Hospitals like the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic have embraced Facebook and social media whole-heartedly and are doing it "right." Although your practice may not be a giant like these two medical centers, there are lessons you can learn from their experience.
1. Post regularly. To be effective at social media marketing, you need to make it a regular part of your marketing plan. That means adding new posts regularly. The Cleveland Clinic posts about six to eight times daily.
2. Link your social media pages. Encouraging your readers to follow you on all of your social media pages will increase the likelihood of your posts being shared and reaching new potential patients. The Mayo Clinic does this by listing all of their social media links at the top of their Facebook page.
3. Be interesting and informative. Interesting and informative posts are more likely to be read and shared. Since readers are likely to have different interests and health concerns, it's wise to mix up your posts, from wellness tips to nutrition to medical news.
4. Be visual. One of the strong points about the Cleveland Clinic's Facebook page is all of the images they use. Using photos liberally on your social media posts can help your messages stand out among all of the other posts vying for your readers' attention. Such posts are also more likely to be shared than posts without images. If you have the skill, shooting your own videos is another way to make your posts stand out.
5. Tell a story. Each social channel is unique and has a unique audience. Use each channel's features to tell a story. Twitter isn't necessarily the best place to release a video because a tweet doesn't have a long "shelf life", but YouTube or Facebook may be ideal. Embrace the idea of storytelling in healthcare and maximize each channel's benefits to further connect with your audience on an emotional level.
Social media marketing can get your practice noticed by potential patients. Set up your pages for success by taking your cues from some of the big health centers that have blazed this trail and found a way to make it work for them.