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Marketing has changed a lot in the past two decades. For one thing, there's the internet, and with it came business websites, search engines and social media. 

For another, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and marketing automation have given marketers new tools to do their jobs faster and more effectively. 

Social media isn’t just for socializing anymore. It’s an immediate way to exchange information and content in a way that, until recent years, wasn’t possible for medical practices. Not only is a social media presence a great way to showcase content, but it also gives your practice a chance to let others know what organizations you’re a part of, what news sources you follow, and what’s going on in your office that patients might be interested in.

Did you know that 66% of ALL Americans use Facebook? Not only are they using it, but they're using it a lot. The average American spends 58 minutes per day on Facebook. From a marketing standpoint, Facebook is a goldmine. It's filled to the brim with active users (a.k.a your future customers), and those users are engaged. To add a cherry on top, Facebook has a robust ad campaign creation tool that lets you get hyper-granular and personalized with your marketing campaigns.

Unfortunately, Facebook isn't only saturated in users; it's also filled with your competitors. In fact, over 93% of marketers use Facebook as part of their daily social media marketing strategy, including both paid and organic posts. So, finding a way to reach your prospects in all of that digital noise can be tough.

As the popularity of sharing just about anything and everything on social media sites continues to skyrocket, according to at least one elite source, the "slow and painful death of print" is comically referred to as how "Internet Killed the Newspaper Star." Back in the day when they actually played music on MTV, this was a clever and ironic twist on the first video ever aired on this channel, "Video Killed The Radio Star" performed by the Buggles way back in the eighties. (Yes, I can remember that far back.)

With today's more tech-savvy crowd swiping on their smartphones rather than reading a newspaper or flipping through the yellow pages, businesses absolutely have to look at the many many social media platforms. Choosing the right platform for social messages is an important first step. Let's look at some of the most popular social media platforms and who is using them, according to recent statistics.

It amazes me how many companies do not have websites -- or have essentially ignored their website -- and have focused their efforts on building a Facebook business page. I'm constantly finding businesses that they need to either create a website or put more emphasis on what they've got. Whether it's a simple, two or three page website or an elaborate site including a blog, your company needs to have a website and not just a Facebook page. So I've put together six reasons you need to have your own website as your primary online presence.

Facebook advertising can play a critical role in your overall marketing strategy, whether you're marketing to consumers or you're a B2B marketer. 

That's because you don't have to wait for someone to search for you, or phrases related to you, like you do when advertising on Google Adwords. Facebook will show the ad to those who you've defined as a "good fit" -- people who fall into your targeted personas. This makes it a great place to advertise if you need to:

• Help people find you because they don't know to look for you
• Drive more sales -- local or in-store -- to people in your target audience who aren't necessarily searching for something related to your products right now.
• Get a larger audience for your Facebook posts
• Collect leads

Companies are sometimes a little hesitant to use social media in B2B healthcare marketing situations. We've heard a few things like:

• No one is going to see my post on Facebook.
• Twitter is just so overwhelming.
• LinkedIn is just for people looking for jobs.

Despite the fact that there's some truth to these statements it doesn't mean you can't use social media for B2B sales, including B2B healthcare marketing. Here are a few ways B2B companies, even those in the healthcare industry, can use social media in a logical way to develop relationships and increase sales.

We're often asked by clients if we think that social media is important for them.

The easy answer is: Yes, there's always a way to make social media work for any business. Even a B2B company.

The more complex answer is: Yes, but... to be successful you need to have a social media strategy that establishes your plan for...

Everyone wants to be liked, right? That's why we constantly go back and check our Facebook or Instagram posts to see how many people gave us the thumbs up or commented. It's not much different in our career endeavors. But the approach you take to networking professionally through social media for business should be carefully thought out and planned in order to avoid being "that annoying guy (or woman)".  

Social media for business may seem like a never ceasing flow of information and guidelines. And Facebook, being one of the most well-known social media outlets, is the one we most often have clients ask us about. The list below is a more manageable amount of the top Facebook tips for businesses. Download our free printable infographic below and print to hang by your work station to easily reference the top social media tips for business.