“As a healthcare professional, does my business belong on Facebook?”
If you’re thinking so, let Splice Marketing answer that – yes, yes and yes!
Facebook Is Infectious
With 15 million active users in Australia (as of November 2017), Facebook is garnering up to 10 hours of attention from these users per week. The reasons for Facebook’s popularity may vary from user to user – its role has steadily evolved and diversified over time.
It is interesting to note that Facebook is commonly being used as a search engine because users can easily search for people, products or services near them. This implies one important thing: your business needs to have a Facebook presence.
It’s no longer optional to have a Facebook Business Page, but a must.
Advantages of using Facebook for Healthcare Practitioners
Creating a Facebook Business Page can open up a variety of possibilities for your business.
As a healthcare practitioner in Australia operating within multiple marketing restrictions, Splice Marketing recommends your marketing activities should focus on
(a) creating awareness for your practice
(b) becoming a trustworthy source of facts and evidence-based educational content relevant to your practice.
If you’re thinking about growing your business, an active Facebook page makes a strong, reassuring impression on a prospective patient.
So, how can a Facebook Business Page help you?
- Be Found: Searching Facebook as a directory has become common practice so it’s important to have a page with accurate information such as your contact information, practice name and content.
- Be Easy to Reach: Use this space to introduce your business, link your website and have contact information available to help people contact you without difficulty.
- Be Credible: Posting original content and carefully curated information about what matters to your patients, community or healthcare industry can establish you as a credible professional. Also, the number of likes on your business page can help a prospective patient feel confident about choosing your practice.
- Be Connected: Use this space to start a conversation with colleagues and patients (both current and prospective) and form long-term relationships.
You can use this platform to both talk and listen while being in control of the conversation.
Maximise on Facebook by:
- Using posts to educate and engage with your patients
- Building a loyal, satisfied community of patients
- Exhibiting your personality which can give your practice a unique edge over your competitors
- Expressing your quality services and excellence to patients and prospects
- Spending some money on Facebook ads to get your content in front of more people in your local area. It’s about education when it comes to ads, not a transaction.
A word of caution:
Many healthcare practitioners have some concerns when it comes to Facebook and the risk of a patient leaving a testimonial or writing an unsolicited comment against a post.
Luckily, with a few tweaks to the Facebook Page settings, you can mitigate these risks giving you peace of mind and a compliant Facebook Page.
Download our FREE Facebook Compliance Checklist which will walk you through which settings to adjust and how.
Tips for a Holistic Facebook Presence:
- Use your business’ branding on the profile and cover photo to appear professional and increase brand awareness.
- Consider uploading short videos that users can watch on-the-go through mobile.
It can range from a short introduction of yourself, your team and/or walking through a day at work. This content is interesting to viewers and gives you a chance to showcase your persona and a comfortable environment that patients would like. - Create dialogue around the medical topic you specialize in. Your patients may share common medical concerns relating to their treatment and recovery. Address these by posting meaningful information or thoughtful tips. Your patients will appreciate these.
- Provide opinions on new ideas and industry breakthroughs to be noticed as a thought leader by colleagues and patients. You can address health conditions, disease prevention, and treatment.
Facebook can help you attain your marketing goals of attracting new patients, retaining current patients and becoming a notable healthcare practice.
A well-managed Facebook page could be one of the antidotes to slow growth of your patient list.
Remember to evaluate the value of what you post – with relevant and engaging content, your reputation and business is sure to grow!
