest posts (I stopped counting) on their wall from OFAC fans. They have truly succeeded in making their Facebook fan page an online community.
Challenge announcement
Challenge #1
2) Piedmont OB/GYN
Location: Greenville, SC
- 558 fans
- 2 photo albums
- 53 fan photos
- 17 notes
Updates from Piedmont OB/GYN and their fans are consistently posted on their wall which makes the page worth revisiting. They have made great use of the Facebook “notes” section (see below) by informing their fans about issues related to obstetrics and gynecology. Many of their fans take it upon themselves to post images of their children delivered by Piedmont physicians along with a note about their positive experiences.
Piedmont disseminating great information
3) MacArthur OB/GYN
Location: Irving, TX
- 493 fans
- 73 fan photos
- 78 links
- 8 reviews from fans
- 4 photo albums
Not only are fans invited to post on the MacArthur OB/GYN wall, the page make great use of discussions, reviews and links to informative articles. More importantly, MacArthur is quick to respond when fans have a question, comment or concern (see below).
MacArthur example of good dialogue
4) La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre
Location: La Jolla, CA
- 765 fans
- 38 notes
- 17 photo albums
- 7 videos
The La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre fan page doesn’t have a large number of fan initiated posts to their wall, but each time someone does post a question or comment, La Jolla Cosmetic responds in an appropriate and timely manner. They have also made very effective use of their photo albums, videos and a notes section that is the best I have come across.
La Jolla Cosmetic dialogue
5) Senders Pediatrics
Location: South Euclid, OH
- 351 fans
- 6 albums
- 6 links
- 3 reviews
In a relatively short period of time, Senders Pediatrics has put together an effective fan page with 351 fans and counting. The wall has plenty of comments from fans and Senders has done a nice job showing some personality with their own posts such as picturtes from their office “spirit day”. A little personality can go a long way.
Senders Pediatrics fan page wall
It’s interesting that many of the fan pages I came across had over 100 fans but there was often little interaction on the page. There’s much more to a great fan page than just creating a presence and recruiting fans. When developing a strategy for your own page, be sure to consider creative ways to communicate, inform and encourage fan participation. Otherwise there won’t be much long-term value for your fans to continue visiting the page.
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Check this health fan page on Facebook. I created it a month ago and it has now more than 3000 fans with more than 100 interactions per week!
I forgot to include the link to the Facebook health fan page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/mfsr-lb/221790544004?ref=search&sid=1420911338.3825375238..1
Check out Kosair Children’s Hospital’s facebook page: Facebook.com/KosairChildrens, we’ve had great success with it with over 3000 fans and tons of interactions.
Nice article and clever ideas to engage the fans. Do you have any suggestions for adding more local fans or good promotions to get local fans to visit your office?
Dr. G
http://www.Facebook.com/AtlantaChiropractor
This is a wonderful article I really enjoyed it
Thank you. I plan on doing a follow up in the coming months – including a case study on one practice in particular.
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Hi,
We are considering creating a FB page for our practice. At first I thought we should not allow fans to comments – basically for liablility. We were afraid patients would ask for medical advice or want Rx refills, etc.
I would value your opinion…
Michelle, PSR
Michelle,
In order for the page to be truly effective, you should allow patient comments. Otherwise it just becomes a “soap box” with no true engagement. Having said that it’s important to monitor the page and direct patients offline when necessary. If you would like to discuss specifics, please email me via the contact tab.