When people talk about public relations, they envisioned big-time companies that are paying big-time money to make sure that their image is on the right track or fix any problems when it comes to their company’s identity. For example, the IRS or the Internal Revenue Service offered more or less $15 million to PR firms.
And while the image is not entirely wrong, it is not what public relations have to be. According to PRSA or the Public Relations Society of America, public relations or commonly known as PR, is a strategic communication process that helps build mutual beneficial relationships between the public and the organization that they are representing. It is not mentioned in the definition that you need to spend a lot of money to do PR campaigns.
There are some health care or medical PR firms out there that can help companies achieve this “mutually beneficial relationships” whether it is just a potential or current clients, but there are also public relations techniques that a company or an individual can practice and implement on their own with little to no money spent. Listed below are some easy steps in doing health care or medical public relations techniques ay company or individual in the medical field can use.
Social media is king
Using any social media platforms for business purposes is not innovative anymore; it is now the norm. It does not mean your services should be on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube, it is very time-consuming, but at least create a presence in the social media world. As of the moment, there are more or less a billion Facebook users, 321 million Twitter users, 1.3 billion YouTube users, and half a billion LinkedIn users every month all over the world.
To know how social media works for public relations, visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwynne/2017/11/17/three-ways-social-media-works-for-public-relations.
In the United States alone, more or less 200 million people actively use Facebook, and there is a big chance that past, present and future clients are using this social media platform. It is a natural fit for the medical industry. Your Facebook page should be a resource avenue for patients or clients, not just a page they like, but a platform that they can interact and a venue for you to engage with past, present and future patients.
Not only that, whenever a client interacts with your page, it will show up on their FB timeline, and their FB friends can see them. It places your services in front of a new set of eyes, which can lead to attracting new clients. Usually, clients can’t interact with your page if they did not “Liked” or “Subscribed” on it. It is essential to cultivate an environment that is useful as well as inviting for clients, providing information like flu-shot reminders, health tips and frequently asked questions.
It should not take too much persuading to get clients to your page. According to recent studies conducted by the National Research Corporation, more or less 90% of people in the United States use Facebook as a source of information when it comes to health care. If you still do not think your medical services can gain followers on social media, you can check out obscure companies but has a significant online presence.
Click here to know more about PR trends that will dominate 2019,
Get out of your office
This one is straightforward; you need to get out of the office and make your services known in your area using local outreach efforts. After all, people in your area are your potential clients.
Having your services takes part in setting up a table at carnivals, take part in local cancer walks or partnering with your local nonprofit organization at their next event are low-cost ways to promote your services to the community, especially to people who did not know your clinic or your services even existed.
You need to remember that there is a good reason why small or big companies are performing outreach programs. It is an efficient and low-cost PR strategy to increase the awareness of businesses.
You have to remember that big companies do not have the monopoly on using public relations. Whether you have a solo office or you are practicing around the United States, you can serve as your own medical or healthcare PR firm to cultivate relationships with potential and current clients.