Social media has transformed from a novelty to a necessity in medical practice marketing. It’s simply impossible to overestimate the value of having immediate access to an enormous online audience. As we consider tips for medical practice social media success, it’s important to keep in mind the three crucial goals to be achieved:
- Attracting new patients
- Retaining existing patients
- Engaging with the community at large
How Does Social Media Fit Into Your Medical Practice Marketing?
Tips for Medical Practice Social Media Success: Make Sure Your Goals Are Paired With the Right Platforms
There are quite a few social media platforms out there to choose from. You don’t need to be on all of them, however. Some are probably better suited for your purposes than others.
The requirements for social media for medical practices will naturally vary from practice to practice and from specialty to specialty. Decide what your objectives are as you consider what platforms to be on. For example, if you’re looking to be seen as a thought leader and elevate your brand, Twitter and LinkIn are probably good places to be. If you’re laser-focused on finding new patients, Facebook would then be a logical choice.
Tips for Medical Practice Social Media Success: Add Value, Not Hype
Social media isn’t like an advertisement or a direct mail piece. It’s a conversation (or at least it should be). An advertisement is blatantly an advertisement. It reads a certain way and it can’t be mistaken for anything other than an ad. If your social media reads like an ad, you aren’t adding anything meaningful to the conversation. Add value with your social media. That’s what will make your presence valuable to patients.
To add value, you can discuss things on social media like:
- Updates on COVID-19 (details about reopening, changed office procedures, etc.)
- Updates on office hours, procedures, etc.
- Reminders about the importance of keeping up with vaccinations
- Healthy living tips
Your tone of voice is important in social media. You have come off as respectable without being stuffy. One tip would be to avoid clinical jargon without sounding like you’re dumbing things down too much.
Tips for Medical Practice Social Media Success: Communicate with the Right Organizations
The company you keep shows who you are. That’s true for individuals and it’s true for medical practices as well. Engaging with associations in the medical profession is useful for two reasons:
- You enhance your reputation by engaging with them
- They may share your posts, which helps you
- They are an excellent source for sharing important information to your patients
Tips for Medical Practice Social Media Success: Don’t Wait For Reviews: Ask For Them
Web users place a great deal of trust in online reviews—sometimes as much as they would in a recommendation from a friend or acquaintance. There’s never been a more powerful marketing tool than word-of-mouth advertising. It’s a key way to attract new customers. Clearly, online reviews are simply word-of-mouth marketing in digital form.
For medical practices, online reviews can provide the kind of word-of-mouth advertising you need to increase the number of new patients you see each month. Don’t wait for them to happen. Ask satisfied patients for them. Ask them during visits and ask them in emails. Many patients are only too happy to comply.
Tips for Medical Practice Social Media Success: Consistency Counts
One of the biggest mistakes medical practices make on social media is rarely posting anything. Jumping on once a month and making a couple of comments isn’t going to do anything for your social media presence. Also, your tone of voice should remain consistent from one post to another. For example, you can’t be very informal in one comment only to be strict and clinical in the next. By doing this, patients have a more difficult time forming an image in their minds of who you are. If different people are posting at any given time, make sure everyone understands and agrees upon a voice for the practice on all social media comments.
Social Media is Just One Aspect of Effective Medical Practice Marketing
If you wish to grow your medical practice through digital marketing, having a social media presence is absolutely essential. By selecting appropriate platforms and posting regularly with relevant and thought-provoking content, your social media presence will grow stronger every day.
These tips for medical practice social media success are a good start for your practice. However, there’s more to it than that. Social media should be just one of many aspects contained in an effective digital marketing plan. Dreamscape Marketing, a leader in marketer in numerous healthcare fields, has the knowledge and expertise to take your social media and your overall digital marketing to the next level. Contact us online or give us a call at 888.307.7304 and let’s talk about taking your medical practice marketing from good to great.