How physician practices can stir up Pinterest

See on Scoop.it – Health Care Social Media Monitor

Many doctors’ waiting rooms have a bulletin board where patients can find a copy of a local newspaper story in which one of their physicians was quoted, pictures of new employees or public service announcement posters reminding them to get their flu shots.

If you’re not already familiar with Pinterest, the social media site that had the distinction of being the fastest growing for the first quarter of 2012, it’s basically an electronic version of that bulletin board. While other social media sites allow pictures to be posted, Pinterest is driven by photos and images, with few words. Before you say, “Not another social media site to worry about,” think of this: What can make Pinterest desirable is that its audience, depending on who’s doing the estimate, is 60% to 97% female. That matters, because the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that 80% of women are the primary health care decision-maker in their families.

For the moment, Pinterest is where Facebook and Twitter were a few years ago for many in health care — a curiosity that might be adapted for professional use if someone on staff happens to use it personally. But health care organizations that have begun using Pinterest say it’s an easy way to burnish their image. Because Pinterest is not a conversational site like Facebook or Twitter, it requires very little time, maybe only a few minutes per day or week, to keep up a presence.

See on www.ama-assn.org