I consider myself an early adopter when it comes to social media. I joined Facebook back when it was The Facebook, and have been an avid Twitter user since 2007. I truly enjoy the benefits of social media in terms of connections and information that it can share. From a business perspective, I find that many businesses are a little clueless when it comes to social media best practices. Knowing when to post, what to post and where to post can be daunting for a small business especially businesses like physical therapy private practices that may or may not have a dedicated social media or marketing team.
Last week in our podcast, we talked a lot about social media and internal marketing best practices. One of the questions we get asked often is “What do I do about social media?” Once you implement the tools, and build out your marketing calendar then you can really dive into the types of posts that you can utilize as you build your social media. But before you start posting consider these three factors before you hit the publish button: what value am I providing? Am I being authentic? Is this what my audience wants to see?
Once you get those three questions answered here are the types of posts that you’ll want to add into rotation that are likely to help you answer yes to those considerations.
Value Post
These types of posts get your public following you. These posts are going to often be educational, relevant to what your public may be looking for and will often provide a solution to common problems. Basically, before you hit you publish, think about it from the viewer’s point of view and make sure you can answer the WIIFM question or “What’s in it for me?” You should always be able to answer that what you are sharing is of interest to your audience.
Recognition Post
This is where you can tell a story of the impact someone has had as a result of your services. Think sharing success stories online. These posts will show how others have achieved the results that the viewer or visitor might be looking to achieve themselves. Add in a short to call to action in the closing statement saying “Reach out to us if you want to learn more.” These posts should be rotated in once per week at the most as they are self-promotional and people usually tire of them.
Story Post
A story post is similar to the recognition post. You want to have a hook to grab them in and end with a call to action. The story could tie into your services or your practice or an event you may be participating in or hosting.
Engagement Post
These posts are designed to be interactive. They can be visual (think Memes!) or something to get them to participate and fill in the blank. These posts are fun, easy ways to create interaction with your public.
Call to Action Post
These should be done less frequently because they are straight pitches trying to get feet in the door. It’s okay to get straight to the point however, to get better results you may talk a little about your offering or include an engagement type post. No matter how frequently you post these, be sure to solve a problem. You don’t want to be pushy and the call to action post should be used after the other types of posts are regularly incorporated into your marketing calendar.
Above all, it is important to maintain consistency and authenticity. Get in the habit of you, or someone on your team, posting one to two times per day. This consistency will build engagement and visibility among your online public. Finally, find your voice. Share information and posts that reflect your practice, your mission and your values. Stay positive and respond to everyone with kindness and gratitude – this will help showcase your practice in a positive light on and off the internet.
For more tips and best practices to managing your practice, download our free guide by clicking the button below.
Brian Gallagher, PT is the founder and CEO of MEG Business Management, LLC. He has more than 27 years of experience in the field of rehabilitation and 19 years in business and specializes in Physical Therapy practice management and executive coaching nationwide. As a licensed business management consultant, Brian has helped hundreds of business owners nationwide improve their business operations through proper restructuring to achieve improved systems of efficiency and productivity as well as marketing and sales with effective public relations which have proven results for double-digit growth year-over-year with businesses around the country.
