The social media time sponge can be overwhelming for you or your staff. Time is a precious commodity for most of our plastic surgery and medical spa clients. Typically, the person responsible for social media and online reviews also has another full-time job within the practice. Thus, social media may fall toward the bottom of the to-do list. Below are some effective ways to boost your social media results.
Google Helps Improve Social Media Effectiveness in Less Time
Recent Google changes have made online visibility easier than ever. Google+ and Google My Business separated last year. Google notified inactive Google+ page owners that those pages will be deleted. Your Google My Business listing is not affected. However, you will need to check websites, directories and other website pages for broken links if you received the notification. Here are four ways to improve your Google online visibility in few minutes each week:
- Claim and complete all information in your Google My Business listing.
- Take advantage of Google weekly feature post(s) for specials, events, products and more.
- Engage online by responding to reviews, answering questions and posting pictures and videos.
- Improve your Google review rating to ensure you continue to be listed when potential patients filter by Google review average.
Automate to Avoid Social Media Time Sponge
It is challenging to log into and add information to multiple sites each day. But, many of our clients want a presence on multiple social media channels. You can have the best of both worlds. Avoiding the social media time sponge is about how you choose to connect your pages. Here are some effective ways to connect your social media.
- Since most of PUMC’s clients are not celebrities , we don’t see a lot of Twitter engagement for them. But, we want to be there for Twitter followers. Connect Twitter and Facebook for automated Twitter posting.
- Instagram has taken a big leap in the past year. We’re seeing tremendous engagement there. Link this to Facebook to make picture sharing easier.
- Videos are vital in your social media. However, people want to view it on the page. YouTube videos offer seamless insertion on Facebook and blogs.
Plan Social Media Posts
It’s challenging to “plan” in a medical office. We get that. But, an effective plan helps you avoid the social media time sponge. Don’t view “plan” as the dreaded task. Think of it as divulging secrets throughout the month. For example:
- Plan and schedule Facebook posts about your monthly or quarterly special.
- Identify Google feature posts with pictures/links for the month.
Optimize Online Reviews
A sterling online reputation is vital to attracting new patients. People read these reviews. And, many choose a plastic surgeon based on review content. You can’t afford to leave your online reputation to chance. PUMC’s Global Online Review system can help. You manage your practice. Now, it’s a must that you manage your online reputation.
- Ask satisfied patients for reviews for strategic review sites.
- Share your best reviews on social media.
- Highlight your review average and online reviews on your website.
- Manage your negative reviews.
Internet Evolves Constantly
Social media, like the rest of the Internet, is always evolving. Unless it’s your full-time job, you probably don’t have time to watch it constantly. You need to rely on your marketing agency to keep you updated on changes. Here are some of the latest changes.
- Google is deleting inactive Google+ pages in August.
- Instagram is rolling out topic channels, longer videos and new camera effects.
- Facebook is enforcing audience targeting and is beta testing a new review scale of 1 to 10.
When it comes to the social media time sponge, it is never good enough. There are always new ways to make it more effective. There is always a new feature on a social media channel. Contact PUMC if you need help navigating the social media world.