Profmed interacts with young professionals using social media
A website upgrade and an active and interactive presence on Facebook and LinkedIn has Profmed, the medical scheme for graduate professionals, talking to young, internet-savvy professionals.
Profmed is a restricted medical scheme open to professionals with a four-year degree or to those in their fourth year of study for a degree that qualifies them to provide a professional service. The medical scheme recognises the importance of interacting with young people in a space in which they are comfortable.
"We understand that students and young professionals are potentially our future members, and know that it's important to interact with them in the language that they speak and in a forum that they are familiar with," says Graham Anderson, the principal officer of Profmed. "With this in mind, we have established a Facebook presence to interact with them, give them information and hear their views in return."
The Profmed Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/profmed, and contains information on topical medical issues as well as matters affecting the medical scheme industry or healthcare sector as a whole. The page already has an extensive network of users who comment and interact on the relevant issues that are posted there.
"We operate our medical scheme with our members' needs in mind, and we know that part of what they want is interactive communication and information that supports them in making their own decisions," says Anderson. "Although Facebook is by its very nature youth-oriented, we see members of all ages interacting on our pages and commenting on the information that we post there."
In addition, the company's website, www.profmed.co.za, has been given a fresh look and feel with more user-friendly navigation, the information on benefits made more accessible and an easy-to-use search function.
Profmed has also established a LinkedIn page to talk to professionals, evaluate people's needs and get discussion groups going. Although it is still a very new presence, this area will grow and develop in future, with the possibility of professionals in their fields participating in discussions and providing thought leadership in this forum as well.
Go to www.profmed.co.za, call 0800 334 733 or become a part of our Facebook community at www.facebook.com/Profmed.
