How Online Medical Consultation Is Better Than Its Real-time Equivalent During This Pandemic

This pandemic has highlighted the need for e-consultation more than ever before. The restrictions are relaxing in many territories around the world but the paranoia is still there. Many people still think thrice before shaking someone’s hands or going out without wearing a mask. In such circumstances, the need for e-medicine is increasing massively.

The Necessity of an Online Presence in the Field of Medicine

Scheduling an appointment with a doctor, and still spending an hour sitting in the waiting room doesn’t appeal to anyone, let alone a patient physically incapable of waiting. A waiting room is also unappealing to germ-conscious people –being surrounded by sick people can make anyone apprehensive. Not to mention, the doctors themselves are also apprehensive about contracting a communicable disease from a careless patient. It doesn’t behoove a healthcare practitioner to become sick, especially when there are so many people dependent upon them for medicine.

In such circumstances, having an online presence is not only a luxury for medical practitioners but also a dire necessity. Doctors and other healthcare professionals can safely communicate with their patients, examine them via medical electronic devices, order tests to be done, and offer meaningful medical advice.

Some doctors prefer to have their own website or an application, while others can reach their patients via social media. There are many ways to gain a sizeable following to spread awareness as well as make a healthy buck.

Advantages of Having an Online Presence in the Medical Field

• Having an online presence massively improves the reach of a doctor. Additionally, it makes the patients aware of minutiae in medicine and treatment.
• It eliminates the long lines and chances of wasting away hours in waiting rooms.
• Patients can access quality healthcare from their homes easily. They do not have to leave their comfort zones to get medicine.
• It is cost-effective for both the patients and the doctors. eMarketing of medical services will cost much less than TV ads or billboards in a city’s central square.

The best Social Channels for Creating an Online Presence

Healthcare is a noble calling. But, at the end of the day, it is still a business. You need to improve its visibility and awareness among people for it to become successful. The patients won’t approach you if they do not know you exist. While relying on word of mouth or distributing business cards is an acceptable means of marketing, it is not good enough if your target is a larger audience. Social media is the best tool to reach not hundreds or thousands, but millions of viewers out there.

Instagram

Instagram is a massive social media platform with more than a billion users worldwide. You can reach a much wider population, especially the younger demographic, through this platform. You can also buy Instagram followers to promote your account. By following a regular and consistent schedule of uploads, you will gain a massive number of subscribers.

Facebook

Physicians and other medical health professionals can leverage the huge user base of Facebook as a way to spread awareness, remain connected to their patients, create new clients, and make a handsome earning. Through Facebook, you can;

• Keep your patients informed about your practice.
• Share authentic information about various disorders, causes, symptoms, risk factors, and treatments.
• Create a presence online that will generate massive interest.
• Communicate with other physicians and professionals in your niche to keep up-to-date.
• Suggest referrals to other specialists.
• Enjoy the freedom and lack of rigid rules that come with using social media.

YouTube

YouTube is arguably the best platform to reach the widest audience. Nowadays, people prefer to watch a captivating video than waste time reading. A blog post just isn’t attractive enough as a video. Additionally, you can also place ads on your videos and generate income that increases with an increment in your followers.

These are some of the points you must follow if you wish to create a successful channel and generate a massive following for your medical practice on YouTube;

• Perform regular channel updates

You must have more than 4000 hours of watch time and 1000 subscribers to join the YouTube Partner Program. Once you meet that threshold, YouTube will allow you to place ads on your videos which in turn allows you to generate ad income. You can also buy YouTube followers to promote your account. Following a regular and consistent schedule of uploads is the first step to gaining subscribers. You have to find a way to push yourself to maintain a schedule even if you are finding it hard to find the motivation or time. Additionally, the better your video quality is, the more visitors you will attract.

• Understanding your audience

Almost 60% of all YouTube views are generated through the search bar. Before you even consider creating a video, it is necessary to conduct research to ensure you are creating content your core audience is interested in. To ensure you create a winning video, it is essential that you choose a trending medical topic, a new form of treatment, or even new medical equipment that has just hit the market. Instead of focusing on the viral impact of videos, it is better to focus on creating quality content that is going to bring people to your channel.

Last word

Promotion of your healthcare services via social media is the best way to gain a massive following and generate substantial income while also gaining recognition. However, YouTube has a special place among other media platforms because of people’s preference to watch a video rather than read a stuffy article. It is the largest video platform community in the world and it offers a huge audience. Through verbal instructions and graphics, you can offer content to a worldwide audience.