CLINICAL FORUMS AS MEANS OF MARKETING A SERVICE

Dr Khalid MansourPlas Coch Independent Hospital2012

NEW DIMENSIONS

Sir Tim Berners-LeeThe Arab Spring PC

EVERYONE

COMMUNICATION SUPERHERODigital age = normal life No business can survive

without using modern means of communication

Not a luxury but a way of existing

Only way to reach your potential

Communication based market is bigger than old traditional market.

Way beyond traditional advertising

Cheaper, less censorship and less bureaucracy.

No Limits Creativity Ambitions Commitment Strategic thinking Patience

ONLINE COMMUNITY

AVATARS

ONLINE COMMUNITY

TYPES OF INTERNET COMMUNITIES:(WEBDESIGN.ABOUT.COM)

Content: articles, information, blogs, news: topic or interest communication.

Forums, newsgroups, email: delayed communications.

Chat and instant messaging: immediate communication.

Managed by staff:User Created:

ONLINE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION ( LAVE AND WENGER, 20011)

Peripheral (Lurker) – Does not add to the community .

Inbound (Novice) –Starts to provide content.

Insider (Regular) – Consistently adds to the community discussion and content..

Boundary (Leader) – a veteran participant.

Outbound (Elder) – Leaves the community for a variety of reasons.

GOOD USE OF FORUMS:(WEBDESIGN.ABOUT.COM)

Belonging to site: repeat visits, more interest in the site.

Richer and more varied content: more people joining in with their opinions and feelings.

Instantaneous feedback with community: how your product is working in the real world, better respond to your customers' needs.

Listen to the users advice: on the pulse of what the members need.

Stick with it for a while: Even if you decide that it is not working out, give your members a chance to adjust to the idea, don't change your system more than once a year.

Develop relationships with your members: e.g. attending conferences.

WHY JOIN PROFESSIONAL FORUMS

• INDUSTRY RECOGNITION• BUSINESS TO BUSINESS

OPPORTUNITIES• RECRUITMENT• QUESTIONS AND

ANSWERS• HIGH GOOGLE SEARCH

RANKING Forbes (2012): "Linked-In is, far and away, the most advantageous social networking tool available to job seekers and business professionals today,".

PROFESSIONAL WEBSITES E.G. LINKED-IN:

There are over a 100 million members. Keeping in contact with already present

customers Building new business network online Obtaining answers to difficult business

questions Winning new businesses by answering

questions Networking with industry peers Keeping a watch on competition Obtain online recommendations from

satisfied customers. Use to find experts/vendors for recruitment. Find out groups that customers are

associating with. Use it a professional research tool for

business.

LINKED-IN ADVICE ABOUT IMPROVING BUSINESS:

Create a complete profile Build a strong network of

contacts Promote your profile Stay engaged in LinkedIn Invest in creating culture

and internet staff to participate

Support by other means e.g. own website, conferences, etc.

A FEW BASIC RULES OF ETIQUETTE:(FORBES, 2012)

1. Generic Requests are for Suckers2. When You Ask for a Recommendation, Be Specific (and Know the Person)3. Avoid the Default Text Like the Plague4. Stop Tying Your Tweets to Your LinkedIn Feed5. Review Spelling and Grammar Like Your Life Depended on It

Do not be artificial, superficial or mechanical

THINGS FORUMS CAN NOT DO FOR BUSINESS

Can not allow simple advertising

Can not stop the critics Can not hide away poor

standards Can not be a substitute for

quality Can not create real satisfaction Can not substitute for one to

one contact

If you raise your profile you need to raise your standards with it.

PROBLEMS WITH CLINICAL FORUMS AS A MEAN TO

PROMOTE BUSINESS Expensive investment Long-term investment Not as popular as

advertisement Risk been graded as

inferior to others if not done well.

Trolls