The CFM (Federal Council of Medicine) regulates various aspects of health work, including digital marketing for physicians. The agency has resolution 1974/11 of 2011 with general guidelines for medical advertising.
It must ensure that healthcare professionals act ethically in all dissemination areas. Those who violate these regulations will receive a warning from the CFM and have a deadline to correct the problems found.
What is allowed in digital marketing for doctors?
Complying with the CFM rules in digital marketing in healthcare is the first step in designing a successful strategy. Next, we will describe exactly what is allowed to advertise services and inquiries. Read on to ensure your disclosure falls.
Give interviews with various media
Physicians can and should accept interviews of all forms in the media. Discussions have an important informative and social role, whether in magazines, newspapers, blogs, or social networks.
In addition, it is important to always talk about matters related to your expertise. It’s a way to make yourself known to the public by being a reference.
Suppose the journalistic article that uses interviews with a doctor obtains incorrect information, or the professional does not agree. In that case, he must send a rectifying letter to the press and the CRM.
Have professional social networks for the doctor or clinic
Social networks are one of the most efficient ways to promote services today. They bring numerous advantages to digital marketing for doctors, serving as advertising and contacting their patients. As of 2015, doctors can not only have the networks but also disclose their phone numbers and address through them.
The ideal is to be very careful when writing the posts not to take on a sensationalist or overly commercial tone.
Publications must also not “diagnose” pathologies, diseases, or conditions online. The doctor can only inform you about the main symptoms and always recommend a visit to a specialist for diagnosis.
I have a well-structured professional website. Of course, it is also permissible to have a website for the professional, clinic, or hospital where he works. However, it is essential to remember that the purpose of everything is to educate the populace. Therefore, despite including telephone and contact details, the website must not assume an advertising bias.
Any blog posts follow the same recommendation. All material needs to help the reader in their routine or inform them about illnesses, injuries, and other conditions.
Use tools for digital appointment scheduling
With consumers’ digital behavior increasingly frequent, it is important to work with ways to facilitate contact. The solution many find to contribute to their digital marketing for doctors is to use tools for digital scheduling, such as apps and automation in Whatsapp.
However, they can greatly facilitate the routine in the office and complement the online work.
Forex, placing a Whatsapp button on a website is possible for easy scheduling. Combining this with good SEO optimization and ad work on Google ADs, it is possible to get more appointments throughout the month. The same is true for Instagram and any other social network.
Publicize your specialties and procedures
Do you work with specialties that can catch the attention of your audience? Excellent. CFM allows physicians to disseminate this information on their websites and social media posts. They can also appear on all types of professional printed material.
The only caveat concerns the number of specialties disclosed in the publication. Limit yourself to just two at a time.
Disclose your academic degree and published materials
Professionals with multiple academic degrees can also display them in their material. Contrary to what happens with specialties, there are no limits to the amount that can be disclosed, as long as everything is related to the doctor’s area of expertise.
What is prohibited in digital marketing for doctors?
The greatest care specialists in digital marketing for doctors need to take is to avoid disclosures prohibited by the CFM. This can cause serious problems for the clinic or healthcare professional. Check out what to avoid:
Guarantee the result of consultations or procedures
Understandably, we always want to show the quality of the service provided. Therefore, you may even say that a system has a guaranteed result or a 99% success rate.
The terms are sensational and convey the erroneous idea that the doctor can predict the results completely.
Advertise or advertise trademarks in digital medical marketing
If the professional wants to follow the CFM guidelines on digital marketing for physicians, they cannot run advertisements for any product or brand. Trade unions and medical organizations cannot carry out this type of disclosure either.
Products, techniques, or services not recognized by CFM should not be mentioned in digital medical marketing.
Receive awards for your activity
Today it is very common to find awards on the internet that aim to highlight professionals and generate authority. However, those who work with medicine are barred from participating in this competition.
Disclosure of service prices in digital marketing for physicians
Even those who work with consultations at popular prices or facilitated payment methods cannot carry out this disclosure in digital marketing for doctors.
Now that you know the biggest bans in digital medical marketing, it’s time to create content. CFM encourages the creation of blogs and the dissemination of information online, whether through images, videos, or posts. Invest in this advertising to get closer to your potential patients and get new appointments.
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