When Matt Cutts was quoted at the 2012 SES San Francisco saying, “Google relies on social interactions as a part of the inherent algorithm,” the social media portion of SEO was not as strong.
But soon Google had to update its social media strategy after seeing the large proportions of user generated content, activities, and engagement happening every day on social platforms.
In 2016, Google’s restructured its algorithms which helped websites find a new platform to pool their support. Google has considerably increased the amount of social media signals in their subsequent updates, including Panda 4.0
Who are the SMIs and why do you need them?
Simply having an account on a social media platform and sharing posts from time to time is not enough anymore to generate organic traffic. You can utilize your social media presence by following Social Media Influencers or SMIs. These are important personalities who have a strong number of followers. They have gained the patronage of their followers over a few years of social media presence.
Celebrities, politicians, and authors are some of the most effective social media influencers of the day. And it always pays off to be one of their followers. If possible, interact with them visibly online and share your conversations. On Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn it’s all about social presence, your online stature, and smart networking. The more attention you gain from your followers, the better it is for your brand name.
Online healthcare and medical advice
According to HubSpot, by the beginning of 2014, at least 19% of all smartphone users had a medical healthcare app on their phones. This is a huge achievement for most of the healthcare brands that have an online presence.
So, if you are a doctor or a dentist attached to any of these online clinics or online healthcare advisory services, there is a high chance you’ve already benefitted from the digitization of healthcare services. A very recent study shows us that 54% of patients are extremely comfortable with seeking advice on online medical communities to treat their regular ailments.
An increase in the presence of doctors on social media
A current survey from Med Tech Media shows us that 31% of all healthcare professionals on social media. So if you are one of the doctors reading this online right now, don’t worry: someone else from your hospital is possibly online right now reading this too.
Although doctors are mostly unsure about the ethical boundaries they should maintain while on social media, they are fairly comfortable on dedicated medical health apps like Doximity and Med Help.
Clients and customers have gone mobile
As of 2016, 41% of the total population decides on a doctor by either going through his online profile and testimonials or by looking at recommendations from healthcare experts and apps online. This is the golden era for all medical centers and dental services that have been looking for their big break.
If you are a dentist who has his own obscure practice in some corner of town, you can now get noticed by making the right choices on social media. You can join a leading group of online dental counselors or list your business on Google Maps. Managing dentist SEO has become quite a walk in the park with the evolving, marketing-friendly search engine options.
People are likely to Google your brand before buying from you
No one trusts the brand just by name anyone. More than 70% of your potential customers are most likely to Google your business and name before calling in for an appointment. Do not be surprised if 9 out of 10 patients say that they are referrals from one of your old patients. Our studies show that over 92% of your new clients and customers are most likely to get recommendations from your existing customers.
How to put the SMIs on your friend-list to use?
Now we come to the interesting part of the article – how to make the most of your influencer alliance? Posts shared by Social Media Influencers get up to 16 times more engagement and attention than any post shared by the actual brand. The advantage of having social media influencers on your friend-list is the instant access to an exponential number of people with just one share.
This works miracles for search engine optimization. Your search rankings will skyrocket as your brand becomes a household name among your target audiences. This is a great way to boost clientele for healthcare centers and medical service providers. Especially since over 60 percent of all social media users are more likely to trust social media posts shared by doctors themselves.
What pays off the fastest?
If you want a faster ROI, you may try influencer marketing campaigns. This is a wonderful way to attract new customers to your business. Current statistics says, for every $1 you invest on influencer marketing, you get an average of $9.60 of revenue from it. This is an unparalleled percentage that you can use to explore new horizons and spread your business to newer realms.
You could be a roofer, a doctor, or run a clothing store. Having a social media presence is now imperative for you. Your prospective clients are most likely to look you up on social media before giving you a call. Your online reputation and what people are saying about you makes a lot of difference in your yearly return rates.
Author Bio: Maria Jones is a well-known name in the domain of digital media and SEO strategies when it comes to medical services. You can check out her blogs for all kinds of solutions for local dentist SEO problems, healthcare checkup SEO problems, and medical SEO problems.