Personal branding in healthcare

Patients have become more empowered and want to have a say in their health, including choosing their healthcare professionals and care teamwhenever possible. In today’s world, it’s easier than ever to find information online to guide that decision. That makes it even more important for healthcare professionals to care about their brands. Whether you want it or not, you have a digital footprint already! Just google your name! What is the web saying about you? What can you do to enhance that footprint and build your brand?

Show your expertise

As a medical expert, you have different ways to demonstrate your medical expertise. You can take part in online forums, be active on Linkedinby writing articles or commenting on others’ posts, start a blog or be a guest writer. This is a great way to demonstrate your expertise and getvisibility amongst peers, patient communities and more.

Keep up to date

Technology is offering new treatment options and tools for patients to manage their medical condition or facilitate communication with theircare team. Being aware of those solutions can set you apart. Will technology replace healthcare professionals? Not necessarily but the healthcare professionals who use technology might be replaced by those who don’t.

Experience matters!

Patients won’t remember you because you have publications in top journals. They remember experiences and how they felt and that’s alreadybuilding your brand, for good or for bad:

That surgeon who stood by me in the operating room before the surgery, talking to me and making me feel like a person. That medical centerwho sends me a Whatsapp to let me know that they are running 30 min behind. That physician who is using wearables in the consultation to check my vitals. But also that cardiologist who walked away while I was asking her a serious question. It’s not just about medical expertise anymore. The way you treat patients, how you listen and talk to them, the different treatment options you suggest and how you explain them, the tools you use… can influence the way they perceive you and affect your brand. If patients have a good experience, not only will they come back, but they will also tell their family and friends and the rest of the world. If they have a badexperience, you will read about it on public reviews.

Manage your reputation

That’s why it’s important to be actively managing your online reputation. Take control and ownership of your online presence: if you appear on directories or google maps, claim your profiles. Make those profiles attractive, keep them up to date and regularly check the comments left and engage with them. Having bad comments can happen, but it's important to acknowledge them and take action. You could also considerbuilding a website or a landing page. Don’t just tell the world that you are the best but show why. What sets you apart? Share some successfuluse cases. Add some patient reviews and pictures of you and your team in the clinic.

Meet your patients where they are!

Another way to enhance your brand is by being present on social platforms like TikTok or Instagram, and becoming the next medfluencer, posting short videos to advocate about health topics and share useful tips. There is a big community around women’s health for instance. Ob-gyns find those platforms very useful to educate young women and teenagers around important topics such as contraception, intimatecleaning, etc. You build your own profile as an expert while impacting positively your patient community. It is also a good way to build a network of like-minded peers from across the world.

Personal branding in healthcare matters. But there isn't one size fits all. It depends on what you want to achieve and how you want to be perceived. The tools available today can help you take control but make sure you stay true to your values.