Posts by Social Media Addicts

Promoting Your Medical Clinic on Social Media

February 16, 2018 Categories: Social Media Management Social Media Addicts

Social media is your community grapevine. You’ve heard that Marvin Gaye song about hearing things on the grapevine, haven’t you? Facebook, Instagram, Google Plus and Twitter are all platforms for your virtual community to interact with you on. You are the local doctor, the village healer, and your medical clinic provides many necessary healthcare services within your community. You need to get the message out and provide a place for feedback from your clients. Promoting your medical clinic on social media endowers your business with multiple marketing opportunities. These avenues are interacting 24/7, whenever a prospective patient may need you.

Social Media Makes Marketing Sense for Medical Centres

If you are running a medical clinic and are not on social media, you must have rocks in your head. I am not sure if anyone famous once said that, but they should have. Social media makes marketing sense for medical centres in Australia. When people get sick, they go online in the twenty first century. They are looking for answers to their healthcare issues. You, as a provider of healthcare, need to be online to provide those answers. Your presence on the internet is both reassuring and informative.

If Your Medical Clinic is on Social Media

People are looking to find out about specialised dental services, paediatric doctors, medicare, bulk billing, sciatica treatments, and every medical issue under the sun. If your medical clinic is on social media, there is a good chance that these prospective clients will find you. Post useful things, like health information about particular conditions and illnesses, for people to read online. Make your presence felt on these channels and you will reap the rewards of customers making appointments to see you professionally.

The Internet is a Panacea for the Sick

Chiropractors on Instagram are showing pictures of their treatments to prospective clients who may need their services. Social media has so much to offer all those people who are in pain and who don’t know where to go for relief. The internet is a panacea for the sick within our communities, it is a portal to possible solutions for serious healthcare issues. No longer are the poor and challenged within our cities dispossessed of real answers to their health problems. Social media will, not only, promote your medical business, it will, also, provide possible avenues toward better health for millions of people. Promoting your medical clinic on social media will get rid of all those rocks in your head, guaranteed!

Disabled & Cute: Positive Disability Hashtag Goes Viral

May 19, 2017 Categories: SEO Sydney, Social Media For Business, Social Media Management, Social Media Strategy Social Media Addicts
positive disabiity hashtag

When we say that we love ourself, it should also mean that we love our body and we fully accept who we are or what we are.

Last February, a positive disability hashtag went viral after Keah Brown tweeted her selfies with the hashtag #DisabledAndCute. This “Love Yourself” sort of campaign is the last thing we’d expect from a disabled person, given the society’s notion towards them. Brown, a 25-year-old journalist with cerebral palsy from New York, said that most people give the impression that people with disabilities (PWDs) are unattractive and are often perceived as undesirable and broken. Like any other human being, Brown also feels insecure about her body. But one morning, she was feeling cute, so she decided to share on Twitter what she’s feeling. And the Internet overwhelmingly responded.

Disabled & Cute: Positive Disability Hashtag Goes Viral

More often than not, the hashtags that make an impact on Twitter are about musicians, sports, politics, natural disasters and celebrities. There are only quite a few hashtags about body positivity and disability that resonate on Twitter. For the proponents of disability activism, the hashtag #DisabledAndCute gave the spotlight to the disabled and their physical and mental incapacities. It allowed the PWDs to proudly show to the world their disabilities that make them who they are.

The positive disability hashtag also became the tool of people with physical and mental impairments for them to share their stories that purvey the idea of acceptance, joy and body positivity. Having said that, their openness about their disabilities is not an act of bravery, but rather a way of demonstrating that they are fierce and fabulous despite their condition.

According to reports, the majority of the people who joined in the positive disability hashtag are those with genetic disorders, with limited ability to move, and the blind. Their stories that they share are distinct and convey empowerment. There are also people from all walks of life who got involved. These are Internet users who were feeling good and happy about themselves.

Aside from the #DisabledAndCute hashtag, there are also other hashtags that are helping PWDs tell their stories. Some of these are #GetYourBellyOut for people who use colostomy bags; #CripTheVote to empower those with mobility issues to cast their votes; and #ShowMeYourPump for diabetic people who are heavily dependent on insulin pumps.

