Dr. Kaplan, founder/CEO of BuildMyBod Health recently wrote an article on social media for the benefit of healthcare providers. Many are reluctant to use social media in their practice but Dr. Kaplan explains how they’re missing out on an amazing opportunity to educate their patients. You can listen to the article here, from a very exuberant and dramatic voiceover professional, or you can continue reading below.

The past is behind us! The future is social media

In the past, consumers found their doctors through physician referrals and word of mouth. Then it was the yellow pages giving way to the internet, a doctor’s website, and Google. But speaking as the founder/CEO of an online marketplace for health care services and a practicing cosmetic surgeon, I believe the way in which a consumer chooses a doctor is changing drastically. Rather than relying on typical search engines or the curated pages of the doctor’s website, consumers are turning more and more to social media. Nowhere is this more evident than in the cosmetic surgery specialty. But make no mistake, what I am suggesting will affect all doctors offering elective services—which probably means you!

So, when we refer to social media, are we talking about Twitter or Facebook? Not even close! The level of engagement that is connecting patients with doctors like never before is via Instagram, Instagram Stories, Facebook Live and Snapchat. Currently, patients want to choose a physician they can “get to know” on social media. They’re looking for a doctor who’s willing to be broadcast working in the operating room or clinic, and they even want a glimpse of the doctor out of the office. Consumers don’t consider going to see a doctor because they published a paper or because they presented at a meeting. The consumer is unaware of your expertise unless they see it on TV or social media. To appreciate this unprecedented level of transparency, a basic understanding of these platforms is necessary.

Instagram

After their purchase by Facebook five years ago, Instagram now has 500 million daily active users. The Instagram app is a scrolling wall (referred to as the “feed”) of seemingly endless rows of three photos arranged side by side, each with their own caption and set of hashtags. Hashtags are essentially keywords within the caption or comments of the Instagram post. If one is looking for a particular topic on the Discover page of Instagram, there’s a good chance they’ll find what they’re looking for based on the hashtags associated with that Instagram post. And if your practice has an Instagram page, you’ll receive traffic from consumers who first sought you out through the Instagram Discover page. By having content for consumers who “follow” your page, you’re now top of mind if they or a friend or relative need your medical skillset.

Instagram Stories/ Snapchat

Still photos found on Instagram are fine. But the “truest” impression of a doctor, from the consumer’s perspective, is on the physician’s Instagram Stories/Snapchat account. This is where informal 10–15 second video clips come together to create a 24-hour story that reveals the doctor and staff in the operating room and/or clinic. This is the greatest technique to engage with viewers and let them get to know the practice. From procedures to office goings-on, the doctor and staff become more approachable. The viewer also has the opportunity to ask questions while watching the video. So the physician or assistant can respond and educate. See an example of an Instagram feed or Instagram Stories at @RealDrBae.

Facebook Live

An important distinction between Instagram Stories/Snapchat and Facebook Live is the difference between “live” and “almost live.” For Instagram Stories/Snapchat, the doctor records an interesting procedure. Then they choose to post it to the platform for all to see. Facebook Live, on the other hand, is truly live, streaming video. Delayed posting (after review) to Instagram Stories/Snapchat minimizes exposure from a medicolegal perspective. So while your content appears real and authentic to the audience, there is the ability to curate it.

Obtaining consent

In my experience most patients will gladly sign a consent if there are no identifying marks. In fact, they want to be part of the educational process for other patients. As your practice incorporates social media into your daily routine, most consults will be from patients that want to be on social media. So they will already be expecting to be a part of this process.

Educating patients

Social media is not about dancing in the operating room or dressing up in silly outfits (which some doctors do!). For years, physicians have lamented the low quality of information our patients are finding on the internet. Currently, doctors limit their education to one patient at a time. That means we’re limiting our outreach to a relative handful of individuals. Patients are not going to stop accessing the internet for medical information. That gives us the opportunity to provide them with alternative, more accurate sources of education. And the most engaging and far-reaching method of providing this information is through the physician’s social media account.

I feel your pain

It is understandable why physicians, already dealing with the burdens of EMRs and insurance reimbursement, would want to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to social media. There’s a very steep learning curve, and because of the time commitment, it requires buy-in from all employees. Yet there is an enormous opportunity to be successful on social media right now. Why? Because most doctors wouldn’t consider bringing social media so actively into their practice. That reason alone will separate those who embrace social media from their competition. When I hear doctors say, “but no one in my field really does that,” my reply is “and that’s exactly the reason why you should!”

