Facebook is the number one social media platform which most people use. Most of your patients log onto facebook every single day and scroll through their newsfeed. You should make sure you pop up every so often to stay in their minds (ie patient retention), remind them of other services you offer (ie cross marketing) and invite them to participate in events/specials/promotions.
1. Setting Up For Success
First, you should have a ‘local business or place’ business page, not a personal page. Make sure you have categories filled out (ie doctor, dermatologist). Fill out as much information as possible. Make sure you have a unique facebook web address. For example your URL should not have a bunch of random letters and numbers in it, it should instead be something like facebook.com/practicename.
Your profile picture is the square image that appears next to every single post. It is not very large, so be careful about using text. You should also add images to your photo gallery (doctor headshots, images of the practice, and before/after photos).
Your cover image is the most viewed area of your entire page, so make sure it is branded and gives a strong first impression! It is also the most likely place someone will click, so make sure the description for the header image is a short description of your practice with a call to action. You can also organize your tabs to show the 4 most important just under your header photo.
Finally, facebook business pages can now have a star icon, so ask a few of your happy patients to leave you a review on facebook!
2. Grow Your Audience
The number of likes you have is right under the header banner, so gets a lot of exposure. You want to have at least a few hundred likes, and the goal is to get to the 1,000 mark.
Your main website should have social media buttons in a clear and prominent position. If someone clicks on the icon it should open up in a NEW page (ie not direct users away from your website). Most people choose to place their social media icons in the header of their website so it can be easily soon and therefore provides a better click-through-rate. You can also add the facebook ‘like’ button (along with other social sharing options) after blog entries.
If you or someone on your staff is already on facebook, they can help by inviting their friends to ‘like’ the new business page. They can also post on their personal page a link to the new business page.
You can create signage for your waiting room, flyers for patients to take home, add a link to your email signature, send out an email blast, and verbally tell patients to connect with you on facebook.
Facebook ads can be a nice way to help jump start a new page, or to promote a special event. Advertising on facebook is a bit like google pay-per-click, however you can drill down to a much more targeted audience (for example only married women between 35-55 within 10 miles of your zip code). They also have options for a sponsored post
3. Engage and Interact
Once your page is optimized, the goal is to create engaging content and interact with your fans. Contests are a great way to get people excited, as are true/false quizzes and questions. Overall the majority of your posts should be educational, interesting and informative – not promotional.
Using the @ feature is a great way to let your fans feel important. You can tag other people or even other facebook pages. Alternatively, you can comment on other company pages, such as your local coffee shop or nail salon! Also, don’t forget hashtags are not just for twitter anymore, so use them to highlight keywords in your posts.
Make sure you respond to all messages, private and public. You should also ‘like’ when a patient responds to your comments or leaves a positive message on your board. Remember HIPPA, don’t say anything you wouldn’t write in an email to a patient. And proofread every post, typos and grammar errors reflect poorly on your practice.
The average post has a 3-hour shelf life, so take into a ccount the time of your post. Ideally they will be in the mid-afternoon. The best days of the week are controversial but most specialists agree on Wed/Thurs/Friday. Make sure your posts are not 100% promotional.
Finally, use lots of images and videos in your posts. People respond to visual images, so whether a before/after photo, a flyer or a brand logo, use images in at least 75% of your posts.
Sample Facebook Posts
- Thanks @janedoe! We’re so happy you had a great experience at our practice, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
- True or false, people will be able to tell you have had #Botox done.
- Tell us some of the positive comments your friends said after you had a procedure done at our clinic for a chance to win 10% off your next visit!
- Did you know we also offer #sclerotherapy to remove any unsightly leg veins? Learn more (link to sclerotherapy page of your website and include a before/after photo as the image)
- Join us for our #Botox® Patient Appreciate Day on March 2nd for special #promotions, live demonstrations, appetizers, drinks and a take-home gift bag. (include link to the invitation)
- We love our neighbor @janescoffeeshop and highly recommend stopping by to try their hot apple cider!
- Did you know, it is normal to lose 50 to 100 hairs a day #funfact (but anyone who notices thinning hair should see a #dermatologist)
4. Analyze Your Success
To measure your progress on facebook, utilize the admin panel, which you can find if you are an admin on your business page. You need at least 30 likes before you can get access to insights, but once you can, it opens up a world of information. You can see which of your posts received the most likes/shares/interactions over the past month and you can see your average viewer demographic. Think of it like a mini google analytics just for your facebook page.
You can also view your website’s google analytics to see if people are visiting your website from facebook. Although it is not common for someone to become a new patient from facebook, your current patients will hopefully see a post, click to visit your website, and ideally either call or submit an email inquiry.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure you are using a business page, not a personal page
- Create an impressive header image that coincides with your branding and highlights key points of differentiation
- Add a strong facebook icon (this will be shown next to every single post)
- Request some of your happy patients to give you a star rating
- Make sure to ‘like’ when patients respond to your comments or leave positive messages on your board
- Post on average 3 times per week
- Make your posts mid-afternoon. The average post has a 3-hour shelf life, so this will ensure it is seen by the largest audience.
- Monday and Tuesday are the quietest days on facebook, so save your important posts for the end of the week!
- Interact! Facebook is, of course, a social media platform. So be social!
- Use hashtags! They are not just for twitter anymore.
- Do not only post about promotions. At least 80% of your content should be educational
- Ensure your settings notify you whenever someone posts or comments on your page, to ensure you can monitor as necessary (note, you can delete anything you do not like with one simple click).
- Specials and incentives can be used to help engage users.
- Proofread every post, typos and grammar reflect on your practice.
- Add social media links to your website and encourage patients to connect!