With so many people staying at home, it’s never been more important to manage social media content. Daily routines changed almost overnight, and people shifted more of their work and personal lives to be online, making social media an even more valuable tool for connection. Now consumers are skipping right over websites, walk-in options, and phone calls to go straight to social media. They want to see peer reviews, pictures of the providers, clinic hours, and specials/sales/deals without calling or sending an email.
When it comes to enhancing your brand’s overall visibility, no subset of marketing is shifting faster than social media. Every business or professional can benefit from understanding social media’s importance when it comes to reaching their audience and strengthening their brand. If you are not using social media, now is the time to utilize this fast, inexpensive, and effective way to reach almost half the world’s population. In fact, recent studies show a 40% increase in usage of Facebook and Instagram during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Social media’s importance is seen when you realize your social pages become a hub for users to easily find out more about your business and what you care about. It’s become essential during this pandemic so that clients can understand what your office is doing to help keep staff and clients safe.
So how should professionals use social media in the age of COVID-19? First, businesses can’t afford to stop marketing or selling, and that includes posting on social media. However, you can’t just run your business as usual, or you risk coming across as tone-deaf to an audience with heightened anxiety and sensitivities. And the hardest part? It feels like our world continues to change by the day (or hour).
At our office, we constantly remind our patients and social media followers that we are open for business. We also let people know what we are doing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by making sure our office is a clean, safe space for our staff and clients. When sending emails to our patients, we provide links to all our social media pages. We engage with our audience by adding personal touches, such as pictures of our families, posting live video chats for people to ask questions, asking people to share and like our pages, posting live demonstrations on stretches, doing fun and silly videos via TikTok, and more—all to help gain the attention of possible new clients.
Play with different platforms and see what suits your business the best and speaks most effectively to your target audience. Some social media platforms are better for certain demographics. Due to the continuously developing internet marketing industry, there are countless digital media and social networking sites, each with unique characteristics and purposes.
Some social media channels utilize more pictures, while others use ads or just words.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok are among my favorites. These platforms are user-friendly and do not require a ton of education to get started. Facebook is the biggest and arguably most powerful social network in the world. Regardless if you are a startup or a Fortune 500 company, you need to be on Facebook and start engaging with your consumers/clients.
Ask questions and get your followers involved, which will help your content be seen more organically. Try doing social media contests and giveaways because they are the ultimate in engagement-building tactics. Businesses large and small run contests on Facebook and Instagram because they are a great way to get followers to like, share, and comment on posts. The first step for creating a successful social media contest is to determine your goals. If your goal is to increase your followers and reach new patients, your contest will look a bit different than if your goal is to reengage your existing followers. The key to a successful social media contest—fun!
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to engage with your patients. If you have an up-to-date patient email list, you can easily send emails to your inactive patients, encouraging them to schedule an appointment. Also, don’t be afraid to pay a few bucks to boost ads on Facebook and Instagram, use hashtags, or take advantage of content from companies that you work with (Foot Levelers, Standard Process, etc.). Foot Levelers can even customize content for your practice. Incorporate their content, pictures, and more into your social media pages. Use hashtags to tag them and give them recognition while helping to add more content to your page.
"If your goal is to increase your followers and reach new patients, your contest will look a bit different than if your goal is to reengage your existing followers."
Having a social media presence without a strategy and plan can be just as damaging for your business as no plan at all. For some of you, investing in a social media marketing service may be the missing link to connect with your consumers. Our office still handles 100% of our social media content. Our team works together to find and come up with different topics of discussion, content, posts, Facebook Live videos, and more. During this pandemic, many offices, including ours, had to make some cuts when it comes to different splurges, so now might not be the appropriate time to make the jump into hiring a professional. However, depending on your goals and resources, a professional’s services might be just what’s needed.
We currently live in a world in which traditional advertising strategies aren’t enough. Social media not only allows for tremendous outreach and networking, but it also allows for interactivity that can be beneficial to businesses for a variety of reasons. Social media offers many benefits to business owners because it allows them to reach out to their customers and gain the attention of more people and potential customers.
In these uncertain times, I believe the importance of social media will continue to be a very trendy way to connect with others. My big tips when it comes to posting during these trying conditions include:
1. Be relatable - Think about how working at home affects people differently—changes with school and jobs. Remember to think outside of your situation, have empathy for your followers, and offer compassion. Post pictures of your family and your personal situation. Let your followers relate to you and your office.
2. Be empathetic - Not everyone’s situation is the same during this crisis. Let your followers know that you are listening and acknowledge our new normal.
3. Provide value - Turn your social media pages into a valuable resource for your audience. Offer content that is useful for all viewers (stretches, ergonomic tips, etc.). Take time to think about what would make you stop scrolling.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help - Ask your followers to share and like your posts.
5. Get out of your comfort zone - Be different and stand out!
6. Keep posting - Your followers are spending more time online than ever before, and you want to stay connected to them! If you are unable to market or sell your products or services right now, focus on sharing content that aligns with your business’s brand values instead.
I hope this article has empowered you to start using social media if you have not already begun. Get out of your comfort zone. People have nothing but time on their hands and are looking for help from you. Use these platforms to help educate people, build your brand, and strengthen your relationships.
Now that you understand the importance of social media, why not share this article?
Dr. Lindsay Daniels is the owner of a Go Health Chiropractic, Massage, and Acupuncture in Robbinsdale, MN. She has been practicing for over 12 years and graduated from Minnesota State University Mankato with a double major in Human Biology and Chemistry with a minor in Spanish. She then graduated from Northwestern Health Sciences University with her Doctorate of Chiropractic. Her passions include family health, pediatric care, maternity care, and athletic rehabilitation. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time traveling and with her husband and two daughters.
