Long-tail is the New Search

Ask the experts

Q How often should I post on my practice Facebook to reach out to my patient base?

A Facebook posts appear in your patients’ news feeds. If your patients have a lot of “friends,” then they receive a lot of posts in their feeds. These feeds are akin to stock tickers, with information constantly flowing in, pushing down the previous posts. To make sure your posts don’t get lost in these “tickers,” we recommend posting at least once a day.

Events

CEATUS Case Study of the Month

5 Social Media Resolutions for 2014

1. Create an Editorial Calendar

Good social media doesn’t just happen. Each month there are many opportunities to engage your readers, so don’t miss them. Creating an editorial calendar is the best way to pre-write content so that all you have to do is copy, paste and post. This also helps to keep you accountable with the amount of posts and interaction you have on your profile. Make sure to include in your plan national holidays, special events (in the office), fun food holidays (February 5 is National Pancake Day), new specials, or conferences you will be attending. Your posts should be fun, engaging content that will get your followers talking. Also keep in mind that time-sensitive posts will need to be planned accordingly. Get those creative juices flowing!

2. Add Video Content

Embrace video! From Facebook’s new silent viral videos, which play automatically when you scroll through your news feed, to Vine’s six-second videos and YouTube’s place as the No. 2 search engine…video is where it’s at in terms of content. We understand video may be a challenge to practices like yours since you have to comply with HIPAA laws, but there are plenty of ways to create fun video without violating HIPAA, such as:

• Take a short video of your staff wishing everyone on Facebook a Happy St. Patrick’s Day
• Film your potluck
• Make a funny skit
• Film a new device or exciting news about your office

Remember that your videos should be fun, interesting and, most importantly, short. So grab your smartphone and Spielberg it up!

3. Launch a “Likes” and “Follows” Campaign

The ever-elusive “Like” or “Follow” doesn’t have to be so elusive. Getting one makes all the hours spent writing witty posts and posting cat videos worth it. We’ve all been bombarded with alleged methods for getting people to “Like” us, but maybe the recipe is as simple as it was in 1st grade: Just ask, “Will you be my friend?” You email your patients/prospective patients about specials, updates and appointment reminders all the time, so why not send them a social media “Like” request? They may not follow through, but a friendly reminder is likely to help spark their interest. Some successful campaigns even include contests or giveaways. Yes, you are paying for friends, but think of the wonderful relationship you can begin.

4. Use Google+

If you believe the buzz (we do), Google+ is poised to knock Facebook off its perch — possibly this year. Social media experts predict a changing of the guard from Facebook to Google+, so why not make sure you are ahead of the game? You probably created an account because the Google gods said to, but did you really put time and effort into making your profile look good? Probably not. It’s time to start sprucing up your profile and adding more information, which in turn will please the Google gods. While some may tell you you’ve been seduced by the dark side by switching to Google+, you might actually like it.

5. Start a Pinterest Account

Hi! My name is Pinterest. I’m going to suck up three hours of your time when you’re supposed to be cleaning your house. Pinterest has exploded over the past year, and now ranks among the most popular social media platforms. And there’s no reason to think it will become any less popular. Thanks to its primarily visual content, which people prefer over just text, traffic and usage have skyrocketed. But is another social media platform really necessary? Yes. It’s an amazing place to display your advertisements, photos of your practice, before and after galleries, and other visual marketing. Importantly, your photos can link to any website you see fit — namely, your practice website. This in turn helps build good links and traffic to your site. What’s more, Pinterest doesn’t require much text, so it’s a fast and easy medium to maintain. Happy Pinning!

Does this all sound fine and dandy but you don’t know where to start? If so, click here or call our Social Media Experts at 858-454-5505. We look forward to helping you reach your social media goals in 2014.