It is the high time for the   healthcare providers to rethink their marketing strategies. These days, the buzz of marketing lies in the social media.  According to recent research, 34% of the consumers rely on the social media as the source of information about health.

 Although it is very easy to identify the demand, most of the healthcare marketers are not very sure on that ways in which they can tap in to the social media in order to reach the goals of the business. There are various ways in which the social media can effectively work for the hospitals and other healthcare providers.

Tweet Live Procedures:  the Henry Ford Hospital is among those hospitals that utilize this social media technology.  In February, the surgeons in the operating rooms of the hospital tweeted short updates so that the doctors, medical students and other interested persons can get the latest news and developments of the surgery aimed at removing cancerous tumor in a patient. This form of healthcare marketing can very easily and effectively create a lot of excitement and at the same time raise awareness of the public about the particular healthcare organization.

The social media optimization can be part of the medical marketing strategy through the following ways:-

• Training of the medical personnel; the trainees can be given forum whereby they can ask various questions and receive immediate answers.
• Reaching of the mainstream media
• Communication in the time of crisis
• Provision of accurate  information to the patients