Have you heard about Twitter but never used it before? If you have heard about Twitter, there is a good chance you have heard about how many followers people can get, which means what they have to say or share is spread to the masses. What is even better about Twitter is far more than just your followers can see anything you tweet. The reason for this is when people read something on Twitter that they think is funny, helpful, or relevant, they can retweet it to reach more Twitter users.
You are probably asking yourself how a physical therapy clinic can benefit from a Twitter account. You are not a celebrity so what interest would the masses have on the Twitter account of a physitherapist?
The truth is people turn to Twitter for far more than just celebrity gossip or funny pictures or store. They are also turning to Twitter for important information related to goods, services, and even physiotherapy. As hard is it may be to believe, the Twitter universe has a number of tweets and hashtags that are related to physical therapy. Unfortunately, for those that are or work with a physical therapist, many of the tweets that are in the Twitter universe are not very favorable.
How can Physiotherapy clinics change the perception of how people view them on Twitter?
Here is a list of things that they can do.
Set up a Twitter account
Do a thorough search of your name and clinic name on Twitter to see what people are saying about you and your clinic.
Search out hashtags related to rehab therapy. #PhysicalTherapy, #OccupationalTherapy, #BizPT, #SocialPT, and #SolvePT are a few related hashtags to search
Determine your goal when on Twitter. Do you want to stay on top of relevant industry news and trends? Do you want to provide customer support to patients? Do you want to make connections with other physical therapists and medical professionals?
Once you have established your Twitter account, done your research on what people are saying about you and your services, as well as determined your goal for Twitter, you need to start utilizing the social media site in an efficient manner that will not only change people’s perceptions but will benefit them. You can do this by doing the following.
Share important information related to the industry, you and your profession, along with physical therapy how-to’s, and updates for your patients.
Respond to questions, concerns, criticisms, or compliments tweeted by your followers. Do so in a professional and in real-time manner.
Ask questions of your followers on how you can improve customer service and ask about their top concerns.
Offer time-sensitive deals or special offers for your followers to let them know they are important to you and your profession.
Show your support to the PT profession and community by adding great tweets to your favorites, as well as retweeting or mentioning tweets that could benefit your followers or peers in some way.
Establish a consistent voice on your twitter account. One of the best ways to be successful on Twitter is to be a balance of professional and educated mixed with fun and carefree.
Establish yourself as a great resource for anyone with questions or concerns related to the physical therapy industry. This will lead to an increase in followers and making you a leader in the physical therapy industry.
If you did not think that being on Twitter was important to the success or failure of your physical therapy clinic than perhaps after reading all of the benefits and ways to use a twitter account to your advantage you have changed your mind. Having a Twitter account that is properly used can benefit everyone. This includes you and your PT clinic, patients or followers of your Twitter account, as well as other members of the industry that are on Twitter.
If you need help making the most of Twitter or any other social network then why not contact us today and see what we have to offer you and your physical therapy clinic.