You see your friends post on Instagram every day, but probably don’t think too
much about how the healthcare industry can use this useful app for it’s social
media marketing campaigns.
Instagram’s popularity among users has risen by 25 percent since December
2013, and it is a great way to reach the younger demographic. Companies
are seeing a higher user interaction rate on Instagram than Facebook or
Twitter, and it has become the favored platform for information distribution.
1. Set up Your AccountA. Choose a relevant and professional
profile picture.
B. List your website and a short
description of your practice.
* Leaving these small details out could
make a big difference in gaining a new
follower or potential new patient! *
Also, make sure you set your profile to
public so that everyone can see it. You
want to make the profile easy for
potential patients to access in order to
learn about your practice.
2. Make it Fun! People love taking pictures of things they love and that follower’s love viewing.
Pictures are expressive and can be a great way to give a visual when words
alone can’t do it justice.
The more unique and fun the posts are, the more likes and interest you will
receive, therefore increasing your followers and practice awareness.
3. Brand YourselfEvery picture posted should be a
positive representation of your
practice and portray the image for
which you are going.
However, not all posts have to be a
direct picture of your practice,
service or employee.
Let the world know you are
relatable, but always tie whatever
you’re posting back to the
practice in some way, shape or
form.
For example, post an artsy pic of your
morning coffee and caption it: “Looking
forward to seeing our patients today, let’s
get everyone healthy!”
4. PracticeAdvertise, Advertise, Advertise!
That is what this is all about, right?
Take advantage of situations where
your practice can be seen in unique
and exciting ways.
Think outside the box and post in settings
that will grab the user’s attention.
Texas Children’s Hospital showed their
creativity by taking a picture of their
building while the Superhero Window
Washers were working and asked it’s
audience, “Who’s your favorite
superhero?”
5. VideoVideos are a great way to educate
your audience!
Want to share an important event
with your patients or show off a
new wing of the hospital?
Bingo! Take a video and show
the world.
Videos have more views in the
“off hours” (9 p.m. – 8 a.m.
EST), so make sure you are
posting them during the optimal
times as well.
6. Hashtags Be creative and make sure they are actually relevant to your post.
Multiple hashtags are fine, but don’t overuse them either (more than 10
is unnecessary).
Hashtags increase visibility among people who might not even know
your practice and weren’t looking for your service.
Over-hashtagging can appear spammy and lead people to unfollow your
account because you might not look like you have authority or that
you’re going to post anything valuable to them.
6. Hashtags
Put your hashtags in your first
comment as opposed to your
caption and immediately after
posting your picture, comment
on your own photo.
By doing so, all of the
comments you’ll get from
others will go hidden and your
initial comment with your
hashtags will still be visible.
7. Don’t be a GhostRespond to comments and users, making sure to tag them with your text or
they won’t be notified that you responded.
Interaction will show your involvement and interest in your patients.
The more you respond, the more people
will realize you are a practice on which they can rely.
8. Ensure Your Hard Work is Paying Off
You can monitor your account and get keys metrics at iconosquare.com.
Make it part of your routine to check out how things are doing.
You can view your history, growth and community involvement.
This will give you good insight into what you are doing well and tips on what
you can do better.
Looking for more ways to enhance your
social media marketing? Check out our
Ebook, “25 tips for social media
marketing.”