How to use social media to market your practice and win patients

Social media is the perfect online tool for growing your organic outreach to prospective and current patients.

It helps you create more intimate engagement with your audience. It allows businesses of any size to build relationships with clients and cultivate new patients in a cost-effective manner. In 2017, more than 80 percent of Americans had a social media profile―a substantial 25 percent spike in the span of five years. Worldwide, nearly 3 billion people are on social media. With this many people active online, it’s more important than ever to create a profile for your practice and tap into a larger potential market.

A social media profile can greatly benefit your practice by encouraging search-engine discoverability and attracting new patients. Your online social brand can then provide your audience with valuable content. It’s imperative, however, to learn how to properly use social media to connect with your current and potential patients. While it’s tempting to group all sites together, each site offers a different way to share content and engage a specific audience. This article will briefly describe how you can leverage various social media platforms to draw business to your practice.

Reach unlimited audiences on Facebook

Nearly three out of four businesses are on social media, but Facebook seems to be the preferred platform, with 65 million businesses on the network. Facebook is also the most popular social media site, boasting more than 2 billion active users. This platform is excellent for posting interactive content, photos, videos, and links that encourage users to share your content, thus reaching more prospective patients. Facebook also has an immense demographic, allowing you to connect with users of various ages and groups, thus broadening your scope of potential clients. Post on a consistent schedule multiple times a week to reach the maximum number of users.

Pro tip: As it can be difficult to gauge the effectiveness of your posts using “likes” alone, Facebook created Facebook Insights to help businesses monitor their social media engagement. This tool gathers and presents important data about your page performance. By analyzing this information, you can learn how to refine your social media marketing strategies. Need more help understanding Facebook Insights? Download the eBook, Everything You Need to Know About Facebook Insights, for more tips.

Hashtag your way to success on Twitter

Twitter is especially popular among young adults who use the site to share news, updates and links to information. This platform is best for real-time updates about your business, news in your community, and relatable, curated content. Remember, post consistency is key! If you choose to post multiple times a week in the morning, make sure you stick to that schedule every week.

Pro tip: Hashtags are used to group specific topics. When a user clicks on a hashtagged phrase, they are directed to a page of other posts with the same hashtag. This permits non-followers to find you more easily. For example, if you add the hashtag #chiropractor or #backinjury to a tweet, a potential patient might find you by browsing those topics.

Connect with professionals on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional network that enables businesspeople and companies to connect with one another. Users create profiles using their resumes and applicable skills to engage with like-minded professionals and potential employers. Businesses use the platform to promote products or services and find potential hires. Since this platform is centralized around business, it’s an excellent place to share information about your practice as well as industry news. Post updates, testimonials, and blog pieces to provide value to your audience and build your practice’s credibility. LinkedIn requires you to post less frequently than other sites, but as with the other platforms a schedule is essential. Hold yourself accountable to posting about twice a week.

Pro tip: Promote your LinkedIn page by linking to it in your emails, newsletters, blogs and other marketing channels. Make sure you add a “Follow” button to your practice’s page so that individuals and businesses can view your updates on their homepage.

Get more from Google with Google+

While Google+ may be a lesser-known social media channel, it is great way to market to a niche sector of people. Google+ is most commonly frequented by technologically savvy individuals who use other Google tools in the workplace. The demographic is overwhelmingly male and above the age of 35. Ideal collateral to post on Google+ includes educational resources, blog posts, videos and industry news.

Pro tip: This platform is especially useful for businesses because it allows you to link your Google My Business listing with your Google+ content, such as photos of your practice and informational articles. Not only does this boost your search ranking on Google but it also helps build credibility. Photos of your practice and team will facilitate a sense of familiarity between you and your prospective patients.

Consistency and communication

Social media provides practices like yours the ability to not only foster growth through organic marketing but also form real connections with your current and prospective patients. Your profile allows you to interact with your audience on a regular basis and create a stream of communication. Remember to read and reply to comments on your social media pages so your audience feels acknowledged. These users can turn into loyal patients or promote positive buzz about your practice.

It’s crucial to the success of your social media efforts to maintain a consistent posting schedule. To learn more about when and how much to post to best reach your audience, download this free Social Media Calendar provided by ChiroMatrix. It breaks down the ideal post schedule for all of the social media channels mentioned above and provides need-to-know information about how to make the most of your efforts. To learn more about ChiroMatrix and its online marketing solutions designed for chiropractors, call 855-823-9400 or visit chiromatrix.com.

About ChiroMatrix

Founded in 2002 and currently serving more than 12,000 clients, ChiroMatrix is a leading provider of website services and internet marketing solutions for chiropractors. The company provides small, practice-based businesses with online marketing solutions for every need and within every budget. From mobile-friendly website design to advanced search engine optimization and custom content, ChiroMatrix offers a wide range of digital marketing tools and services to help its clients succeed online. Based in San Diego, ChiroMatrix is also a Premier Google Partner.For more information, visit www.chiromatrix.com or call (855) 580-5587.

Sources

Percentage of U.S. population with a social media profile from 2008 to 2017. https://www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-a-social-network-profile

There are now over 3 billion social media users in the world — about 40 percent of the global population. https://mashable.com/2017/08/07/3-billion-global-social-media-users/#uwdI_li0iaqc

90 Amazing Facebook Page Statistics and Facts (February 2018). https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/facebook-page-statistics/

Social Media for Small Business: 2017 Survey. https://clutch.co/agencies/social-media-marketing/resources/small-business-2017-survey#important

Number of monthly active Facebook users worldwide as of 4th quarter 2017 (in millions). https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide

Google Plus Demographics & Statistics. https://www.statisticbrain.com/google-plus-demographics-statistics