Tourism Engaging with Social Media

February 2, 2017 Categories: Social Media Management, Social Media Strategy Social Media Addicts
tourism engaging with social media

Marketers would agree that social media is a very powerful and cost-efficient way in promoting a business. Truth be told, it has dramatically transformed how companies communicate and reach their target market. For instance, the dawn of the Internet age and the increasing popularity of social media led to big changes in travel marketing and in the industry in general. Through social tourism, travelers and holidaymakers can easily search for tourist destinations and activities to enjoy here in the Land Down Under.

The social media also became the platform where tourists can tell about their great and not so great experiences. Since word travels fast online, they take social media abuzz, and even praise or jeer the people who made their trip unforgettable.

Tourism Engaging with Social Media

One of the lessons that businesses engaged in tourism should learn by heart is that they must not doubt the influence of social media. Having said that, it is a double edged sword; that is, social media can both be a threat and an aid to a country’s tourism sector.

Our very own Tourism Australia is said to be a global powerhouse in terms of social media destination marketing. One of their strategies why they had an overwhelming online presence is that they use their social media platforms in turning the loyal fans as the hero. Each week, Tourism Australia has their “Friday Fan Photos” where fan pictures from their trips in the country are published on their page. This way, the followers become the country’s tourism ambassadors.

The businesses in tourism engaging with social media also use the platform in online reputation management. More often than not, customers express their disappointment and frustration online. Such negative feedback is damaging to the company’s brand and image. As a step in damage control, they use the social media in getting to the bottom of their client’s concerns. For instance, airline companies, such as JetBlue and American Airlines, have mastered the skills in addressing flight issues of their customers. In fact, they always add a human touch when dealing with customer complaints on social media.

According to Jesse Desjardins, the Social Media and Advocacy Officer of Tourism Australia, one of the most common mistakes of businesses in the tourism industry is that they pour too much resources in their social media campaigns that they forgot they also have a website. Yes, social media can be used in bolstering brand awareness and increasing new leads. However, customers still make transactions on websites, and not on social media channels. Therefore, it is important that they also invest in a simple, but beautiful website.

Can Your Social Media Profile Affect Your Job Prospects?

June 14, 2016 Categories: Featured Social Media Addicts

We live in an age of digital records permanently diarising our lives, and we are ourselves complicit in that process. Our identities are emblazoned in pixels and bytes, producing profiles for all to see. Mothers should tell their children that, “Facebook is forever!” It is a digital tattoo of everything that you may have once thought hilarious to share online with friends and…. (wait for it) strangers. Your prospective employers will scan your social media profiles; this is now de rigour for those trained in human resources. Corporations want to know who they are investing in and whether they have any stains on their character.

Can Your Social Media Profile Affect Your Job Prospects?

Of course it can and does every single minute of every single day. As the HR person weighs up the pros and cons of all the candidates before her or him, who are they going to choose, the crazy pisshead or the cleanskin? What do you think? It is all about risk management inside the company. If they could employ robots that worked 24/7 they would if the price was right. Robots are just currently too expensive in many fields, but the self-scanning aisles at the supermarket should give you some idea of the future ahead.

Remember strangers do not know the real you, so, they cannot balance out your behaviour highs and lows like intimate friends can. Facebook is a book of pictures, a digital photo album with annotated text, short videos and such; but most importantly it is open to the world at large in most instances. It is an invitation to strangers to come and peer into snapshots of your life. Everything you write, say and show goes on public trial. Sydney employers will be sifting through your posts and pages in judgement upon your character.

Can your social media profile affect your job prospects? You better believe it baby! Think about the stilted conversations you have with your employers when you first meet them. They do not really know you from a bar of soap, but they hope that you are squeaky clean. Foul Twitters from you, what kind of impression does that give? Obscene Instagrams and dirty blogs, are these the signs of an exemplary employee? They do not think so. Psychologists refer to your ‘shadow side’ because it is meant to remain in the shadows, not dance a jig centre stage. Flashing a brown eye in public is not an endearing habit in the eyes of those who seek to judge you. Remember what your mother should have told you – Facebook is forever, you dolt!

 

Photography Transforming Websites In The Digital Age

March 22, 2016 Categories: SEO for Small Business, Social Media Management, Social Media Strategy Social Media Addicts

A picture is worth a thousand words, this saying stays true to the hearts of a huge number of individuals. There is indeed a lot to talk about with still images making them a great topic for discussion. Many find the field of photography to work quite well in the advertising and marketing space and as such, you will not be finding any shortage of pictures that are posted in several websites found today. Let us consider how websites were transformed in the digital age with the help of photography.

