Social media has become one of the most essential components of any business marketing plan. Astounding majorities of people (almost 75%) use social media to get their news, research businesses, and interact with friends.

FACEBOOK was the first widely utilized social media platform and remains the top social networking platform to date with almost three billion active users per month, along with INSTAGRAM with roughly one billion users per month. Check out the following steps to see how to take your social media presence to the next level:

Optimize Your Social Pages

Optimize your social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) so that you can be the top-of-mind choice for potential new patients:

If you’ve not already done so, set up business pages for your clinic. Do not use your personal accounts for business communication.

Make sure you have your location, bio/about us section, and profile picture updated with the correct information.

Keep Your Pages Alive With Regular Content

Spend some time creating a content calendar to schedule and organize your topics. Keep posts concise and easy to read. It’s a good idea to follow other Facebook pages, Instagram pages, Twitter accounts, and LinkedIn Company profiles for other chiropractic clinics to get an idea of what others are talking about.

Top businesses post at least once a day. Take the time to create meaningful content that allows you to engage with your followers on a regular basis. Posting daily increases your chances of being seen on the news feed & for your followers to remember you. The following tips can make your posts more effective:

• Include images in your posts, since they have up to 650x more engagement than posts that don’t. Additionally, people are more likely to remember posts with images. But, do NOT steal images from the internet. Violating copyright laws will prove to be very costly. Shutterstock and Canva are good resources that you can use for stock images and social media templates. On the other hand, using personalized photos around the clinic perform exceptionally well! Be sure to incorporate those kinds of images so people can get to know you and your clinic.
• Include video content whenever you can - Video has between 2-3x more engagement than other post types. Live videos are one of the easiest video formats to post. This personalized video format gives people a personalized look into your practice and what you stand for. If you happen to have a business Instagram page, (which is advised) be sure to link it with your Facebook page so that your stories show up on both platforms.
• Include relevant hashtags in your posts. Hashtags give you the opportunity to reach more people. The optimal number of hashtags to use per post is 11. It’s also essential to make sure the hashtag you select is highly relevant to the post. Some general examples could be #chiropractic, #chiropractor, etc.
• Use emojis in your posts.
• Include a call to action in every post whether that be schedule an appointment, message us, call us, visit our website.
• Pin your most popular posts to the top of your page on Facebook/LinkedIn
• Share your most recent post to your Instagram story.

💡Pro Tip: Stay HIPAA compliant. Do not disclose any protected information publicly. This includes posting patient names, pictures, or x-rays. Do not discuss specifics of anyone’s diagnosis or schedule appointments publicly- contact these patients personally to carry on that conversation.

Want to have this process automated? With ChiroUp’s Plus and Premium plans, you can get evidence-based social media posts automatically posted to your Facebook and Instagram page.

Go Live Once A Week

Real-time marketing allows your potential patients to see exactly what your business is doing right now. This is important, as we live in a society that is constantly looking for the next thing. Don’t just “tell” your followers; “show” them why you are the #1 trusted provider in your area.

Going live is a very transparent way to show your followers who makes up your practice and, therefore, who they can expect to see when they come in. The more familiar they are with the people in your practice the more peace of mind and confidence they will have to stop in.

Here are three different types of content that you can plan on going live with today (that won’t violate HIPAA):

1) Lay Explainer Videos about a Condition- You’re an expert at what you do; there is no doubt about that. Your day exists to educate patients about their condition. Print out a ChiroUp lay condition report and “go live” with a summary of that knowledge, i.e., explain to your patients what a cervicogenic headache is and how you treat it in your office.

2) Exercise Demonstrations- Do you see a lot of patients with plantar fasciitis? Demonstrate a stretch that they can do at home to help relieve pain. Be sure to communicate that coupling this exercise with your in-office care can help to treat this pesky condition.

3) ADL's that Enhance Quality of Life- Beyond being an expert in musculoskeletal management, you also have extensive knowledge of lifestyle tips that can greatly impact your viewers. Talk about the importance of healthy living. Go live every Monday with a healthy tip on how they can start their week; like eliminating orange juice from their breakfast or taking a walk after dinner. 

The good thing about going live is that it’s meant to be a casual conversation. You don’t have to worry about buying a fancy camera or having a green screen- all you need is yourself, some knowledge, and a phone.

Engage With Your Followers

Be sure to monitor posts regularly so that you do not “abandon” or neglect patients who are corresponding with you. Commenting back on your posts lets your followers know that you hear them and that you care. Take a couple of minutes out of every day to check your page notifications to stay on top of your post engagements.

Responding to the comments on your posts is one of the best ways to best optimize your page and boost further engagement. One easy way to do this is to set aside 10 minutes of your day to respond to any comments or questions (that don’t violate HIPPA). Commenting strengthens your relationship and builds trust with followers. And, if they already are a patient, these (Non-PHI) conversations can be used as social proof to any new prospective patients.

Follow/Invite People

To gain more followers and engagement you can invite people to like your page on Facebook and LinkedIn. On Instagram, you can follow people in your area with the hope that they will follow you back. To invite people on Facebook follow these steps:

1) Navigate to your practice’s Business Page on Facebook.

2) Click the 3 little dots on the top right corner just under your cover photo.

3) Click “Invite Friends”

4) Customize an Invite Message that will be sent to all of your followers. Facebook will pre-populate a message that you can use as well.

5) Select all to invite all of your friends from your personal page to “like” your practice’s business page.

6) Select “send invite” to all followers selected.

To follow people on Instagram, simply search for specific usernames you may know or find people who have been to a specific location in your area. This way, you know that you are finding people that could be potential patients. Whenever you gain a new follower, welcome them to your page by sending them a personalized direct message.

Attracting Followers In The Office

It is important to create great content for your social pages with the perfect verbiage and visuals and even focus on the time that it’s posted. But none of that really matters if you don’t have people following your page to see that content in the first place. So, how can you get more business page followers?

The more followers you have, the more interactions and sharing of your site will occur. For Facebook, there are many ways to gain fans, or “likes”. You can run contests and promotions online or within your office. Promoting your profiles and creating valuable content will be the key to getting followers.

Create signs for your office encouraging your patients to join you on social media.

You might consider creating a contest for anyone who “likes” or “follows” your page.

💡Pro Tip: After treatment, ask your most satisfied patients to leave a review on your Facebook page.

Attracting Followers By Cross-Promoting On Other Platforms

Promote your presence. Add social media links on your:

• ChiroUp clinic profile
• Newsletters
• Emails
• Website
• Invoices
• Google Knowledge panel
• Brochures
• & any other customer communication

Boost Your Posts

Consider boosting your posts that attract good engagement. Knowing what posts to spend your money on is important because you want to make sure you are getting the highest ROI. If you spend $5 to boost a post, make sure it's one that lots of people seem to like or comment on.

A call to action is a statement that encourages your viewers to take a specific action, such as “Call Our Office Today!”. Whenever you boost a post, it is very important to include some type of call to action. If not, you are putting money behind a post that may not drive a specific action.