How Pediatric Medical Practices Need to Use Social Media

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Valentine’s Day is a holiday of love that extends beyond romantic feelings. If you love your career in the medical field, use the holiday as a chance to promote your business.

Medical practices typically rely on directory listings and word of mouth to earn patients. An informative and appealing website is also a step in the right marketing direction. Social media, however, is the newest trend earning medical practices attention and patients.

A well-managed social media account will help you engage with both new and existing patients as well as keep your patients informed to important news and updates.

This post hones in on two dimensions of social media marketing: Facebook as the medium and families as your target audience. On average, 1.4 billion people log-in to Facebook every day, thus, a fair share of your patients are likely to have an account. More people use Facebook than any other social media medium, so it makes sense to start your marketing campaign there.

Whether you are a pediatrician, a pediatric dentist, orthodontist or any other pediatric medical specialist, your practice should have a business page on Facebook. This allows you to post your location and contact information, provides the opportunity for patients to “like” your page, etc. Once your page is created, the following tips will help you maximize your marketing campaign:

1. Use your Facebook page to list the hours of your practice.

Business hours, holiday schedules, snow delays and cancellations are among the most important pieces of information for your Facebook page. Having your schedule posted on Facebook allows a working parent to quickly check the times you’re available–whether they need an immediate appointment or they are trying to balance their schedule with when they can pencil in a visit. Holiday schedules are particularly difficult to remember, and parents will appreciate this easily accessible resource. Finally, school closings are also a welcome addition to your page as parents and guardians could keep the calendar handy as they schedule their children’s appointments.

2. Have your phone number posted and ready to call.

Though you hope many parents have your number saved to their phones, a readily available contact number helps grandparents, siblings, babysitters and any other caregiver access your contact information in a moment’s notice. Facebook allows you to hyperlink the phone number for mobile devices, thus, a brief click would put worried or frazzled caregivers in immediate contact with you.

3. Post pictures of you and your staff in action.

If you run a medical practice that cares for children, you probably decorate your office and dress in holiday gear for the many occasions that excite children. Make your practice seem more inviting to potential patients by showing off your enthusiasm for the events that make the little ones smile.

Similarly, if your practice participates in community fundraisers or sponsors events, be sure to post images of these occurrences, as well. Here, you can draw attention to noteworthy charity functions as well as emphasize your involvement in the community.

4. Give your patients a chance to shine.

Turn unpleasant doctor visits into bragging rights for your patients. With parental and child permission, take photos of the brave youngsters who had shots, had teeth pulled, broke a bone, etc. By occasionally posting a “superstar” of the month or week, your patients will have a bit more of a rosy attitude in painful endeavors. Chances are, family members will share whatever post their child is in, thus earning your medical practice publicity to whoever sees the image.

5. Highlight important medical news and information.

Facebook is a quick way to send reminders and news alerts to your patients’ families in ways they are likely to see. Remind parents to schedule physicals or teeth cleanings. Alert families if there is a high occurrence of strep throat or other illness. Provide a list of flu symptoms. The possibilities are endless, and your patients will appreciate your medical guidance.

6. Share your blog posts on Facebook.

Digital marketing experts often discuss the benefits of having a blog for SEO purposes and for keeping you website patient-friendly. Whether you or a content writer created the content, use social media to promote the post. If it’s a worthwhile read, patients may share the post and earn you further publicity. Lastly, an informative post will draw attention to your medical expertise.

7. Remember that your Facebook page is an extension of your web page, not a substitute.

Your Facebook page will earn you publicity and engagement with your patients, but it is not a substitute for a well-run medical website. Whatever updates you make to Facebook, you can also make to your site. Thus, you’ll have optimized information sources for organic searches and social media followers.

Proper maintenance of your website and social media accounts is an undeniably time-consuming task. By hiring a digital marketing firm, you can focus on your patients’ well-being while the firm helps maintain and create digital relationships.

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