Our No. 1 social media tip for plastic surgeons is to own your Google+ page. Medical practices often overlook Google+ because there’s little engagement. But, don’t be fooled by the lack of engagement. Every Google search result, each time a map is searched, every time you receive a review — it’s all through your Google+ page.
Ignoring your Google+ page is a huge mistake. It’s integrated with your Google visibility, so take the opportunity to boost your search rankings. That’s why it’s our No. 1 social media tip. Get active and get found. Here’s what you need to do:
- Complete your profile: Google’s Knowledge Graph (the business information that shows on the right side in search results when you hover over the business name) pulls all information from your Google+ page. Office hours, your last post, pictures, categories, etc. need to be complete. This information alone makes it worthy of being the No. 1 social media tip.
- Verify your Google+ page: You may have multiple pages that have been created over time. Claim all of them, verify the one you want to keep and delete the others. Multiple pages for the same location are not needed and can detract from your online visibility.
- Add pictures and videos: Add captions that have keywords for your pictures and videos to help boost SEO. These draw the eye of the reader and convey your services quickly.
- Post good content: Your posts are not usually found in your Google+ profile, but they are used across the Google platform. Post good information with hashtags so that your Google+ post appears in the correct search results.
- Ask for Google reviews: It’s sometimes challenging to get patients to write Google reviews, but it’s worth the effort. Your average review score, a link to review content and a link to write reviews appear in Google searches. Not only do reviews boost your SEO, but they help potential patients make a decision on choosing you for their doctor. Another major point for the No. 1 social media tip.
- Boost your circles: You’re local, so you should be connecting with the local businesses that you know. You’re in associations where you meet other doctors and agency personnel with whom you can connect. Other potential connections may be vendors, patients, employees, community organizations, etc.
- Add YouTube Channel: Google+ offers a linked YouTube channel. Why not take advantage of this by creating your channel. Short videos with good titles get prominence in Google searches, so it’s another boost to your SEO.
- Connect Google+ to your Website: Add an icon on your website that links to your Google+ page so that patients can easily jump to it. Make sure that you’re sending them to an active page and not to a page that you haven’t updated in six months.
Don’t make the mistake of ignoring your Google+ profile. Take action on our No. 1 social media tip now and make posting good content a regular part of your day.
If you aren’t sure how to optimize your Google+ page or need a social media boost, contact our PUMC experts. We customize our social media services to your needs, so you can easily get on track.