Normally the focus of this section is the marketing and branding of your radiology practice or radiology support business. For this issue, I’m switching gears to a topic that focuses on your use of social media platforms and digital forums for the purpose of self-branding, networking, and education.
Recently, the RBMA Young Professionals Subcommittee hosted it’s first “Virtual Happy Hour”. Invitees to this after-hours event included committee members and any RBMA young professionals who wanted to join us. We met up online in a Zoom video meeting where we could all see each other to discuss three topics.
Social Media For Business and Personal Use
Our first topic was about keeping social media for personal and professional use separate. We discussed which types of information you keep strictly private and what you want others to see so they can learn more about you. Sarah Herzog, with ADVOCATE Radiology Billing, said she keeps Facebook very private with restrictions for who can post to her wall and approves whether photos she’s tagged in appear on her wall.
Janene Markuske, with Change Healthcare, created two accounts on Twitter to keep personal and business interests separate. For her business-focused Twitter feed, she follows reputable radiology sources including the RBMA, Rich Duszak, and Ian Weissman, among others, to stay abreast of relevant, radiology-specific news and trends.
Sarah agreed by saying, “Having a separate industry-only account puts information at your fingertips and keeps less relevant news from clogging up your news feed.” Dallas Howard, from Synergy Radiology Associates, said he found two profiles were too much to keep up with and for Facebook, specifically, he uses the audience selection tool so he can decide on the fly who will and will not be able to see content he posts. He also reminded us to regularly review personal security settings because with each Facebook update, what you do and do not want to be readily viewed can change.
To create camaraderie between employees and reduce the feeling that co-workers should “friend” one another, Lauren Sloan, with ADVOCATE Radiology Billing, said her company started a Facebook group page where they can privately interact by sharing company highlights, photos, etc.
Digital Resumes
Our second topic was using LinkedIn as your digital resume. We discussed how potential employers use LinkedIn to weigh whether you may be a good candidate for a position and the importance of keeping your profile current. To this point, Stacy Sanso, with Austin Radiological Association said, “Even for internal opportunities, you need to be ready for people who may be looking for your skillset to avoid missing an opportunity.”
Raquel Roman, with MDIG, said she is working to create a new brand for herself by learning to better use LinkedIn in her new role. She said that she’s never really responded to connection requests with a message, but after hearing this suggestion recently, she’s doing it and is learning interesting things about new people.
Lauren captured a tip by attending Catherine Reed’s presentation at this year’s RBMA PaRADIGM. She learned LinkedIn will auto-populate your profile subhead with your current position or title, but it’s possible to edit that subhead to use a keyword-rich title, instead. This is helpful for anyone who is searching for your skills or identifying connection relevancy.
Online Forums
Our final topic was using online forums, specifically through RBMA Connect. Dating back to my early experience of serving on the RBMA Board of Directors, I didn’t always feel comfortable speaking up because I was surrounded by seasoned professionals.
With similar feelings, many RBMA YP’s expressed an interest in being able to post questions anonymously on the forums. Jessica Struve, Director, Membership & Innovation, with RBMA, shared a new forum feature where users can ask a question using a Google Form found on the RBMA website. Here, users can submit a question that RBMA staff will validate and send out to RBMA members through the appropriate forum for answers.
We hope this continues to foster community and personal/professional growth.
Want to read on the go? Download the PDF from RBMA by clicking HERE.