Jonathan Kaplan, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in San Francisco and is the founder/CEO of BuildMyBod Health, an online marketplace for health care services.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Making Peace with Social Media in Your Practice first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Agree to be on social media

The short answer in my case, is no. We do not give the patient anything to coerce them into being on social media. We simply ask. And if they have concerns, we delve into what those concerns are. If we can allay those concerns in one pass and they agree, great. If not, that’s end of the conversation. We don’t shame them or hold a grudge.

But under no circumstances do we offer any favor or treatment or money in an effort to get them to agree to be on social media. There are several reasons for this. We don’t want them to feel pressure. If there is some renumeration, there’s a risk they would regret it and have buyer’s remorse.

There’s also a power or education gap between the patient and doctor. The doctor is in a position where their mere presence can cause undue pressure on the patient to make a decision they normally would not.

Ironically, you don’t have to offer the patient anything to be on social media. By the time they reach out to our office, they’re already following us on social media. They’re already learning from us. And for that reason, they want to be on social media. Just as they learned from other patients that agreed to be on social media, they want to pay that education forward.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Why would patients agree to be on social media? first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

If you’re in or around Sacramento tomorrow or already attending the California Society of Plastic Surgeons’ (CSPS) Annual Meeting, don’t miss Dr. Kaplan’s 1-hour social media course! But Dr. Kaplan only has 25K followers on Instagram, you say? What makes him an expert worthy of giving a course?! He doesn’t consider himself an expert but he’s in the trenches utilizing social media on the reg so he has something to offer. Continue reading to find out what!

Social media course at the CSPS Annual Meeting

The CSPS Annual Meeting is a wonderful gathering of the best and brightest of plastic surgeons in California. And with so many plastic surgeons in California active on social media, it only makes sense to have a social media course.

Because Dr. Kaplan (aka @RealDrBae on Instagram and Snapchat) is very active on social media on a daily basis, he suggested a course on the topic. Surprisingly, one had not already been scheduled. But after giving a well-received presentation on social media to the Greater Sacramento Society of Plastic Surgeons a few weeks ago, he got the opportunity to give a similar course at the CSPS this year.

While hesitant to refer to himself as an expert, his presentation reviews the nuts and bolts of social media. Through a mix of video and screenshots of the various platforms in action, Dr. Kaplan’s course will provide a great overview to the social media novice and explore some of the more engaging aspects of Instagram. Since social media is a rapidly changing space, he always has more content to add from presentation to presentation and that also means that even the most seasoned social media user can learn something new.

Course Description

The newest plastic surgeon right out of training can get busier, faster simply by being social media savvy. That means we all need a basic understanding of the power of social media. Dr. Kaplan, aka @realdrbae on Snapchat and Instagram, will give a thorough overview of the social media platforms that are transforming plastic surgery practices across the country. You don’t need to have a ton of followers to be successful. You don’t need that X factor. Anyone can do this. But you should try to be the best you can be.

By attending this course, you will: 1) gain a basic understanding and the differences between Snapchat, Instagram, Instagram Stories, Instagram TV and Facebook Live; 2) receive ideas for clever content to be used on social media; 3) become familiar with various engagement tools on Instagram; 4) learn how to create content once and then repurpose on all platforms; and 5) monetize your leads by capturing the contact information of your followers

Space in limited – don’t miss this opportunity to hear the latest trends on social media.  Cost for the course is $45 and it is free to Residents/Fellows/Medical Students. Register online for the course on the CSPS registration page  OR if you have already registered for the Annual Meeting, contact the CSPS Executive Office directly to add this course to your registration:  cspsoffice@att.net or (510) 243-1662.

Hope to see everyone there!

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Dr. Kaplan giving social media course at CSPS Annual Meeting first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

The language spawned by social media is bizarre to say the least. Snaps, posts, likes, tags, giphys, stickers and the almighty bitmoji. We’re not talking about just lingo or coined terms within social media. It’s the combination of lingo with normal everyday speech that make for very strange, surreal conversations.

So many bitmoji, so little time

A typical day within a practice that heavily incorporates social media into their marketing and patient education can make for unintended but entertaining comments and imagery. For example, “the fat from the liposuction looks like a banana smoothie,” with the resulting image below:

These humorous, albeit off-color comments/images can supplement the purpose of all of this: combining education with entertainment. But not everyone is impressed. This author thought this imagery was in poor taste. Oh yeah, well what about that time the removed skin from a tummy tuck looked like a tortilla?!

If all of this engagement and education seems silly and wrong, then I don’t wanna be right!

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Put the swimming bitmoji on the liposuction canister. Wait, what?! first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Until Snapchat, the surgical experience was only for the patient in the operating room. But what about everyone considering surgery? Were they expected to be ignorant of a life-changing experience until the moment that experience was changing their life?!

