It is important for doctors to market their service through all available tools/mediums and social media is one of the tools.

Here I have tried to list down various types of marketing tools used by healthcare professionals in the order of there importance:

1. Word-of-mouth
2. Public lectures or seminars
3. Being a visiting consultant with more hospitals
4. Featuring in media stories
5. Websites
6. Participating in free check-up camps
7. Giving lectures at CMEs
8. Social Media

The above comprehensive list gives a good amount of publicity for the doctors to portray their services to their customers (patients, media, doctors, etc). With the advent of new technology and informed patients it has become prerogative for doctors to address using new mediums and be connected with there patients.

Now looking this scenario from Indian context the doctors are quite bearish accepting these new mediums. They still think and believe in the traditional form of marketing i.e. Word-of-mouth. The new generation of doctors are to a large extent aware about new ways to market themselves.

Doctors now are aware about treating their patients, keeping a stock of disease awareness brochures in d clinic, are available on mobile and email, don’t mind debating with patients and updated with latest developments in d medical science field.

Social media through freely available there is investment of time and this will be managed by trained Social Media Optimisation (SMO) consultants.

The SMO creates and helps to design various templates like account on twitter, facebook, wordpress, linkedin, plaxo, doctors connect, etc. Also creating the doctors website and aligning with these different social networking platforms. All these platforms will then be used by doctor to inform his patients about his knowledge, case studies, booking of appointments, etc.

Below is a small eg to showcase how a twitter can help doctors.

http://mashable.com/2009/10/05/social-media-healthcare/