Since we started SocialSurge Marketing, we have always had a soft spot in our heart for working with companies in the healthcare/health and wellness industries.
From personal trainers and chiropractors to doctors and physical therapists, the healthcare industry is full of incredible and knowledgeable professionals that have a lot of good information to share with a big audience.
So as a company in healthcare, how can you leverage social media marketing to grow your practice?
1) Create content that provides value and knowledge
We often say that content is the fuel that your social media marketing engine runs on. After all, if you don’t have something to post, how can you post it?
Being in the healthcare industry, there is no limit to the amount of knowledge and information that you can share with your audience. Teaching people more information about the treatments you use or the services you provide allows you to build trust with potential customers and show off just how knowledgeable you really are.
Let’s say, for example, you are a dentist. You could create content around what happens during a cleaning, showing the process of how a cavity is filled, or even dispelling common myths that people hear about dental health.
Or perhaps you are a chiropractor. Teaching people about your practice, the types of techniques you use, and even what causes that “cracking” noise people hear are all great examples of content you should have on hand.
Of course, there are limits to what types of content you can make based on regulations on the healthcare industry. Making sure that your content isn’t seen as “giving medical advice” can be a tricky thing to do but is necessary to save yourself from potential issues. To avoid this issue, simply make sure you are not telling someone how to treat something, but rather, just educate on how YOU treat and be sure to tell people to visit with a medical professional.
2) Reviews are like GOLD for healthcare professionals
When it comes to their health, people want to make sure whatever provider they choose is the best one out there. Because of that fact, customer reviews are one of the biggest places for you to put your time and energy.
So how do you get them? It’s simple…. You ask!
Yes, it really is that easy. No matter what service you provide, simply ask your happiest customers to give you a review on Facebook, Google, or any other place that your practice might be listed. You’ll be surprised how fast your best patient will head to your social media page and leave you a review!
If you are looking to supercharge this process, you could offer a % off, a piece of SWAG, or some other benefit to get even more reviews!
But remember, most of the time, all you have to do is ask!
3) Go live to show how it’s done!
One of the most underused tools on social media channels is live streaming. Both Facebook and Instagram have the ability for a user to go live and broadcast to their audience.
In the healthcare industry live streaming is an incredible tool for you to have a real conversation with your audience, teach them something new, and show them your personality along the way.
For example, a personal trainer might host a free online workout for the followers of their page. This allows people to see what a workout might be like with that trainer and for them to get a better idea of what personal training is like all together.
Another idea might be for a physical therapist to go live and answer some questions about the type of pain someone is experiencing using your knowledge and potentially convert that person into a customer in the long-term.
4) Use Facebook ads to promote healthcare services
Looking to take things on social media? Use paid advertising!
Facebook ads are still the best bang for your buck in the marketing biz, especially for healthcare services. If you spend some time and do it correctly, a local healthcare business only needs to spend between $25 – $100 per month to reach a MASSIVE amount of people!
Our advice to get started with ads is the same for almost everyone: BOOST! While boosting Facebook posts is meant to be simple and easy, there are still some mistakes you can make that will make your advertisements much less effective. If you are looking for some advice, we wrote a blog to help learn how to boost a Facebook post the right way.
Above is a picture of the “social media ecosystem” that we often refer to for our clients. It shows the importance of every piece of the puzzle for social media. For companies in the healthcare industry, every piece of the puzzle is just as important as the next.
For the most part, social media for healthcare companies doesn’t differ very much from other businesses. To have a successful strategy it takes quality content, consistency, and a little bit of paid advertising to give you that extra boost.
Remember, you have a lot of amazing knowledge to share with others, and social media marketing lets you do that!