Are you a Facebook newbie or a seasoned Facebook marketer? Regardless, it seems everyone today wants to learn the fastest way to get more likes and grow their community. There are many methods to market your practice on Facebook—some can provide immediate results for you, and others not so much.
Below is a list of proven ways to boost your Facebook marketing efforts:
- Talk with your patients about Facebook. So simple, yet often ignored.
- Ask patients for comments, not just likes—see script below.
- Use a script to invite patients to join you on Facebook. For example: How did we do today? Great! We have a Facebook Page for Dr. Smith and it would really make her day if you left a comment for her there.
- Experiment with Facebook ads. There are now many methods to leverage Facebook ads (and many flexible budget options as well). Visit https://www.facebook.com/business/connect to learn more.
- Post less—yes, you read that right. While acceptable posting levels will vary from practice to practice, some practices post too much. Statistics show the number one reason people unlike brands is they post too much.
- Post more—posting once every six months is not enough. For most general dentistry practices, aim to post at least once per week.
- Network with other local businesses. Read all about it here.
- Use printed materials to remind patients to share a comment and help them to easily find your page. In co-managing dozens of pages over the years, it’s always surprising to see patient “likes” rolling in after hours, on weekends and even over the holidays.
- Consider an application for a fun contest or drawing. If you are holding contests or drawings directly on your Facebook wall (without an app), you are playing with fire as you are not adhering to Facebook promotional guidelines.
- Enroll in a seminar or workshop, watch a webinar or hire a coach to help you take your efforts to a new level.
Whether you implement one or all of the above tips, note in the race of marketing, social media is the turtle–slow and steady wins the race. You probably remember how long it took to grow your email list. Many practices today are still asking patient by patient, daily, if they are willing to share their email address. That’s not any different than inviting patient by patient, daily, if they would share a Facebook comment.
As Mark LeBlanc, author of Growing Your Business, said, “Practice the essence of neutrality in your marketing tools and strategies. Your best clients tend to hire you when the time is right for them, not because of a discount or big incentive. Make patience a best practice in the coming year and let your prospects revel in the peace of your presence.” This is great advice. When it comes to word of mouth marketing, traditional or delivered via new media, embrace the mindset that you are planting seeds. Set realistic expectations about when you will harvest the benefits, and in the meantime be patient and have some Facebook fun.
Very nice blog. Thank you!
Thanks Dr. Gorczyca! Glad you liked it. And Happy New Year to you 🙂
Great tips as always, Rita. Love the point on “Post Less”…15 updates a day is a bit much. Thanks!
Thanks for reading Dr. Rao 🙂 Oh yes, 15 posts a day is way way too much lol.