Social media is a powerful marketing tool, and chiropractors can take advantage of this in ways that will help their business grow. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media networks allow you to connect and interact with your patients. Likewise, it enables you to reach wider audiences. Besides, social media is free, so you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of money to market your business.
However, going on social media does not guarantee the success of your chiropractic practice. There are certain techniques and strategies to consider if you want to make the best out of your Facebook or YouTube posts. This is where digital social media management comes in.
Social media management is all about conceptualizing, creating, publishing, promoting, and analyzing your content on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Managing your digital media presence means finding ways to engage and interact with your patients and followers.
If you’re unsure where or how to start, here are some tips to consider before finalizing your social media plan for your chiropractic practice.
Build Your Team and Create a Plan
First things first, you need to build your social media team. If you can, hire a social media specialist to help out the team. Having someone with the right experience and background is vital if you want to ensure that you’re moving in the right direction.
After putting your team together, sit down, brainstorm, determine your goals, and create a plan. Pick out which social media platform (or platforms) you want to focus on. Facebook is the ideal option for entrepreneurs, including chiropractors.
You’ll also need to come up with topics you can post about. Make a calendar and schedule your posts according to your goals. It’s important to space out your posts in a way that assures you that they will have a wider reach.
Build a Website for Your Chiropractic Business
A website is an extension of your business. It is your digital address and a good platform for sharing verified, relevant information to your patients and potential clients. Businesses with websites almost always leave a positive impression on people.
However, not all websites have the same effect; there are specific strategies you need to apply. Ensuring that your site has all the vital information patients need is the best way to start. It has to have a short description of your practice and a professional profile on you. Audiences and patients always look for validation before deciding to hire the services of anybody, and this is what the “About Us” page is for.
Likewise, do not forget to include your contact details, including a map or directions to your clinic.
Structure your content properly so that it is balanced. Aside from well-written articles, feed your audience with well-thought-out infographics and videos. You can use these materials to help people understand the chiropractic practice better.
Lastly, connect your website to your social media pages as this will widen your online reach.
Choose the Right Social Media Channels
Before creating your social media page (or pages), explore your options first. Which channel or channels should you use? Here is a list of what you can do on each of the most popular social media networks.
Create informational and fun videos for your patients and potential clients. Come up with live events and record them on FB Live as they happen (ex. a day in the life of a chiropractor). Post high-quality photos of your clinic and maybe even your “patient of the day/week” and other engaging chiropractic-related activities or events. You can also share pictures that explain specific chiropractic procedures. Post photos that show you interacting with your patients.
Lastly, come up with online contests for your patients. It can be a Likes-based contest or a photo-posting contest; it’s all up to you. Just make sure you give them prizes like special discounts or free service.
Instagram is more photo-focused than Facebook, but you can use the IG Live Q&A feature to connect with your patients and followers. You can come up with a weekly Q&A about a featured chiropractor topic. You can also post short video clips on IG Stories. Giving people a glimpse of what happens during a chiropractic session is a good example (of course, you have to ask for your patient’s approval before posting).
LinkedIn is the ideal social media platform for establishing and improving business connections. You can connect with other chiropractors and share thoughts and ideas. LinkedIn also allows article sharing, so if you have published articles, you can share them with your connections.
YouTube
If you like making videos, YouTube is the best platform for you. If you create a channel for your practice, you can schedule regular postings for chiropractic exercises, at-home workouts, training, therapy, behind-the-scenes, and how-to videos.
The key to getting a lot of subscribers is consistency. Be consistent in posting your videos. This is where your social media calendar will come in.
After choosing which channel, or channels, you will use, sit down with your social media team, and start creating your pages. Be sure to assign someone to regularly post (or you can do this yourself), respond to comments and inquiries, and take note of feedback and suggestions.
Make Sure Your Content is Varied
The more variety your content has, the more people will follow and connect with you. Variety is not only about the kind of photos or videos you post; it is also about what type of content you decide to share. Instead of concentrating solely on photos and videos, try to post infographics, motivational quotes, blogs, or articles relevant to chiropractors, and even memes.
Make sure that everything you post is important, informative, engaging, and entertaining.
Schedule your Posts
As mentioned above, it is essential to schedule your posts if you want to be consistent and attract as many followers and connections as possible. You can choose to post weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Some people even post daily or every other day; it all depends on what you and your team believe is ideal.
In relation to this, do not forget to indicate in your schedule the types of social media content to post for a particular day. There are three general categories guaranteed to attract and engage any social media user:
- Posts that commemorate or celebrate a significant event – ex. the National Chiropractic Health Month that takes place every October, or the International Correct Posture Month that happens annually in May
- Chiropractor awareness posts – posts that encourage preventive care
- Informative and educational posts – ex. Why Is Proper Posture Important?
These three types of content can be your guide to coming up with unique and interesting posts.
Be Aware of Your Branding When Posting on Social Media
Another secret to being consistent is paying attention to your branding. Ensure that your topics, videos, photos and other images, and your content's tone all reflect the personality or character of your practice. Everyone in your social media team should know and understand what your brand represents.
Regularly Communicate or Interact with Your patients and followers
When you post on Facebook, and your followers react and comment, interact with them. Do this as often as possible, as this is one of the easiest ways to build a connection and establish a relationship with your patients and potential clients. Regularly communicating with them will make your followers feel that they are important to you.
Use Your Social Media Channels to Create an Email List
Your social media channels are bound to have hundreds and even thousands of followers. Use this to your advantage and create an email list. Regularly send out newsletters that contain clinic event updates and chiropractic news, discount vouchers, free health guides, and other useful and interesting materials. This is one way of reaching out to your patients. It is also a cost-free means of making them feel special.
Social media is popular, fun, engaging, and powerful. If used properly, it can help elevate your chiropractic practice to a whole new level.