A lot of practices aren’t fans of social media. And with good cause. Social media can be incredibly confusing, time consuming and it’s hard to know if it is worth the effort. But even if you’re not planning on using social media, do this: your “social media land grab”.

Why?

Even if you don’t post anything ever:

1. It makes you rank higher on Google

2. It protects your practice incase you decide to use it in the future

3. It helps patients and referring doctors find accurate information about your practice

4. It protects your practice’s identity and reputation

Let’s dig deeper:

One of the things Google likes best is other sites linking to yours. It’s sort of like a voting system–the more votes you get, the more Google says “Ah, other people like this site! Rank it higher!” And Google also takes into account the quality of the website pointing to yours. If someone has a bunch of low-level sites that get no traffic pointing to their site, Google doesn’t pay much attention to that. But social media sites rank highly. They are legitimate and (at least as a category) they get a lot of traffic. Ergo, pointing social media to your website makes Google like you more.

You may change your mind about some form of social media. Stranger things have happened. And if someone else claims your name, it’s going to be that much harder for you. Just like web addresses, usernames get used up.  You may as well do it, just incase.

Think of it this way: there’s only so many ways for people to find you. Why not cast a wide net? Make it as easy and possible for people to find what they are looking for. It helps them, and it helps you.

Heaven forbid someone usurp your username  on Twitter and start tweeting as you. Or a patient get confused by a competitor with a similar name who is active while you are not. It’s easy to argue that your reputation is more important than education or training. If you have a bad reputation, it does not matter if you are academically brilliant. Take the proper measures to ensure the health of your practice. Do your preventative maintenance and you’ll have peace of mind.

Doing your social media land grab is a no-brainer. It’s easy to set up, doesn’t take much time, and it’s free. Just do it!

Next post: Which social media channels to set up and why.