Social media made the unknowable, knowable. Sure there were doctors that made a mockery of the seriousness of the operating room, but Dr. Miami wasn’t one of them. Maybe he dressed up like a king with a scepter but that wasn’t in the OR. That was for pure entertainment outside of the operating room. What these old-school doctors didn’t realize is that social media was actually the greatest consumer-education tool ever created.

In fact, it was safer than the antiquated surgical theaters where medical students gathered in stadium seating to watch an operation in an unsterile environment. But instead of spreading the knowledge to a few dozen onlookers, social media had the power to educate thousands and even millions of consumers considering an elective procedure.

Meeting Dr. Miami

So I decided to go down to Miami to see how Dr. Miami did it. He had two full-time social media managers and the support of his CEO, Rosy Zion of the Zion Method, a practice management consulting firm, and Rob Shujman (the J is silent), the CFO of the Dr. Miami operation.

While Dr. Miami wasn’t promising his level of success (2 million followers across Instagram and Snapchat), he offered the secret sauce to educating consumers in our respective cities. Demystifying the world of cosmetic surgery.

By giving the consumer a peak behind the curtain, his, and now our office, showed how things worked behind the scenes. In the office, in the operating room, and to an extent, into our personal lives. There were many ways that social media like Snapchat and Instagram Stories transformed my practice but essentially it offered transparency and approachability for the consumer.

The Real Dr. Bae Origin Story

Before I went to see Dr. Miami, I was considering various names for my Snapchat and Instagram account. I came up with @bodybykaplan. It was simply too predictable and not memorable. Then Dr. Miami’s CEO, Rosy, received a bolt of lightening for the man/woman on high and had an ingenious revelation…@RealDrBae.

Since my practice is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Bay, made perfect sense. But in keeping with the social media environment and the millennial audience, the ‘y’ was substituted for an ‘e.’ Because in social media parlance, your significant other is referred to as your ‘boo’ or your ‘bae.’ It made perfect sense.

Well, at the time, I didn’t really get it but when speaking to a millennial and explaining that I’m the @realdrbae on social media, their eyes light up with approval and appreciation for the brilliance of the name. FYI, there are some that suggest BAE has an interpersonal undertone, meaning “before anyone else.” But this is probably a backronym.

Snapchat vs Instagram Stories

Things have been good overall since entering the world of social media. Certainly there have been hiccups. Snapchat had to go and ruin a great thing with their dreaded update that made it harder for consumers to find the doctors they were already watching. And then of course, Facebook retooled Instagram and created Instagram Stories which is better than Snapchat in several ways. First, it’s easier to find and tag friends, family and businesses in Instagram Stories to promote them and yourself in a way that you still can’t do as effectively on Snapchat.

Instagram Stories is more user-friendly that Snapchat was or since their dreaded update. And Stories has more clever ways of engaging with the consumer: Q&A, polls, locations and hashtags that actually bring others into the conversation.

So what’s a doctor to do? Quit Snapchat and switch to Instagram Stories? That may seem like an obvious choice but there’s one thing that keeps me on Snapchat. The average Snapchatter is a very engaged and action-taking being. I still receive so many consults from both Snapchat and Instagram so I don’t want to abandon one over the other.

To avoid the time commitment of creating content for both, my office staff and I create content on Snapchat and then transfers each “snap” or story segment to Instagram Stories. The video quality isn’t great on Instagram Stories after transfer from Snapchat but it’s good enough. And with a growing viewership (viewership on Stories isn’t directly proportional to likes and follows on the traditional Instagram feed with posts), it seems to be working.

The Future

Regardless of how you do it, you must do it. Older physicians near retirement have a real problem on their hands and I sympathize. If I was in their shoes, towards the end of my career but still needing to generate leads for my practice, it would be hard to jump into social media. In fact, I worry that when I’m older, set in my ways and not looking to tackle new technology, I’ll be faced with a yet-to-be-invented platform, similar to what older doctors are dealing with now on the social media front. But you can’t do it halfway. You either commit, or retire. Do. Or do not. There is no try.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Dr. Kaplan aka Dr. Bae on social media (@realdrbae) first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

I’m not suggesting Google and their AdWords revenue model have anything to worry about. But I believe the way in which a consumer chooses a doctor is changing drastically. The consumer is no longer satisfied with the curated pages of the doctor’s website.

The perceived power of social media over traditional websites

Now, the patient in the research phase of finding a doctor will want to see the plastic surgeon perform surgery and see their results in some variation of real time. And the best way to do that is by watching them on Snapchat, Instagram Stories or Facebook Live.

The “truest” impression of a doctor, as far as the consumer is concerned, is on the physician’s social media where informal 10-15 second video clips build into a 24-hour story that reveals the doctor and staff in their natural habitat of the operating room and clinic.

