The Executive Suite: The Do’s and Don’ts of Facebook Marketing For Medical Practices

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

The Do’s and Don’ts of Facebook Marketing For Medical Practices

At the moment, Facebook boasts an impressive 160 million users in the United States, or a little more than 50% of the market share. So chances are that at least half of your patients are already using the platform to share photos, likes and dislikes, and day-to-day activities with their network of “friends.”
You’ve probably already heard about the benefits creating a Facebook presence for your practice. The topic has been well covered. But what’s often left unsaid is that Facebook marketing campaigns take strategy — just like any other marketing tactic. And although creating a Facebook page is free, it could be a waste of time if not approached correctly.
That’s why we’ve come up with the following list of do’s and don’ts that will help your practice utilize Facebook effectively.

Facebook Marketing Do’s

Vary your content – The last thing you want to do is bore your followers. Posting the same message or using the same format continuously will eventually get your posts ignored and hidden. Keep things fresh by posting things like important announcements, helpful blog posts, pertinent questions and even appealing video content.
Track your activity using Insights – Facebook provides a tool called Insights that let’s you measure how your page is performing over a given period of time. (See the chart below)
Insights shows how many times you post each day (Posts), how many Facebook users talked about your page (People Talking About This) and the number of unique people that have seen your page content on a given day (Weekly Total Reach). This useful reporting info can help you decide what type of posts perform best and those you can afford to let go.

Have a unified voice – Only allow one or two people to control your Facebook page. Of course, it’d be great if you’re one of them, but if someone else has a knack for content creation then they should create “ghost posts” on your behalf. Keeping the number of publishers to a minimum helps ensure your page develops a consistent, recognizable style.

Facebook Marketing Don’ts

Use a personal page for your practice – There are two types of Facebook pages: personal and business. Personal pages allow you to post comments and like statuses on other people’s pages, while business pages don’t. However, bombarding followers directly on their feeds with your practice’s content can be overbearing. Plus, personal pages don’t allow you to track your success using Insights.
Overpost – Obviously, you shouldn’t ignore your page and leave it looking sparse. However, posting too frequently can annoy your followers beyond repair. A good rule of thumb is to post once a day, two if the content merits special attention.
Expect immediate results – Think of Facebook marketing like planting a mango tree. It’s going to take time and nurturing before you reap the sweet, juicy rewards. You won’t have 500 followers by end of the first week. But stick with it and you should be able to build meaningful relationships within your network.
Being the world’s largest social media platform, Facebook marketing is definitely worth a shot. By following the guidelines above, you’re going to have a better chance at success, but the real key is trying new things and figuring out what works. So, go ahead and connect!