We help a lot of clients keep their social media presence humming, but even if you’re all about DIY when it comes to social, there are some tried and true ways to make your effort a success. Take a look at these top tips for medical marketing on social media!
Post at the Right Times
Take a look at this helpful infographic for a quick guide on when to schedule posts for each top social media platform.
While this is based on engagement research, keep in mind that it’s not specific to healthcare and also, your local audience may have some different trends. For instance, in more northern areas, we see social media usage fluctuate later in the morning in winter and earlier in the summer.
Use the Right Hashtags
Hashtags play a significant role in marketing your products and services. When used well, they are a powerful tool that can enable you to increase your market reach and boost your brand. So, if you have not been using hashtags, now it’s your turn to start using them.
Here are our tips for hashtag success!
- Keep it short and simple.
- Make sure the hashtag is relevant.
- Find a unique hashtag for your brand, and if you don’t have one, create one!
- Know your hashtags. A great resource for knowing what’s trending and relevant is https://best-hashtags.com/hashtag/trending/.
Seek Out Collaborations
If you scratch some backs, you can expect some good scratches in return. Get creative with who you can tap to collaborate on posts, giveaways, contests, and more. Some examples:
- Patients: Chances are high that at least a handful of your patients are true social media influencers in your area. Pinpoint them and pitch some ideas for posts they can share on their channels, and posts you can share in return.
- Device manufacturers: If you have a machine that isn’t busy every hour your practice is open, connect with your rep and ask them how they can support you on social media.
- Local news: Gather your office staff for a creek cleanup day, day of volunteering at the local senior center, or other good deed and make sure the local news channels are in the loop. Your chance of success is much higher if you choose a local cause near and dear to your heart, or that directly impacts many members of your patient base.
Boost Smart
As we’ve said many times, social media is a pay to play online marketing effort. But that doesn’t mean you should pay to boost every single post you make. Be selective with your budget and spend it on items that are more likely to get engagement when they reach a wider audience. These may include:
- Posts that have high engagement.
- Posts that have high likes, comments and shares. People are more likely to click on a post that has 100 likes versus a post with 3.
- Specials and discounts are a GREAT way to get new clients interested in what you’re offering.
- Posts that resonate with your audience, and set you apart from competitors in your area.
If you’re still not sure what makes the most sense to boost, we suggest starting small with your budget and seeing how a few ads perform. You can always go back and boost it again if you get great results!
Supplement with Ads
Unlike boosting a particular post, social media ads can run for longer durations and get the word out about the core offerings at your practice. If you do a fresh skincare special every month, consider running a Facebook and/or Instagram ad campaign to promote the latest offer. And ad campaigns can be particularly effective for educating people about your practice.
Just like organic social posting, the more genuine and authentic you can make your ads, the better they will perform. And set the right expectations for your ad performance goals. Advertising on social media is less about immediate conversions and more about reinforcing or introducing your brand. You keep your name and your brand identity out there, and when it’s time for someone to schedule a procedure, your practice is top of mind.
Don’t Neglect Privacy and Confidentiality
This is a big one in the healthcare marketing space. You may be extremely excited about the result a particular patient achieved, but you need to be sensitive seeking approval to post about that on social media. Never put any pressure on patients to share their photos or stories. If they are agreeable to sharing, make sure you are on the same page about what will be shared and how, ideally in a written sign-off that explains what the patient agreed to.
A patient who is OK with her photos going in your online photo gallery might not be as happy to see her face on social media, so overcommunicate about how you intend to use any content related to patients.