It’s not about dancing in the operating room or dressing up in silly outfits which some doctors do. That’s just a distraction from the real power of social media in this context – education.

Some physicians will disagree. They’ll see ‘education’ as a just a euphemism for shameless entertainment. Well, here’s a thought…maybe it can be both!

There’s disagreement on the plastic surgery societal level as well. In a noble attempt to protect doctors from themselves and protect the reputation of the specialty, there are instances of the societies admonishing doctors for some of their social media posts. Determining what is and is not appropriate is such a futile exercise that even the Supreme Court outsourced those decisions when it came to obscenity. It comes down to a community standard. In other words, who is that doctor’s audience and what does their clientele want to see?

Our country is one of diversified opinions and tastes. Attempting to regulate or punish doctors for their social media tactics is futile and unnecessary. If a doctor posts something inappropriate, punishment in the court of public opinion will be swift, uncompromising and fierce. Ask anyone in Hollywood.

The Education War

The other risk the societies take in attempting to curb their own member’s activities on social media is their total lack of control for doctors that are non-members of those societies. There’s a battle out there over who is educating consumers.

A recent Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ) article pointed out that most consumers following plastic surgeons aren’t following plastic surgeons at all. In fact, the most popular cosmetic surgery accounts and posts on social media were from plastic surgeons only 17.8% of the time. So while the plastic surgery societies may want to regulate their own members, doctors not subjugated to the same rules have the consumer’s ear.

As Dr. Clark Schierle points out in a recent Chicago Tribune article, his study in the ASJ mentioned above should serve as a “wake-up call” for board-certified plastic surgeons. “We’re losing the information war, and (we’re) being drowned out by these other players.”

Plastic surgery societies understandably promote the importance of board certification. But I’m afraid those board certification warnings are now falling on deaf ears. When the consumer sees an amazing result on social media, particularly reproducible results day after day on a doctor’s Instagram feed, results will win out over “board certification” every time. Can you blame the consumer for choosing their doctor based on results?

The plastic surgery societies should encourage their members to embrace social media and its educational benefits wholeheartedly. Don’t bother offering warnings, restrictions or caveats. Doctors are adults and are responsible for their actions and shouldn’t have to rely on a society to make good decisions for them. If a doctor can’t police themselves when it comes to social media, maybe they shouldn’t be operating on anyone either.

Dr. Jonathan Kaplan is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in San Francisco, CA and founder/CEO of BuildMyBod Health, an online marketplace for healthcare services that allows consumers to determine cost on out-of-pocket procedures, purchase non-surgical services, and in exchange, the healthcare providers receive consumer contact info – a lead, for follow up.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Social media wake up call for plastic surgery societies first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

As a healthcare provider, if you’re not on social media by now, you should seriously consider it. More patients are going from social media to surgery than ever before. As the story below will show, this is actually a reasonable way to find your doctor.

First step: Lead generation

As seen in the photo above, a patient asked me a question regarding the price of a procedure. She’s not alone. Whether it’s a cosmetic procedure or a medically necessary procedure paid out of pocket because a deductible hasn’t been met, everyone wants to know their out-of-pocket costs before committing to a non-emergent procedure.

What if we simply replied to the patient’s question on social media? We would have no way of following up with her. Sure we’d know her social media handle but following up with a patient on their social media page is a bit stalker-ish. In other words, a social media follower is comfortable with you answering their question on your page, not following up with them on their page a week later to see if they have any additional questions.

That’s why we redirect social media followers asking about price to the BuildMyBod Price Estimator on our site to check pricing. But before they can see the price on the Price Estimator, they must provide their contact info and opt in to our follow up. Because they’ve given us their contact info along with permission to contact them, we can. No such permission is given when simply answering their question on social media. Pricing is a great “hook” to generate a ton of leads because everyone wants to know cost.

As shown above, once they check our pricing, the patient, and my office staff receive an email with the cost estimate and patient contact info for follow up.

How social media can be a very responsible form of self-education for a patient

After we’ve established contact, we can start the education process.That includes answering questions via email or the phone. They can even watch surgery on our Snapchat and Instagram stories.

By redirecting them to our Price Estimator and capturing contact info, we get them into our sales funnel early. Now we can provide them to limitless education on how we do things. This level of education is unprecedented. A patient’s 30-45 minute consultation can not duplicate the knowledge-base they achieve through weeks to months of watching their future surgeon operate in their natural “habitat.” And ultimately, if they think we provide a worthwhile product, they’ll book surgery as seen below!

Video: Finally, surgery day arrives!

This was very fulfilling and exciting to see this anonymous social media follower pass from engagement to education, and finally to surgery over the course of four months!

Are you on social media? Check Dr. Kaplan’s pricing here.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post From social media to surgery [video] first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.