Social media has had an indelible impact on virtually every type of business, and aesthetic practices are no exception. Whether you consider yourself a social media pro or you’re just joining “the conversation,” it couldn’t hurt to double-check that you’re making the most of various online communities—and not making any major mistakes.
The most important thing to understand about social media is how it really works. Whether you’re on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or any other platform, it’s all about two-way communication. If you’re ignoring interactions with followers or commenters, you’re missing the point—and probably losing out on capturing potential patients. Your current patients may reach out to you via these channels as well, and they expect a response, often in real-time. If they don’t hear back, they might look for another practice that does respond quickly.
Reserve your handles
Remember when you secured your practice’s website domain name years ago? If you haven’t already, you should be staking your claim on every social media platform (even if you have no imminent plans to use it). Snapchat or TikTok may not seem relevant for your practice now, but there’s no way to know where the social media tide may take us. Do yourself a favor and set up accounts on all the major platforms (and try to keep your username consistent). It only takes a few minutes and costs you absolutely nothing. Tip: You can search your practice name on KnowEm.com and see which platforms have the handle available. Remember to try several variations, including using “_” in place of spaces.
Have a consistent voice
Social media can serve as an extension of your brand, and your practice’s “voice” should be similar across all platforms. Keep in mind this means more than your tone and writing style—colors, logos, photo filters and how you black-out facial or body features in before-and-after photos should match on every network you post on.
Curate content carefully
Anything you share on social media—whether links, images or motivational quotes—is an extension of your practice and your brand as a whole. Strong, unique content reinforces your influence and authority, while low-quality, duplicated content can hurt your online visibility and reputation. Dialogue with your followers counts as content (as far as the Internet is concerned), so always put forth a “real” yet trustworthy online persona. Tip: If you assign an external agency or freelancer to jumpstart your social media, be sure they are capable of creating posts with the tone you want to convey, and understand HIPAA guidelines.
Monitor all of your channels
Social media scheduling tools can save time and help ensure you share a good balance of before-and-afters, treatment/procedure information and promotions by giving you weekly or monthly “snapshot” of your posts—but you should never have a “set it and forget” mentality. Be sure to monitor activity on your social media accounts regularly so you can respond to followers promptly, mitigate any negative comments and see which types of content get the most engagement. Tip: Set Google Alerts for your practice as well as your practitioners so you know when your name pops up in a review or media mention.
Need help with your social media channels? Get in touch with our pro team – anne@wendylewisco.com
