Creating Fantastic Facebook Posts – A How-To for Medical Practices

In today’s high-speed world, patients are inundated with nearly unlimited access to health information —some good, some bad—across a wide variety of media channels. While you may not spend much time on Facebook, your patients very well may. A 2015 report from PewResearch showed that 72% of Internet-using adults in the U.S. spend significant time on the platform.

Love it or hate it, Facebook continues to be one of the most popular methods of collecting and distributing health information on the web. For many businesses, healthcare included, establishing and maintaining a presence on Facebook has become mandatory as customers bypass traditional learning outlets due to the strong grip that Facebook has on daily life.

At Power2Practice, we can help you get in on the action with these quick and simple Facebook posting tips for medical practices…

 

Deliver insight that your patients are seeking.

What questions or concerns do you hear frequently in your clinic? Address these topics first! No time to write? Record a short video, post it to YouTube and share the link (along with a compelling headline) to Facebook.

 

Create irresistible headlines that beg to be clicked.

You have a brief opportunity to gain your community’s attention, so it is important to create strong headlines that compel readers to not only read, but also share your content.

Here are 3 easy ways to improve your headlines:

  • Demonstrate value with numbers by using numbers and/or a direct address to readers. An example would be: “5 Ways to Have More Energy, Everyday,” or “How to Have More Energy, Everyday.”
  • Look to your influencers. What is working for the doctors you admire? Many of the larger medical organizations employ full time social media copywriters. Perform occasional check-ins gain inspiration from the best-performing posts, videos and podcasts.
  • Ask a question that appeals to your readers. Get inside your potential patients’ minds and use frequently asked questions as headlines. On top of solving common problems, posts with question marks improve engagement by 23% overall, according to TrackMaven,

 

Write posts that appeal to skimmers.

According to a 2015 study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the average person has the attention span of just 8 seconds—one second less than that of a goldfish.

We are not surprised! The first 4 to 7 words of your posts are crucial for snagging the attention of your readers, so write your headline with this knowledge in mind. 

When considering word count, write posts succinctly, but take care to not gloss over any important information. Posts with 80 or more words tend to get double the engagement of posts with less than 70 words. Perhaps there is an allure to the “see more” link that appears at the end of the post preview. Try using a word processing document to help you with word count, then copy and paste into Facebook.

 

A picture is worth 1000 words.

A report by TrackMaven, which analyzed 5,804 Facebook pages spanning a total of 1,578,006 combined posts, determined that posts with photos are 37% more effective than those with just text.

 

Use curated content.

What is “curated content?” Simply stated, it is content written by experts (other than yourself) that you find compelling enough to share with your community. This strategy is a treasure trove of trust building. Sharing other experts’ content shows your community of current and potential patients that you are truly looking out for their best interests rather than solely focused on marketing your own clinic.

When curating content, it may be easier to compile a week or even month’s worth of posts in a single sitting. Just copy/paste your favorite links into a word document, then summarize the content with your own personal thoughts on the topic in a single, brief sentence that may also serve as your headline.

Related: 3 Reasons Why Content is Key to Growing Your Integrative Practice

 

Utilize a strong Call to Action (CTA).

The whole point of creating Facebook posts is to drive engagement and book more appointments. With that goal in mind, it is important to ask that readers actively engage with your posts.

Along with asking readers to call your office for more information, feel free to ask readers to share your posts with loved ones who may benefit from the information. Sharing is caring!

 

Post your content on the best days, at the right times.

According to HubSpot, a social media marketing software firm, the best days to post on Facebook are Thursday and Friday. Post at 1 pm to get the most shares and 3 pm to get the most clicks. In general, the best time to post is early afternoon of whatever time zone the majority of your audience is in.

Why is end of week and later in the day best? “The less people want to be at work, the more they are on Facebook!” –Buddy Media

 

More than just marketing, your Facebook page is a tool for building relationships.

The cornerstone of Integrative health is the relationship between patient and provider. Along with learning about complex health topics and how to best use nutritional supplements, today’s customer expects to have the opportunity to connect with companies through social media. Healthcare practice customers are no different.

Your outstanding Facebook posts are going to get attention, so you may see an uptick in your messages inbox. When potential patients ask for free health advice through Facebook, your best response is an invitation to call your practice and make an appointment, either in person or an intro phone consult.

The relationships created through Facebook will build trust, lead to more appointments and more word-of-mouth referrals, proving invaluable for small healthcare practices looking to grow.

 

Are you interested in creating a monthly or quarterly newsletter? Read our blog: 8 Tips for Creating a Practice Newsletter