Simple steps to successful social media marketing.
A professional social media presence, along with the effective know-how and consistent posting, will give authority and credibility to your practice. Raising awareness of your practice with a new audience of parents will in turn drive new patients to your office. Here are a few tips on how to implement smart social media marketing for medical services.
Choose The Right Platforms
After launching a professional optimized website, it’s time to consider what social media platforms best serve your needs. Sites like Twitter and LinkedIn are often used to connect with other professionals or participate in global conversations. Facebook, though, is generally a place to connect with new patients as the focus is more local. In addition, Instagram can serve as a behind the scenes look to personalize your practice and maintain online relationships.
Your goals, target age range, and available resources can help determine what platforms are right for you. Though taking advantage of all platforms results in the most powerful outcome. Other sites such as TikTok, may not be as suited for social media marketing for medical practices, but can be considered when used appropriately.
Adding Value
As medical leaders, your practice can provide beneficial information such as vaccination reminders or outbreak alerts for your patients and followers. Utilizing social media as a means to share relevant and legitimate articles and news is an opportunity to strengthen online authority and promote healthy behaviors.
Optimal Posting Times
There are specific times of day when the most users are logged on different platforms. Sharing during the busiest times is a simple social media marketing medical service strategy to get more eyes on your post.
- For pediatricians, Friday at noon is the best time to share content.
- Tuesday at 1 p.m. is the optimum time to post on Instagram.
Tools like Facebook’s Audience Insights or Twitter Analytics show when your followers are most active, so you can take advantage of high traffic times.
Consistency
In addition to timeliness, consistently posting is a way to stay top-of-mind with your followers. The key is to find the balance between maintaining visibility without overloading too much content.
- Ideally, your practice should post two to three times per week andno more than once per day on Facebook.
- On Instagram, you should post at least once per week and up to four times per week.
- You should post at least three times per week and up to multiple times per day on Twitter.
Consistency also relates to the type of content and online voice you present. Regularity in posting and voice aids helps establish an online reputation.
Ask for Reviews
People trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. Many sites such as Facebook or Google + serve as review and social media platforms combined. Because medical services are more personal than most other professions, it’s essential within the healthcare industry to generate positive reviews. Online reviews increase your SEO, too.
Engagement
Interacting with others, such as responding to comments or sharing pertinent information provided by other reputable sources, builds engagement. Engagement results in a high level of customer service and more visibility within the platform. And many health care professionals use social media as a platform to share ideas and information with other colleagues, which naturally expands your reach to a relevant audience.
If you are seeking social media marketing for your medical practice, please contact a RemedyConnect professional today to see how we can help boost your online presence.