From My Social Practice
As I visit with practices across the country and around the world, hands-down, the epiphany of all epiphanies that comes to the minds of practice owners and team members when it comes to marketing effectiveness… The #1 “ah-ha moment” that changes the posture and timing of everything a practice does in their social media marketing is the moment they learn this single, profound secret… Ready?
It’s not about turning strangers into patients. It’s about turning patients into advocates.
And here’s an example of exactly how to do that.
One of our recent Campaigns-In-A-Box that we sent to our clients for use in their practices was our “Snap-A-Selfie” campaign. Team members used the posters, the enclosed selfie stick, the buttons, the shirts, the contest ideas, the social signs, the entry cards and table tents to encourage patients to snap a selfie during their visit.
On the day when Tiffany, a new patient at Tulsa Braces, had her braces put on, she wanted to snap a selfie… and Tulsa Braces had an important decision to make. Should they use their own practice’s iPad to shoot the photo and then upload it to their own Facebook business page? Or, should they ask Tiffany’s mom, Diana Knox, to use her cell phone to shoot the photo and post it to her personal Facebook page?
You see, posting photos to your business page is really a branding strategy. But turning Tiffany’s mom into an advocate for the practice is a marketing strategy.
Facebook then notified Tulsa Braces of Diana’s post, and Tulsa Braces simply shared Diana’s post on their own Facebook business page.
So why does this nearly ALWAYS work this well? Because all of Tiffany and Diana’s family, extended family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers know and love them, and are interested in them and connected to them through social media! The top-of-mind-awareness and goodwill that results from this kind of post is amazing. Your practice hasn’t targeted strangers… You’ve simply turned a patient into an advocate.
Now, are there occasional times when your practice should share a photo directly to your own Facebook business page. Sure—once in a while. But typically those should be photos that feature team members and share the culture of your practice. Branding in this way is also an important part of marketing.
But for the greatest effectiveness, learn and implement the #1 secret to social media marketing success!
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