6 Ways To Use Facebook Social Media for Physicians

Does your medical practice have a Facebook page? Could you use 6 ways to increase engagement on your existing page?

More than 25 million businesses had Facebook pages in 2013 and to most of them it might have seemed that were 25 million complex rules and algorithms determining what posts their fans would see in their Facebook news feeds.

Social media marketing may seem like a complicated and competitive marketing strategy. You may find yourself asking, “Is social media for physicians?”

Yes! Social media is a valuable tool for promoting your practice and for reaching out to patients. If you are struggling with using social media effectively, you are not alone. In this article, we will show you 6 ways that you can successfully connect with patients on Facebook which is one of the top social media platforms for connecting with patients.

#1 Post recent news articles

Facebook now uses an updated news feed algorithm that gives extra weight to news articles and current events. Visit reputable health news sites like ScienceDaily and Medical News Today for breaking news that you can reference for your Facebook posts. When posting links to news articles:

Cite the original author or publisher.
Write attention grabbing headlines.
Add your personal spin on the article.
Invite Facebook readers to Like and comment on your posts.

Your goal is to get your fans to engage with your posts to boost your posts ranking so that Facebook will display it in more readers’ news feeds.

Social media can be an effective tool to guide patients to reputable sources of information, countering the deluge of health information on the Internet. -Kevin Pho, M.D.

#2 Host video events

Bring live video events to your medical practice Facebook page. The free app Livestream makes this easy. Its chat feature allows you to be interactive with your audience on a completely new level. If you are an orthopedic surgeon and want to demonstrate a knee replacement device, for example, your fans can see you and hear you as well as ask questions – all on your practice Facebook page!

#3 Offer promotions

Contests and giveaways are a great way to start a professional conversation on Facebook. Strutta offers a photo contest app that allows your fans to upload images. If you were the orthopedic surgeon in our previous example, for instance, you could hold a contest where knee replacement patients upload pictures of themselves enjoying physical activities after surgery and fans vote for their favorite picture.

#4 Host social games

Host a social game to encourage comments, shares and likes. One simple social game is a “Tell a story” format, where you give only the first line of the story and your fans ad-lib the rest. Our orthopedic surgeon might start a story with “Linda had the most exciting day planned since she had her knee replacement surgery.”

Be sure to include clear instructions for participation. For example:

Help us finish the story.
To participate, write the next sentence in a comment below.
Please read the comments above yours, so you know where the story is at now, and your comment makes sense.
Share the story thread with your friends to keep the story line moving.
Let’s see what Linda does today!

#5 Acknowledge your fans

Get into the habit of showing your appreciation for your fans. Send out birthday greetings, create a Facebook Fan of the Week, or give special recognition for a fan that has made special strides in recovering from his illness.

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#6 Have a good bedside manner on Facebook

People like to know they are interacting with an actual person, not a robot or a business, so always use a conversational tone in your posts and sign them with your first name. Additionally, always use “you” and “your” instead of saying, “the patient” for a personable, friendly tone.

Connecting with patients on Facebook does not have to be expensive or time-consuming – you can usually find free news, apps and content to keep your fans interested in your medical practice. Need more inspiration to provide a constant, fresh variety of offers, promotions and social games to keep your fans coming back for more? Download your free copy of The 30 Greatest Lead Gen Tips, Tricks & Ideas.

How many fans does your practice’s Facebook page have? When was the last time that number increased? Perhaps now is the time to reconsider how you connect with patients on Facebook and take action to increase your Facebook fan base.

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About
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Trent Dyrsmid

Founder at Groove Digital Marketing

Right after being a husband and father, and riding dirt bikes, Trent's next love is digital marketing. He is the author of the Digital Marketing Handbook and spends most of his time helping his clients succeed.