Use Facebook to Communicate with Clients
June 22, 2017 By Practice Growth Pras
When it comes to promotion, social media is king. Facebook is a great communication channel, and today’s practitioners are utilizing it for its high-end visibility, reliability and uniformity. Whether you’re trying to engage new clients, retain old ones or simply stay in touch, Facebook is your best available resource. People spend a lot of time on Facebook. Is your business showing up?
The Facebook Presence
A solid Facebook presence involves regularly posted schedules. 72 percent of adults online visit Facebook at least once per month. Facebook is today’s strongest social media platform, and it’s being used by practitioners to boost their business persona. Facebook’s algorithms prioritize repeat posts, so businesses that post regularly will have higher visibility.
Why Do Updates Matter?
From a marketing standpoint, constant updates can boost your exposure. Of Facebook’s active 1.23 billion active users, about 62 percent log in on a daily basis. Your business page is similar to a profile, but its existence as a professional page gives it Newsfeed priority. Facebook even has a targeted advertisement platform. Target your customers by age, geographic areas, educational levels or even previous visits. Over time, your updates will reach your business’s most valuable customers.
Engagement and the Digital World
It isn’t all about marketing, either. Ideally, your Facebook presence will be used to respond to comments, feedback and reviews. Patient engagement is important, and you—as a provider—have a responsibility to keep up with it. Facebook groups are similar to discussion forums, but they can be altered to meet various levels of engagement. A good provider cares about their patients, and Facebook makes engaging discussion easy to maintain.
The more engaged a practitioner is, the more personable they’ll be. A lot of patients make medical choices based on familiarity. Your online presence, in many ways, is a brand. To boost your brand’s “recognition,” you need to become familiar.
Giving the Right Information
By using Facebook’s About section, you can display the most important information up front. Patients won’t navigate to a business’s website immediately. Rather, they’ll locate them on social media. In fact, experts believe Facebook has become an indispensable information resource for businesses. Hefty timelines of Facebook’s platform updates cover its history with business-oriented benefits. Now, dentists, physical therapists and other practitioners are using the platform to attract long-term office visitors.
The Power of Links
Finally, Facebook is an indispensable linking resource. Include web addresses, Twitter links and blog posts in your updates. Or, ask your audience a question. Studies report that posts ending in a question have a 15 percent higher engagement rate.
Page Likes matter too, of course. Fortunately, a few developments have made it easier for medical providers to reach out. On average, Facebook users can experience 1,500 updates per day based upon their registered connections and Likes. It’s a big digital world out there, but it’s a well-connected one.
