Many radiology groups and departments already use social media on a regular basis, but popular platforms such as Facebook and Twitter can also be used to help individuals advertise their own personal brand and make a name for themselves.

Puneet Bhargava, MD, of the department of radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, recently learned how to do this firsthand. Bhargava detailed his journey from Twitter rookie to Twitter veteran in Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology

“When our department created a social media committee with me as the chair of this committee I was left with no option but to learn the ropes quickly,” he wrote. “I started with creating an account, and retweeting for the first several weeks. I set myself a low target of just one original tweet per week. During the spring meeting season I decided to get a more active in leveraging Twitter to amplify my presence.”

Bhargava detailed four ways users can take advantage of Twitter at radiology meetings and get their name out there into the world.

1. Engaging

By “following” societies and thought leaders connected to a meeting on Twitter, you ensure their updates will all pop up in your newsfeed. You stay informed without doing a thing buy scrolling through the site and reading.

Bhargava noted that posting on Twitter about sessions helps you become a part of the conversation. It can even help you and the speaker connect.

“If you are in the audience, tweeting the topic, speaker or a specific slide will help you directly engage with the speaker and might be the icebreaker that you were looking for to connect personally,” he wrote.

2. Propagating

Twitter allows you to retweet and “like” content that grabs your interest, and you can do this while engaging in a specific meeting. Following along in this way helps paint a better picture of you, the user, and shows other Twitter users where you stand on different issues. Once you gain some confidence, the option that allows you to retweet while adding an original comment is especially useful, Bhargave explained.

3. Aggregating

Can’t make a meeting in person? You can still engage and propagate, just as if you were walking the convention center halls and attending sessions. Bhargave added that following Twitter activity when you aren’t there gives you more time to follow other content as well. “Following content outside of radiology always brings fresh ideas and promotes an open mindset,” he wrote. “Consider following businesses, authors, institutions, or anything that interests you.”

4. Building Intrigue

Once you’ve grown comfortable posting your own thoughts on Twitter, try to stand out a bit. Post an image or a video, share your bold opinion, make a connection nobody else has posted yet.

Another part of building intrigue is through your profile. Other users who wants to learn more about you are almost always going to start with your profile, so use the small area provided to say something about yourself. As Bhargave pointed out in the article, “you only get one change to make the first impression.”