The lifeline of a website revolves around the content that it provides to their online visitors. Without them, a website will feel empty and hollow having little to no life in it. It should be noted that online content does not solely revolve around the creation of articles. Photos play a very important role in keeping the attention of your online visitors intact making them feel relatively at home when they visit your website. Without them, your site will feel stale and a drop in customer interest will be experienced in just a short amount of time even if you produce high quality articles on a regular basis.

It is always good to find a good measure of balance between photos and articles. This is quite apparent especially in 2016, where some webmasters are now taking the lead in developing websites that are almost like digital magazines due to their use of images. Of course, having strong and appealing photos can not just attract traffic to a website, but also when Alt Tags are used, they can contribute towards the SEO standing of a website. This in turn makes it fairly easy to gain the much needed attention that your website requires.

Online users who visit a photo-essay style website tend to enjoy reading every bits of their content especially since it they provide them in well organized and orderly manner. It is relatively easy to read and get into giving the website a user friendly feeling or experience to its visitors. Pictures are evenly placed and well distributed giving online readers a clear overview on what to expect upon their visit to their website. Indeed, the feeling that you are reading a digital magazine on your browser or phones is what you will get with this particular form of structure.

Aside from their own websites, companies today have also shifted some of their attention towards the social media aspect of their business. This can be seen with many companies today each having their very own social media profile. The ACM Group Facebook page is quite active in the social media and they alternate their content by mixing in some videos, photos and news articles their fans and followers can enjoy as these are posted over their newsfeed. Updates coming from social media are also seamless and instantaneous making them easy to find.

It is good to see that a huge number of websites are embracing the changes that are happening in this modern and digital age. There is indeed a lot of room for improvement and we can expect new innovations on how photography and other related and noteworthy features can be integrated to some of the websites found in the present.

Social Media Risks and Security in Australia

November 17, 2015 Categories: Featured Social Media Addicts

How secure is your use of social media online? Many of us use social media to interact with friends, family and acquaintances, but just how secure is our use of that medium? We have probably all heard stories about bosses monitoring their workers Facebook pages and people getting sacked for posting information and/or opinions about the business they work for. And those who take ‘sickies’ and then post pictures of themselves having a good time when they are supposed to be ill.

Are you releasing far too much information into the public sphere without considering the use of it by nefarious types? Burglars, who might be casing your joint, watching your street, can now find out about your impending holiday online with not too much trouble. Defrauders, who are everywhere on the internet, can plan strategies tailored to your hobbies and interests gleaned from social media. Social media posting can lead to defamation action if you are not careful. Every digital footprint that you leave is increasing your potential exposure to crime and unwanted attention.

Is it more risky for women than men? Women, generally, have more to fear than men from online stalkers and sexual perverts. Obsessed men watching your every move, can now, also track your social habits and activities. Innocent behaviour posted on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and blogs can lead to unwanted attention by weirdoes. It is sad that we must consider these security issues when we are sharing online. Be careful with online dating because most people are not who they appear to be in this sphere. But what about kids and paedophiles? Yes there instances of online grooming using social media like YouTube.

Remember to lock up your property in the real world and protect your identity in the digital realm. Contact a locksmith if you do not have adequate security measures in your home, business or car. Better to be prepared for any eventuality than to blithely ignore the awful things that you hear on the news and read in the papers. Social media and security risks in Australia are very real and police are asking people to pay heed to their warnings.

The Internet is a desensitised world, meaning that you cannot trust your normal senses in this electronic digital universe. You are presented with images claiming to be this man or woman, but you don’t know who is really behind them. Stories are concocted and posted online, but they are often untrue. You cannot trust the data before your eyes and you cannot smell a rat online. Your ability to evaluate body language is completely blind online. Remember that and be prepared.

Natural Therapy Social Media: Can Individual Therapists Succeed?

November 16, 2015 Categories: Social Media Management Social Media Addicts

There are only so many minutes in the day and good natural therapists like to spend as much time with a client as they can. This means that your individual therapist is always going to struggle to make a good living from their occupation alone. Many extend themselves into the manufacturing and/or selling of complementary medicines; hoping that through this they can make some money and ensure the quality of the substances they prescribe. Alternatively, some individual natural therapists group together to operate a healing centre, to both, share business expenses and to pave the way for future expansion if the centre becomes successful.

