“Content is King.” Those were the words Bill Gates said in the ‘90s when he was asked about the future of the Internet. Decades later, his words have proven correct.
Download Cultivate and Protect Your Good Reputation
Today, content rules the web and defines and shapes perceptions like never before. As a medical professional, you have a reputation. It’s the sum total of all the great and not-so-great things you’ve done over the years. While this reputation primarily exists in the community you live in, with the advent of the web, and especially health grading and review websites, that reputation has now gone online.
Like it or not, you must take charge of your online reputation. If you don’t, your reputation falls to the mercy of anyone who creates and publishes content about you, whether positive or negative.
Web content is any information (text, images, video, audio, graphics, programs, etc.) published on the Internet. As an ENT and public figure, there exists content about you created by past patients in the form of reviews or other comments, along third-party profile sites such as Healthgrades and RateMD.
Because this information is indexed and served by search engines when people search for you online, negative content could be potentially injurious to your reputation. An effective way of taking control is by leveraging existing online content and creating new material about yourself.
Here are two areas you should focus on to start:
Your Website
This is your office online. It’s where people come to find information about you. A practice website provides the best opportunity for ENTs and otolaryngologists to establish themselves online.
For your website content, you’ll want to include all your credentials, along with a detailed biography page so that anyone searching about you has an authoritative source of information. Provide contact details that are current and accurate.
Next, publish authoritative information concerning your specialty (Ear, Nose and Throat medicine). Put in information about the procedures you perform, the treatments you offer, and the conditions you manage. This is especially crucial because many people today turn to the internet to figure out their symptoms and what they may be ailing from, along with searches for local medical services. If your website has this information, you are one step closer to establishing yourself as an authority in your field.
Your Blog
Taking the time to create a blog on your website can make a huge difference in your reputation. By writing blog posts related to your profession and services, you communicate to your readers that you are not only knowledgeable, but they also get a glimpse of your personality. You have the power to shape perceptions and mold your reputation in the minds of your readers. You extend this influence when your readers share your posts and content to their friends and networks.
Even more, your blog content can be indexed by search engines, giving you another avenue to attract new readers and patients.
These are just two ways you can harness content to boost your reputation. By creating relevant content, you can give yourself a significant competitive advantage in the local medical marketplace.
