Social Media: Your Link to Patient Conversion and Retention

I see a lot of misunderstandings about the place of social media in a doctor’s marketing strategy. Many just think, “I should be on social media,” but don’t understand how it can support their overall marketing strategy.

Social media can be used as a tool for patient retention and conversion, as well as new patient recruitment. However, if you’re looking to generate new patients through social media, you’ll have to make digital and social media marketing your primary priority with an immense amount of original content. This means three to five posts a day starring you personally as the foundation for all content. Sharing your personality and even some of your personal life will be needed to create an emotional connection with consumers. You should decide up front if this is something you are interested in, and if the answer is yes, make sure to go all in!

Social media marketing can also be powerful for patient retention and conversion. While patients are in your office, encourage them to follow you online. It will keep them in the loop about new products, procedures, promotions and, of course, keep you top of mind so when someone asks for a referral they will instantly think of you! Most importantly, patients are willingly learning about your practice on their own time because they browse social media when they have a few extra minutes.

To engage with patients on social media:

1. Show yourself, other practitioners, staff members and the practice as a whole.
2. Grow your personal relationship through meaningful content and interaction in the comments section and direct messages. This builds stronger loyalty and shows you are a real person taking the time to be present and available to your patients. Make sure to tap in on the emotional connection as well!
3. Build trust and add value by answering questions and providing relevant educational information.
4. Be authentic.
5. Get involved in your community and show off your neighborhood.
6. Do not be sales-y. It is better to educate patients in a down-to-earth tone than try to sell them in every post.
7. Post often, at least three times a day. (Editor’s note: The ASDS Social Media Work Group is preparing suggested, pre-written posts to help make this task more feasible for those just getting started and who aren’t sure what to say without sounding repetitive.)
8. Respond as soon as possible to all comments and direct messages, preferably on the same day.
9. Keep promotional content below 20 percent if possible.
10. Think short snippets; in general, the shorter the post, the better.

If you’re an advanced user of social media:

1. Consider using software to make posting easy and frequent, such as social media calendars and scheduling tools.
2. To help support physician referrals, post on LinkedIn.
3. Get your staff involved; a common practice is to have a dedicated staff member who helps film procedures, moderates comments or sets up your live streams.
4. Make sure you have quality video content. Practice making videos so you can be comfortable on camera. The videos do not need to be professionally made as most smartphone cameras are capable of exceptional quality.
5. Incorporate “live” videos frequently and add to your 24-hour Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat story daily.
6. Change it up with unique, varying types of content.

Social media can absolutely enhance patient retention, even for those without a marketing budget. When done well, your online presence will increase the lifetime value of a patient. Keep your posts concise, and don’t be afraid to show off your personality!