A few natural therapists also teach their modality to students at either, established schools of natural therapies or under the auspices of their own centre. Some successful natural therapists and teachers, even, publish books; which can, occasionally, provide extra income. There is no shortage of entrepreneurial spirit in the natural health world; with large training institutions growing out of the ambitions and hard work of a few in the industry. With two out every three Australians visiting a natural practitioner in their lifetime; the market continues to expand.

Osteopathic practitioners, homeopaths, naturopaths, body workers, acupuncturists and many more exponents of healing modalities are all contributing to the health and wellbeing of Australians. The standards in this country are high both in the training and the association accreditation within the various fields. There is a body of high quality literature available for both, consumers and practitioners. There are industry exhibitions and lecture programs, which continue to educate the public and inform those within the natural health industry.

All of these things are still, however, dependant on effective marketing, now, within the digital sphere. Social media is a great boon for the industry with online communities sharing the good and bad about particular therapists, healing centres, training institutions and products. Savvy businesses are utilising different forms of social media to generate interest in their goods and services. As in the case of the Instagram account for a rapidly growing natural therapy business called Conscious Living. These new channels of communication are linking up therapists and their clients to good effect.

Natural therapy social media: can individual therapists succeed? They are better off outsourcing their social media to professionals who have the expertise to properly take advantage of the marketing opportunities it presents. There are social media managers with niche specific experience in the natural health world and they can present their clients in the spirit they would expect. Healing centres are, now, being represented professionally in the digital realm.

 

Horse Racing Social Media is at a Gallop

August 4, 2015 Categories: Social Media For Business Social Media Addicts

We traditionally associate social media with women and Generation Y, and so it is interesting to see the rapid increase in the medium being utilised by lovers of horse racing. This age old equestrian pursuit, being the usual domain of men, and, indeed, older men; blokes who love a punt. However, horse racing in Australia on social media is taking off at a gallop right now, with Twitter and Facebook alive with tips, news and racing banter.

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Social media being a form of communication, and a rapid response one at that, it should not really be surprising that the racing game has cottoned onto its effectiveness in this regard. The whispers in the mounting yard, the stable gossip, and the sure thing passed on in the pub are now going viral. The flow of information has moved beyond the grasp of the old media platforms, newspapers, radio and television. These channels of communication are still heavily involved in horse racing but they do not rule the roost as they used to.

Facebook is where people nest with a brand, often as a prelude to becoming a customer.

Twitter spreads the information via retweets of industry players: jockeys, owners and trainers.

Pinterest can capture the buzz of horse racing as an event with images of fashions, beautiful women and horses.

Instagram is not so much about the clicks it is a destination in itself with over 5 million Aussies now on Instagram!

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Social media and the digital age has allowed racing in all its strands of being to reach its audience like never before. Participants like trainers, jockeys and owners can communicate directly with horse racing followers through social media. Promotion of events and races can be achieved without the previously essential involvement of the ‘old media’. So why has this suddenly accelerated down the main straight to post a winner for the racing community? In two words – online gambling.

When gambling on horse racing and, more generally, sports was freed from on course restrictions by the advent of online gambling and the governing bodies permitting of it, horse racing embraced the digital age. Technological laggards were transformed overnight by the online opportunities suddenly presented to them through their smart phones and computers. Masses of money flooded into the development of apps capable of harnessing these new rivers of gold. Big international betting agencies began buying up smaller local operations. Free bets are being marketed to punters as an enticement to sign up and get on board. There are tipping services on Facebook and Twitter and a host of associated information to make betting on horse racing much closer to industry sources. If punters are better informed then gambling may be a fairer field, but we will have to see.

With all this new blood and technological change it is important to promote the online gambling services now provided by the Sportsbets, William Hills, Bet 365, Crownbet and a host of others. Instant forms of communication directly linking the betting agencies to their market have become invaluable to the growth of these businesses. Money is pumping around like blue blood in a healthy body; just look at sports betting on the AFL and rugby league.

The influence of Social Media on Chlamydia prevention

May 10, 2015 Categories: Social Media Strategy Tags: , Social Media Addicts
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Social media sites and applications like blogs, email, forums and social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube allow us to connect with people and share information regardless of geographic location. More than 62% of Australian visit social media sites regularly. Australian under 25 years old ranked as “the world’s most prolific users.” About 97% of 16 and 17 year olds login to update their profiles, post comments and messages everyday.

Young people spend an additional three hours per day on the internet using digital technologies like cellphone, tablet and smart devices. They spend more time with social media and other digital media than they spend in other activity. The internet become their primary source of
information about sexual health topics like contraception advice and sexually transmitted infection screenings before they speak to doctors. Yet in this era of technology, a lot of youth still lack awareness on safe sex and sexually transmitted infections.

Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the youth today. Chlamydia is a bacterial infection transmitted through oral, anal and genital intercourse. It is often asymptomatic so most people did not know they have it. 64% of people infected with Chlamydia are under 25 years old. The increasing number of Chlamydia cases can be attributed to the failure to practice safe sex by using condoms. If left untreated chlamydia can lead to serious health consequences including ectopic pregnancy and infertility. However it is easy to diagnose through urine test and swab and can be treated with antibiotics.

Health organizations are now using social media to get the message to young people about the importance of chlamydia screening to prevent infection and reinfection. Social media have been the preferred medium because it is the place where young people get information and communicate. It appealed to youth because of convenience, privacy and anonymity. 50% of teenaged users disclosed information about sexual risk behaviours in social media.

An example of social media campaign is #YorClear, it’s a Chlamydia innovative awareness campaign launched in Instagram. This campaign aims to promote the message that everybody should get tested for Chlamydia. Users were asked to take a test and join a picture wall of others who took the test and post it in their Instagram account. The result of the campaign was 30% increase in the uptake of Chlamydia screening.

Social media networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn are now being used for sexual health promotion. The influence of social media on chlamydia prevention was evident in some studies made to measure its effectiveness. Studies found that social media is a good way to make the youth become more aware of the chlamydia and its long term effects.

Studies also found that social media can be a tool for sexually transmitted infection testing as well as online counseling and education. Findings cover 23% self-reported increase in condom use, and a 54% reduction in reported chlamydia cases among 15-17 year olds. Chlamydia campaigns on social media were effective for encouraging high risk groups to use condoms and get themselves tested. Key factors for success is the large active user base, this intervention can also be used for other future health promotion activities.

The Menopause Generation on Social Media

April 1, 2015 Categories: Social Media Sydney Tags: Social Media Addicts
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Menopause is a natural biological process that women go through as part of the ageing process. Menopause happens when the ovaries stop producing eggs each month and menstruation stops for a period of twelve months. Menopause marks the end of women’s reproductive years. Natural menopause happens between 45 and 55 years of age, the average age of menopause is 51.

The new generation of menopausal women is increasing their use of the internet. Social media use is now strong for those in the 50-64 and above age bracket. 73% of online adults are now using social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 42% of adult online users are now using multiple social networking sites and checking the sites on a daily basis. The dominant social networking site in number of users is Facebook. So expect to be making friends with more seniors on your account.

Social media isn’t just for teens and young adults anymore. Older people are becoming computer and social media literate. Study shows that the menopause generation is flocking to popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. They are creating profiles on social network and keeping in touch with family members and friends. It only shows that senior citizens are more active in social media than we thought. Seeing the trend the internet has begun launching networks specifically for them.

Some of the most popular social networking sites created for the menopause generation are:
Senior.com is a free website which provides users with information that is useful for communication. This helps seniors stay connected with family and friends plus some tools to find helpful services in the area. It also features articles about health, money, food and relationship.

MyBoomerPlace is the place to meet, congregate and develop new relationships. This is a site designed for seasoned travelers in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Registered members can view forums, videos, picture galleries and classified ads.

The Cool Grandma is a social networking community for seniors. There are chat rooms to interact with seniors of similar interest. Members can post in active forum and view news and information about social science, cooking, home and garden and a lot more.

AARP Online Community this free networking site offers picture sharing with friends and family. This site is user-friendly for seniors and has fun applications like senior e-news, photos, videos, games and discounts. Members have easy access to webletter with latest news and information.

Greater numbers of older adults are joining these sites. Researchers have discovered the benefits that arise following adoption to social media. The study found that participation in social networking can bolster cognitive health for seniors. Members of the menopause generation with positive social interaction have elevated moods and fewer instances of negative habits like smoking, depression or disease.

Being active on social media allow seniors to remain informed on the latest technological trends and connects them to family and friends even on different location. Social media help seniors to engage in research and learn topics of interest. These activities can lead to formation of new business, new hobbies and health information. Other benefit of social media to seniors is the ability to access education opportunities. Some state colleges offer free tuition fee for senior citizens.

Seniors who engage more on social media sites are more likely to participate in leisure and health activities like cooking and cleaning the home. Researchers also found that older adults active on social media had fewer instances of diabetes and lower blood pressure compared to those who were not active.