APMA News - June 2011 - (Page 50)

Members Who Know Media Facebook Fan Pages and Embedding YouTube Videos QUESTION: Medical professionals are making the leap to Facebook to have a social media presence. What are some of the most important things for APMA members to consider in order to operate a successful Facebook fan page? ANSWER: Creating a Facebook fan page is one of the easiest ways to promote yourself as today’s podiatrist. By following a few simple steps, you not only create a universe of Facebook fans who can read and share your content, but you also position yourself as an expert source for all foot-health information. You may very well gain new patients through this free tool, as well! After going through the basic steps to create a fan page for your practice at www.facebook.com, make sure to do the following: Fill out every piece of information you can. Completing fields such as “About,” “Company Overview,” and “Mission” gives patients and potential patients an immediate look at who you are and what you offer. If you have a practice website, make sure to list it here. The “Information” tab of your fan page is often the first thing potential fans view when making the decision to “Like” your page, so make it count! Check your privacy settings. If set as the page administrator for your fan page, you will be able to access all account settings related to what fans and non-fans can see on your page. For example, to encourage users to “Like” your page, you may want to change your settings to hide most content, so that users can only see it after they have clicked the “Like” button and become a fan. Share content. One of the quickest ways to be ignored on Facebook is a stagnant fan page. Remember that there is always something worth sharing with your fans to keep them coming back to your page. More on that below. Share content often! Posting a generic status update once or twice a month will not encourage interaction between you and your fans. Post updates and links to interesting stories related to podiatric medicine and your practice at least several times a week. Comment on others’ Facebook posts and ask them to visit your page. Encourage discussion on your Facebook wall by asking fans to comment on the topics or stories you post. Share pictures and online video clips related to interesting happenings in your office and local community. Keep in mind, however, that too many posts per day may be off-putting to fans. “Like” APMA’s Facebook page. Make sure you are a fan of APMA’s official Facebook page, which can be found at www.facebook.com/theAPMA. If you are looking for content to place on your own fan page or your personal page, share links that APMA posts with your own followers by clicking on the “Share” button. Place your Facebook link everywhere. Spread the word about your Facebook page by placing the link on your practice website, your blog, and even in advertising. The idea is to Top APMA Member Media Placements March–April 2011 Chicago Sun Times “Restore Health of Your Feet After Long Winter in Boots” (Megan Leahy, DPM) CNN CNN.com’s The Chart “Keeping New Runners Injury-Free” (Perry Julien, DPM) Hawaii News Now “Foot Health: Putting Your Best Foot Forward” (David Yee, DPM) 3 • help you get the maximum amount of traffic possible. The more fans you gain, the more widely your message is shared. QUESTION: Many APMA members are unfamiliar with how to post videos from sites such as YouTube to their own sites by “embedding” the video clip. What is “embedding,” and is it something only a webmaster can do? ANSWER: The term “embedding” refers to the practice of taking an online video clip from a website hosting the video and copying it to another website for others to view from that page. Anyone can quickly embed streaming video to his or her Facebook page, website, and more! YouTube is not only one of the most popular video sites on the Internet, but it’s also one of the most user-friendly for sharing videos with your friends, colleagues, and patients. It’s free, and it takes just seconds to share. Visit the YouTube page of any video you would like to share, such as APMA’s “Meet Your Feet” video (www.youtube. com/user/TheAPMA#p/a/u/2/u1e7wMIW5u4). Below the video player window, click the “Share” button to display several options for sharing the video via Facebook, Twitter, a Web link, and a button marked “Embed.” After clicking “Embed,” you will be given a box with an embed code. Click once on the code to highlight it, right-click, and select “Copy.” Open the source code of your practice webpage (or have your webmaster do this), and paste this code into your page. Save the page, and view it in your browser. The video should play seamlessly for everyone to see! n Have a question about working with the media or improving your communication skills that you would like to see answered in a future column? E-mail mskulick@apma.org with your question today! • • • • • 50 APMA News June 2011 http://www.facebook.com http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAPMA#/p/a/u1e7wMIW5u4 http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAPMA#/p/a/u1e7wMIW5u4 http://www.facebook.com/theAPMA

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - June 2011

APMA News - June 2011
President’s Message
Contents
Stepping Up to Prevent Falls
State Advocacy Forum Focuses on Relationships
Patrick DeHeer, DPM: On a Mission
Affordable Care Act, One Year Later: Part Two
Updated List of Seal Holders
Annual Scientific Meeting Preliminary Program
Annual Scientific Meeting Registration Form
Annual Scientific Meeting Sponsors
Reimbursement
Members Who Know Media
Technofile
Young Voices
Small Business 101
CPME Update
New and Deceased Members
Worthy of Note
Affiliates Corner
Insurance Advisor
APMAPAC Update
Development Update
Classified Advertising
Dates to Remember
Advertising Index

APMA News - June 2011