THE Secret to Successful Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing – Getting it Right in Your Practice

Using social media for marketing is turning into a pile-em high sell-em cheap fest, and it’s driving me nuts and I don't want you to be tempted to go down that route.

Now I don’t know if you’ve noticed the same phenomenon, but what is really pissing me off is the tidal wave of automation. In my case, it’s coming from social media “Gurus” (who should know better) and practitioners who auto-respond to say “Hi and thanks for following” (no effort to appear genuine or start a conversation then), “Come visit my website, here’s a handy link, Oh and while you’re there why not sign up to receive my super free limited offer pdf that will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about X and how it will make you millions”

Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

"How about you at least make a bit of an effort to connect with me and start a conversation?"

"Oh, you did?"

"That was it?!"

Wrong!!

Wrong on soo many levels!

 

Sticking some share buttons on your website and auto-responding to everyone who follows you does not mean you have an effective social media marketing strategy, or anything closely approximating one.

Social media marketing can work to grow and develop your healthcare practice but there are some rules you need to play by:

• Social media is about being social and connections with people
• It will only work if you dedicate consistent time to it
• Don’t think it will magically create patients overnight – this is a long term strategy
• Relationships are not built on auto-responding, auto tweeting or auto messaging
• Contribute to and start conversations – don’t just lurk and spam
• Keep an eye on your sales Vs helping posts, aim for a 25%  75% split
• You must provide something worth coming back for time and time again
• Think E - E - E - Engage, Entertain, Educate
• Don’t pay someone to manage your social media 100% of the time for you – it has to be your voice, so make sure you have some personal input every single week.
• Focus on quality, not quantity

Remember you're selling a patient experience, and every time you interact with people forms part of that experience. The analogy here is, do you want your patients to have an out of town supermarket experience or a local deli experience?

Well, give me the local deli any day.

 

So What is THE Secret to Successful Social Media Marketing?

Here it is ….
What you’ve been waiting for…….
THE secret to social media marketing….

THE SECRET IS …..
(dramatic pause & big drum roll)

There . .  is . . . no  . . . secret!

Now I know that is not the answer you probably wanted to hear, but it’s the truth non the less. There is no magic wand I can wave or secret I can share with you!

 

Social Media Marketing – It’s Not a One Way Street

Social media will work to help you grow your practice, but only if you use it appropriately. It isn’t a one-way channel for you just to push out a sales message all of the time.

Aim to develop meaningful connections with patients and potential patients by talking and listening to them. Really hear what they have to say and respond accordingly.

Provide value for them and show you care, about both them and your business, so they will want to follow you and get to know you more. They’ll then decide if they trust you enough to become your patient.

From those connections will come business …. over time.

If you set about stalking them and making a nuisance of yourself by auto-responding and never trying to actually get to know them, listen to what they have to say, or what their concerns are, social media marketing is never ever going to work for you and your practice.

It’s not that difficult to stand out from the crowd on social media because so many healthcare professionals are doing it badly or not at all. Put in a bit of effort and look to build connections with your patients in a more meaningful way and I promise you, your efforts will be rewarded.

Do yourself, and your practice a favour, and don’t join the pile-em high sell-em cheap social media marketing brigade, get stuck-in building real connections by sharing real value with real people.

If you do, your social media marketing will build confidence in you and your practice and will result in more patients finding you, and importantly, liking what they see.

Remember social media marketing is a long term strategy, not a quick win.

 

Many thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog today. Please do let me know about your social media marketing experiences, good and bad, by leaving your comments in the box at the bottom of the page.

Until next time