There is more to social media marketing for doctors, than simply setting up an account on Facebook or Twitter. To consistently attract the right people who will eventually become your patients, you need to develop effective habits for successful local social media marketing.
These strategies are a set of actions you carry out that will help to grow your presence online, enrich your reputation locally and ultimately improve your medical practice's social marketing.
7 Strategies for Effective Local Social Media Marketing
1. Post on a Consistent Basis
People aren't typically drawn to an outdated social media profiles filled with posts that are months old; clear signs that you aren't active on social. Keep your social media accounts fresh by posting daily content to attract new patients, fans, followers, and likes.
Free Resource: Download our free guide social media guide here to learn the best strategies for increasing your patient volume.
It’s easy to get burned out sharing content when you don’t seem to be getting anywhere.
We recommend setting aside a certain amount of time every day for tending to your social networks, whether or not you’re getting attention.
Patience, consistency, and quality content will eventually get you noticed.
2. Respond to Messages
No one likes an automated message or speaking to a “robot.” You need to show that there are humans behind your business.
Every inquiry or complaint is not the same. Therefore, they should be treated as such.
We've witnessed a countless number of times where customers voiced their frustrations after receiving an automated social media message. This is one of the easiest ways to lose a cusotmer, fan, or follower.
When you do take the time to respond to messages do so in a friendly and timely manner. This humanizes your practice, makes you approachable, and shows your personality, which in turn makes you (and your business) more likable and trustworthy.
3. Show Off Your Work with Compelling Images and Video
People respond to images far more than text alone on the web. Most internet users tend to not read for depth; they have a habit of scanning. In this scenario, an image is more likely to catch their eye when they’re scrolling through their Facebook feed – not a sea of small text.
The most popular social media networks are mainly visually based, and content is easily consumed via smartphones; networks such as Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, and Facebook.
Appeal to this emphasis on images and video by making sure you use both in your posts.
4. Be Knowledgeable and Educate Your Audience
You have expertise, so share it!
People love to read tips that help them manage or improve their daily lives, especially when it comes to their health. They also love to share ideas when an article or blog post they like shows up in their feed.
Show your audience that you are the thought leader in your local industry. Use your knowledge to your advantage and create social posts that are both interesting and useful.
5. Engage in Conversations with Your Followers
You can’t wait around for people to interact with you – not everyone knows you exist online yet.
Instead, be the first to engage. Get your feet wet and start doing your own liking, following, and commenting.
This is the best way to start getting noticed – actively engage others, be genuine, and the rest will follow.
6. Join Groups and Twitter Chats
Joining groups and Twitter chats go hand-in-hand with engaging in conversations. When you local join groups and Twitter chats, you have the opportunity to make connections and build your network, which also grows your reputation.
7. Pay-to-Play and Advertise Your Services
People spend a fair chunk of their time online. Use this to your advantage and advertise appropriately.
Your ads should be relevant to your target audience, include visuals like images and videos, and be well-written. That is, your ads should deliver the right message, to the right people, in the right locale, at the right time.
By routinely practicing these seven simple strategies, your medical practice will be well on its way to social media marketing success, more patients, and business growth.
For more tips on how to use popular social media platforms to grow your practice, download our free guide: How to Attract New Patients Using Facebook.
