Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/55965
outbound and inbound links to your site. How many links are on your site? Spend time finding relevant directories to which you can submit your site for inclusion and post in respected forums and blogs to increase your links. Mobile Website While the health care industry has embraced the use of desktop websites, as a whole it lags far behind in the use of mobile sites, despite the fact that patients are increasingly using smartphones to monitor their own health, according to research firm Ovum. According to reports, 83% of consumers have accessed health information from a mobile or wireless device. And with those numbers only expected to grow with the rapid adoption of tablets, your practice can't afford not to provide patients with a seamless browsing experience. So, if your practice doesn't have a mobile site, get one. A mobile website is ultimately a culled-down version of your desktop site, designed to be targeted and built for mobile device interfaces. Combined with data reviewed from desktop site analytics, the information contained on a mobile site should focus on the key areas typically searched for on your site and information that is especially useful when visitors are on their phones: location (linked to GPS), phone number (linked for quick dial), hours, FAQs and links to social media. Social Media According to National Research, 96% of respondents said they used Facebook to gather information about health care, while 28% used YouTube and 22% used Twitter. With these statistics, it is obvious that health care organizations need a social media presence. The hardest part for most is figuring out where to start. Like all other communications efforts, social media needs a strategic plan. This can take away the "fear" of social media being a waste of time and a liability. Instead, it can be a simple marketing effort that can achieve huge results. While each organization's social media plan needs to be based on its goals and MDNEWS.COM ■ MD NEWS San Antonio | 15 audiences, for the most part, health care providers should start with a blog. A blog is a perfect way to start a two-way conversation where you can position yourself as a trusted advisor providing credible information. Blogs are also easy to manage from a time standpoint. A one-minute video blog takes roughly five minutes to shoot (giving you a few takes just in case), 10 to edit and five to post — meaning that in less than 30 minutes, you have fresh content on your site. And the same goes for a written blog. Take a "question of the day" from your patients and turn that into a quick blog post. Plus, a blog is easy to build off of onto a Facebook page to further expand your social media presence. Katie Harvey is CEO of KGBTexas, a full-service communications firm with a dedicated group focused on helping health care organizations communicate in the new Healthcare Model. For more information, visit www.kgbtexas.com/healthcare or e-mail katie@kgbtexas.com. ■