Social networks are fundamental to today’s society. Instagram attracts a wide demographic and connects people in unique ways. This is why organizations trying to attract a broader audience should include Instagram in their social media marketing strategy.
If you want to know how to promote your medical practice on social media, learn the dos and don’ts for success in healthcare marketing on Instagram.
Do’s
Build an audience
There are several ways to build your audience on Instagram. As an established medical organization, you likely have a network of contacts to begin building your audience. You can also send an email blast to patients announcing the Instagram account and a link for them to follow for useful health tips. If you need help setting up a business account, you can use this step-by-step guide.
Think through your strategy, and plan your posts. Think about how you can communicate your branding message while also providing relevant and useful content. Instagram serves to attract new patients as well as to communicate your brand story.
Next, you can research the most appropriate hashtags to use for your posts. Hashtags allow users to find you on their explore pages. Moreover, their algorithms may even allow one of your posts to trend on the explore pages of users with similar interests based on how well it is performing.
Establish credibility
Simply having an account with many followers provides a certain amount of credibility, but your posts should also work towards this goal. Get creative with your strategy, and mix it up to see what gets the best response.
People love striking, original images. If you can share great photos along with educational tips, then consider highlighting some team members working in the clinic.
Be consistent and active
Once you have established your voice, be consistent with your quality posts. Interact with your followers and other users posting with similar hashtags by liking and commenting on posts. Tell your brand story through your posts.
Include high quality images and videos
Quality is key to the photos and videos you provide. People connect at higher rates when they interact with visual components. Video marketing in healthcare can be shared among many channels and used on your website as well. It is a great way to establish trust and authenticity with your audience.
Get your followers involved in content creation and repost
If you can find a way to get your followers involved in content creation, you can repost what they have shared. This win-win scenario provides real content for you, and allows the user to feel special seeing their image reposted. To encourage this, one idea is to start a hashtag challenge.
To promote a healthy lifestyle, you could create a hashtag challenge about drinking enough water or eating fruits and veggies. This would encourage others to share their successes in these goals along with your hashtag.
Direct people to your bio with a link and CTA
Your social media marketing plan has a goal of acquiring more patients, right? So like any other marketing tool, you want a clear call to action, so an interested visitor knows how to take the next step.
On Instagram, include a link in your bio, making it available for those who visit your page. This link can be to a landing page with some type of call to action, whether it be to download a free resource or to book an appointment or contact the clinic.
Don’ts
Posting content unrelated to your brand
Since Instagram serves to share your brand story, stick to the focus. Every post is an opportunity to communicate your story, so posting unrelated content can be distracting.
Using unrelated hashtags
Posting unrelated hashtags is a form of spamming that users may notice and not respect, thus lowering your credibility.
Posting generic or stock photos
It is always best to avoid stock photos, because users do not respond well to them. Instead, use the app to communicate your brand story in a fun, lighthearted way.
Faking it
The human connection between users is the key to real growth. People will notice spammy comments, and Instagram even limits the same messages or comments being copied and pasted.
Every component of Instagram appreciates originality and connection. Put thought into your activity, and enjoy the ability to connect with your audience on a direct level. If you want to gain exposure, paid social ads for healthcare marketing is the best approach. You can also consider working with influencers who will organically reference your account to reach a larger audience.
Being aggressively salesly
Your mindset should be to increase traffic organically, so posts should not come off as pushy or salesly. Provide quality content, tell your story, and direct people to a link in your bio. Increase your exposure through well-placed ads.
Connect with us
Ready to grow your practice through Instagram? Get started on a social media marketing strategy with an expert healthcare marketing team. Contact iProv at (501) 475-3287 today to get the results you want through healthcare online marketing.
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