Social media has now become a necessary part of marketing your business. It’s a way for patients to get to know you and your practice in a way that is personal and meaningful. It also is a way to continually stay connected with prospective patients if they are not ready to book.
As social media continues to evolve, it’s important to make sure you leverage some powerful tactics to maximize engagement. Here are 4 strategies:
1. Engage on Instagram
If you’ve been wondering how you can reach Millennials, look no further. About 90% of Instagram’s 500 million users are under the age of 35. Brands across all industries are taking advantage of Instagram for creating awareness and consumer engagement. The elective medical industry certainly can too.
How can you engage potential patients on Instagram?
- One of the best things to capture and showcase are patient testimonials. These can be either photos with written quotes, or better yet, videos of patients expressing how happy they are with their results.
- Encourage patients to post their own photos and add a unique hashtag specific to your practice. This allows you to expand your reach to their audiences (and we all know the power of word of mouth).
- Create posts that include staff or office pictures. This is a great way for patients to get to know your office and employees before they make the move to book a consult.
- Appeal to patient emotions. A recent survey showed the top three reasons consumers are motivated to engage on social media are times when they want content that inspires, makes them feel good, and can provide them with a mental break. What are some creative ways your practice can be part of these “content moments”?
For more best practices on how you can leverage Instagram, here is a great infographic on The Anatomy of a Perfect Instagram Post by Made Freshly.
Finally, you can monitor your Instagram account by setting it up as a business profile. This provides access to business tools where you can view post analytics and create ads from posts directly within the app.
2. Facebook Live
Creating a professional video takes time and resources. The great thing about Facebook Live is you don’t need to necessarily have high-quality video. In fact, the point is to be authentic and in the moment, so consumers are ok if lighting and setup isn’t perfect.
Mark Prussian, CEO from The Eye Care Institute, hosted a seminar with 20 established patients in attendance. At the last minute, he decided to video the seminar using Facebook Live. Here are his results:
- 125 views during the live video
- He then promoted the recording for $200 and 18 hours later, received 6,700 views
- Total seminar cost (including staff and advertising spend) = $900
- Calculated potential revenue (including potential clinical trial subjects) = $65,000!
Mark could have just hosted the seminar for $700. However, by simply capturing the seminar on Facebook Live and spending an additional $200 to promote it, he reached thousands of people, not just the 20 established patients in attendance.
3. Network on LinkedIn
LinkedIn may not be the best place to attract more patients. However, referrals from physicians are one of the most powerful marketing tactics to generate actual booked consults.
Nurture your network of professionals by joining LinkedIn Groups about your medical field and engaging in group conversations. Post updates from your personal profile (not just your Company Profile) to highlight the latest technology, provide examples of patient care, and share other information your professional network would care about.
4. Leverage Influencer Marketing
As we’ve learned with Patient Testimonials, it is often far more beneficial for others to market you than for you to promote yourself. Enter in Influencer Marketing, and it’s the power of word of mouth on steroids. In fact, interest in influencer marketing has risen more than 90x from 2013 to the present.
How does Influencer Marketing work, and why is it so effective? Rather than promoting your product directly to potential patients on social media, you can hire or offer discount services to key influencers such as popular bloggers, community influencers, or celebrities for them to promote your brand on their social media. This allows you to get in front of targeted audiences in a way that feels natural and personal, rather than promotional.
An influencer could be someone right in your “social backyard” so to speak, or someone who has an established social media following. A few things to keep in mind:
- Do some research to find who would be a good “fit” and who would get excited about your brand. Different influencers attract different audiences and it’s important to ensure they are targeting your demographic.
- A high number of followers is great, but focus on other metrics, such as how much engagement (likes and comments) they receive on their posts.
- You don’t necessarily have to hire a major celebrity. Sometimes it is best to start small as these influencers may be more receptive to your service.
Social media can be a powerful marketing tool to engage with potential patients in their everyday lives. But your efforts can mean little if you aren’t prepared to field calls and inquiries that come in from patients who are interested in learning more.
OptiCall offers programs customized to your practice needs, even if they fluctuate. Whether you’re launching a new social media campaign, boosting your Instagram promotions, or plan to leverage Influencers, our staff is ready to manage your call volume, so you never miss a lead.
