Getting Started on Social Media

With the recent addition of a social media widget to Dr. Leonardo's list of features, now is the perfect time to create and maintain a social media presence for your practice. In fact, a recent Salesforce survey even determined that 70% of marketers plan in increasing their social media spending in 2015. However, social media can be confusing for anyone not already familiar with these websites. To help get you started on social media, here are some helpful tips.

Tips for Getting Started on Social Media

• Pick the sites you want to focus on. With so many social media sites available, it can be tempting to go overboard and sign up for all of them. However, you should only sign up for sites you'll be able to manage, as having empty or abandoned pages won't benefit you or your practice.
• Build out your pages. Once you've selected the sites you're interested in, follow the instructions to create your pages. Make sure to accurately fill out all of the information you can, as many people will use this information to contact you, sometimes without visiting your website. If you can, put together graphics that match your practice's website to help you build your brand.
• Clarify your objectives and create a plan. Before you start to post, identify your goals. Are you looking for new patients? Are you trying to establish yourself as a leader in your field? After you set some goals, it will be much easier to set forward a plan to achieve them.
• Stay active on your social media pages. Many practices start out strong on social media, only to lose interest or stop posting as time goes on. It's important to maintain an active presence to keep your current fans interested, and to make your page more appealing to potential new ones.
• Engage with your followers. While it's not a good idea to dispense medical advice over social media, that doesn't mean you can't respond to the fans or followers trying to engage with you. Even if it's just directing them to your website's contact page or phone number, engaging with your followers helps them feel like their voices are heard and shows that you're humans rather than just a faceless page.

Not Sure Where to Start? Let Dr. Leonardo Help.

If you're still unsure about how to get started on social media or simply don't have the time to manage it yourself, contact us today online or at 516-586-1300 to learn about the customized social media plans we offer. We hope to hear from you soon.