Selecting social media content is challenging for many plastic surgeons. Yet, it is an important element in your overall marketing plan. With 74% of adults engaging in social media, you can’t afford not to be there. In addition, many review sites and directories offer some type of engagement and/or comments. Here are some ways to maximize your online presence with targeted content.
Social Media Content Goals
- Communicate specials and events for your products and services
- Build brand awareness by sharing relevant news about your products and services
- Encourage engagement by asking and answering general questions (careful to follow HIPPA)
- Post links to blogs, new product pages on your website, before & after photos
- Share tips and relevant information on beauty routines, diets, holidays, etc.
- Add personality by posting staff news
- Use humor and photos in your posts to increase content visibility
Finding Social Media Content
- Be social. Like and follow other pages (vendors, associations, chambers, local news, etc.). This gives you an opportunity to share relevant information.
- Follow blogs on vendor and association websites. Share relevant information with your fans.
- Identify pictures for your content. Free and purchased clipart, word pictures, and purchased images are all great resources. You can also use your website imagery and take your own photographs. Vendors may offer content and images. Photographic options are all around if you simply take time to look for them.
- Use information from your own written blogs and website pages. If you write news articles or record videos, use information from those in social media content.
- Comment on news articles that are trending to increase engagement.
Social Media Content Posting Frequency
- Choose your social media pages wisely. While it’s free to sign up, it’s a big time investment to maintain outreach and engagement. We find that Facebook and Google My Business are well worth the time investment. Twitter usually doesn’t produce many results for plastic surgeons. Instagram can be great if you have a lot of before & after photos of aesthetics and plastic surgery procedures. Otherwise, it usually isn’t worth the time. You get the idea.
- Daily posts with a photo on Facebook are ideal. Use hashtags sparingly (one occasionally for specials is good). Don’t be one of those people who use so many hashtags that the content is difficult to read.
- Post most business days on Google My Business. Insights show that photos get the most views, so remember to share relevant photos along with your content. Hashtag your posts to signal keywords to search engines. Collections for key procedures are always an excellent addition.
- If Instagram works for you, try to add new photos at least three times a week. It’s easy to do this if you have a medical spa in your practice.
- Videos are always a great add. If you have a YouTube page, try to record a video every 2 to three weeks. Specials, testimonies, new products, events, etc. are always welcome news. Don’t try to cover everything. Shorter is better.
Social Media Content on Directories and Review Sites
- Many sites offer places for descriptions, list of services, staff bios, comments, photos, videos, etc. Information can be updated on each site individually. Another option is to use a business listing service (PUMC’s Business Listing Management System is one) to automatically post updates for you monthly. This also refreshes your online information and augments SEO.
- Engage by thanking a patient for leaving a review. If it is less than stellar, ask the patient to contact the office to work out a resolution.
- Ensure that your contact information (practice name, address, phone number and website) are listed correctly on all sites.
You’ve worked hard for your plastic surgery practice. Choosing the right social media content can help it work hard for you. Need a little help? Contact our social media experts at PUMC to discuss more options for optimizing your social media channels.