20 Tips to Attract New Patients with Social Media Marketing

Social Media, both Facebook and Instagram, can build your online presence and help new patients find you. Here are some easy action steps for social media marketing for doctors.  Take one per day, and you’ll have a stronger, more attractive online presence for your practice within a month! 

With everything that goes into running a successful practice, it’s a wonder that doctors even have time to breathe. And with so much to do, it’s easy to delay things that you might see as secondary to patient care, such as social media marketing. But, although your practice is built on clinical expertise and effective management, your practice truly thrives with smart marketing strategies and a strong online presence. Getting started with medical marketing is easier than you think, and it doesn’t require a large time investment. 
 
If you just don’t know where to begin, try these simple things you can do to build your online presence with social media and help new patients find you. Take one per idea day, and you’ll have a stronger, more attractive online presence for your practice within a month! With just a small, consistent effort, you’ll get a taste of the different ways digital marketing can help you grow your business.

  1. CREATE FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, GOOGLE MY BUSINESS & REAL SELF PROFILES FOR YOUR PRACTICE Start building your practice’s online presence on the platforms your patients and ideal prospective patients use most frequently. Create or claim your practice’s profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business and Real Self.
  2. FULLY COMPLETE OR UPDATE YOUR ABOUT PAGES Update doctor & staff photos and contact information on all social media "About" pages, and fill out any blank fields. Add whatever content or images needed to let prospective new patients know that you’re welcoming and want them as new patients — and, that you’re ready and anxious to welcome them as a new patient!
  3. DESIGNATE AN IN-PRACTICE “SOCIAL MEDIA CHAMPION” Choose a team member who is willing to learn, take initiative, and get everyone organized. This person should use the Social Media Sign Kit to take 2-3 photos per week with the signs. This person should also record one video per week showing “what you do”.
  4. SNAP & SHARE A TEAM PHOTO: Our client practices consistently report that one of the best ways to kick start social media engagement is by sharing photos of team members. When patients become familiar with your team and are engaged on a personal level in return, you build the relationships that allow your practice to thrive.
  5. DO A FACEBOOK LIVE BROADCAST: Facebook Live is a simple, effective way for anyone to create engaging video content. All you need is a phone!
  6. SHARE AN ARTICLE: Not everything you post has to be made from scratch. If you see an article online that is relevant to your patients and fans, create a post linking to it and write a few sentences about why you feel it’s important. This is a great way for a doctor who’s pressed for time to participate!
  7. EXPERIMENT WITH A NEW APP: New apps come out every day that offer quick and easy ways to create fun, shareable photos and video clips on your phone. Try Canva, Snapchat, PicCollage, or check out our Top 5 free apps for social media for more ideas
  8. GET VERIFIED Verifying your practice’s online profiles is a quick and easy way to gain more credibility and make your practice easier to find. Take a few minutes to get verified on Facebook and claim all of your Google My Business listings.
  9. OBTAIN A GOOGLE REVIEW FROM A PATIENT Getting positive Google reviews is one of the best things you can do to grow your practice’s online reputation and visibility. Learn how to build a consistent flow of favorable patient reviews by watching our free training on Reputation Management
  10. BOOST YOUR BEST POST THIS WEEK Making small, strategic investments in boosting your Facebook posts will help you reach the audiences that will grow your practice
  11. RUN A PROMOTION OR GIVEAWAY Doing frequent, small prize giveaways is an excellent way to show patient appreciation and keep people coming back to your page! Even the chance to win a $10 gift card is enough for fans to Like, comment, and share with friends — which helps new patients find you.

  12. REQUEST A FREE MARKETING ANALYSIS: Request your free Marketing Analysis from Medical Marketing Whiz.  We will provide you with a comprehensive report showing your website traffic sources, social media, online reputation and more!  We will also do a free marketing call with you to help uncover areas in your marketing that you may be overlooking.

  13. RESPOND TO ALL REVIEWS, COMMENTS, & VISITOR POSTS: Show patients and fans that you’re available and listening by responding to any reviews, comments, or posts they leave on any of your profiles. Even a simple “Thanks! We appreciate your feedback!” will let them know you care.  Read our Blog post about how to respond to negative reviews!
  14. UPDATE YOUR BUSINESS DETAILS & DESCRIPTIONS AS YOUR TEAM & PRACTICE CHANGE: Nothing is more frustrating to prospective patients than outdated contact information. Make sure the essential details about your practice they need are always up-to-date.
  15. SWAP OUT YOUR FACEBOOK COVER IMAGE: Replacing your Facebook cover image with something new or holiday-related is a fun and simple way to keep your page looking fresh.
  16. COMMIT TO POSTING DAILY: When you provide content that is meaningful and valuable to your audience, you shouldn’t hesitate to share something daily. Without recent and relevant content, you miss opportunities to get fan interaction and turn patients into advocates for your practice.
  17. CONNECT WITH YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY: Small or large, your practice is a valuable part of your local community with enormous potential to do good. Seek out simple ways your team can serve the people around you. Community involvement offers incredible opportunities to grow your business while helping those in need. (if you are not currently a member of the local chamber of commerce – JOIN!)  Here are some additional ways you can  leverage your local market to attract patients
  18. ASK FOR PATIENT & FAN FEEDBACK: Use social media or send an email to occasionally ask patients and fans what they appreciate or would change about your practice and social media pages.
  19. EVALUATE YOUR POSTS’ PERFORMANCE WITH FACEBOOK INSIGHTS: Facebook offers robust tools to help you see which of your posts are the most effective. Try different kinds of content and find what works best.

  20. CATCH UP ON MAJOR SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS: Social media is all about “what’s new.” Follow a few tech and pop culture news sources like Mashable and Buzzfeed to help you stay current. Trending hashtags on Facebook and Instagram can also help you tap into popular topics.

BONUS:  TRAIN YOUR TEAM ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA & HIPAA POLICIES

In all social media marketing efforts that involve patients, their comfort and privacy come first. Train your team on a few simple guidelines, and you can be sharing photos and videos worry-free and in total compliance with HIPAA. Learn more and download a sample social media policy you can adapt to your practice.


 

 

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