5 Ways to Engage Your Patients Through Your Facebook Page

Gretchen Kalthoff

Gretchen Kalthoff

Posted on September 10, 2015

Nowadays, technology is allowing business owners more opportunities than ever before to connect with their clients. Facebook can be a great way to engage with your patients on a personal level, as well as being utilized as a marketing tool to showcase and promote your business to others.
Here are a five things to consider while creating or updating your account, so your practice gets the most out of the medical marketing services that Facebook has to offer.

1. Create a Call-To-Action Button

In addition to integrating the profile picture of your business with your cover photo, and providing links in your page’s sidebar, you can also create a call to action button that displays on your page’s cover. The call-to-action (CTA) option is a great way to capitalize on the traffic your page gets. You can choose from such buttons as “sign up,” “contact us,” or “book now” and add any URL. These buttons encourage users to take the action you want them to take.

button for patient engagement

2.  Feature a Wide Variety of Content

Obviously, the most important reason for having your page is to promote and post items directly related to your business, but don’t stop there. Having a Facebook page can help you connect with your patients on a deeper level: talk about your interests, offer health tips, and point your patients to other pages that might be health-related (articles, how-to pieces, new studies). The more down-to-earth your page feels, the less it feels like your followers are being constantly barraged by advertisements. This will make them more likely to recommend your services, and your Facebook page, to a friend.

3.  Fill Out Your Profile

Include your business hours and contact information, as well as links to your website and other social media accounts maintained by your office. You should also include company milestones, awards, and patient testimonials – anything that will put a great face on your business. Don’t be afraid to tout some of your office’s achievements, and how you’ve connected with the community over the years.

4.  Respond to Comments & Continue the Conversation

Part of connecting with your patients includes responding to the comments and messages received on your page. If someone says you’ve done a great job, thank them for it. If a patient is having problems scheduling an appointment, kindly point them in the right direction and give them any additional information they need.
Occasionally, people might express concerns or problems they may have had with your services (long wait times, scheduling errors, cancellations). Don’t just delete these comments, respond to them and work with your followers to find a solution to their problems. This will show them, and the rest of your patients, that you truly care about customer satisfaction.

5.  Reach New Audiences

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Maintaining a page where patients and clients can find information about your business is great, but it won’t necessarily help you grow your awareness. If you want to increase your reach, and target new audiences, utilizing Facebook advertising is a great start.  
You can direct content on your Facebook page back to your website or other social media channels, and also use it for targeted advertising. Use Facebook’s data analytics for your page to figure out what is, and what isn’t working, then optimize your advertisements based on this information. There are a lot of ad options available on Facebook that businesses can take advantage of, such as ads that will send people to your website, boost your posts, offer claims to be redeemed on your website, promote events, and more. As a business, it’s important to take advantage of the targeting capabilities and analytics available through paid advertising on Facebook. You can learn a lot of about your audience, and expand your reach.
 


Gretchen Kalthoff

Gretchen Kalthoff

Gretchen Kalthoff is a writer and marketing specialist for MWE. She is an expert in healthcare marketing and health IT with a special interest in increasing patient engagement through social media and healthcare technologies.

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