No one wants to be on social media all day. Yet, using social media to grow business is essential. Just look at what’s going on in your waiting area on any normal day–your users are all on their cell phones! The goal of this guide is to help you be effective and efficient in using social media for your practice.

 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media Marketing

 

Disadvantages:

• It’s not a quick-fix strategy.
• It can feel like only the cool kids get engagement.
• You risk being left hurtful comments from keyboard warriors.

 

Advantages:

• The vast majority of people in the US and Canada use their cell phone for several hours each week.
• You can create content when it works best for your family’s schedule.
• You can build know, like and trust factors with people before they step foot in your office.
• The only person who can give you permission to use social media (or not) is YOU.

 

 

The Biggest MYTH About Social Media for Practice Building

There are two schools of thought about building social media followings:

1. Be everywhere.
2. Be selective.

This will guide teach you how to grow your following on social media using the selective approach. In order for this to work for you, you have to stay focused on the right things. More (more followers, more fans, more group members, more likes, more comments, etc…) is not necessarily a good thing, and it’s not what you’ll be working toward.

 

Stay focused on the right things. It’s easy to get caught up in the “more is better” trap. Remember, your job isn’t to reach everyone and anyone. Your job is to reach the right people. It only takes about 1,000 customers to build a 7-figure business. So you really don’t need hundreds of thousands of followers to be successful using social media to grow your
practice.

 

 

Choosing Where to Focus Your Social Media Efforts

One of the biggest questions on users’ minds when ramping up their social media marketing is, “Where should I post?” Since there are so many options now, it’s not surprising you’re wondering this!

 

Because you’re a busy person with a lot on your plate, you need to let go of the expectation that you’ll build a following on every social media platform. Let that expectation go RIGHT. NOW. In fact, you should pick just ONE place to focus your efforts.

 

So, how do you decide which platform to focus your efforts on?

 

3 Questions for Choosing Your Social Media Platforms

 

1. Where do you spend your time?

If you already spend your time on Facebook (and other social media platforms feel confusing to you), then follow the path of least resistance here.

 

2. What can you be consistent with?

If you already understand how to use Instagram, but feel like you’d need a whole lesson just on how to use Pinterest, TikTok or Snapchat, go with what you already know how to use!

 

3. What platform is your target market using?

Think about where your target market is. Know which social media platform is your Ideal Users’ favorite. If you’re not sure what your target market likes best, do some market research and ask them!

 

Consider your answers to these 3 questions, and make a decision on your ONE social media platform in no more than one week from now. Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis! If you need help deciding, ask for feedback in the Sames Social media Community.

 

 

Growing Your Community Through Social media

If you started a blog, a podcast, or a fan page in the early 2010s, it was far easier than to gain hundreds of thousands of followers back then than it is now. The way that social media works now is that to grow a large audience, you have to be paying for traffic. But remember, you don’t actually need hundreds of thousands of followers anyway.

 

One particular thing that can help you grow a community faster than all other options is a Facebook group. Facebook changed the platform in 2019 to put more emphasis on community. You can now grow an audience for your practice via a group far easier than a page.

 

Groups are a very effective way to build community, quicker than all other places on social media. A group is for you if you want you’re very clear who your target market is.

 

NOTE: If you’re not super clear on who your target market is, you can still create a group. Getting started now just might mean that your community grows a little more slowly, and that’s ok. The purpose and theme of your group can evolve and mature over time. To help you dive deeper into creating an engaged community through a group.

 

 

Creating Social Media Content that actually gets Engagement

One of the most frustrating things is when you spend a ton of time writing a social media and all you hear is negative things. It’s a catch because you’ve gotta be consistent in creating meaningful content, but part of learning how to create content that resonates with your community is simply being consistent.

 

Below are some pointers to help you know what not to waste your time on and, secondly, what to post that will help you grow your practice.

 

What Not to Post

• Don’t post blanket statements, information, facts, or data about chiropractic without having built connection first.
• Avoid done-for-you content that means you’ll be posting the same posts as all of the other clients using the same service. These types of posts are always made promoting the modality, not building connection with a target market.
• If you find yourself changing themes from one month to the next, you’ve likely lost focus on your target market. Posts that change from month to month (such as Heart Health during February, Springing Into Fitness in March) just end up looking like a lot of other social media content, and thus being ignored.
• Overall, avoid posting content that’s generic, general or boring. If you would scroll right past the same kind of post yourself, so will your audience!

 

Post Types You should post

• Story Post

In this post type, you’re getting real. Like, really real. In a vulnerability post, you share your own journey, your own challenges, and your own greatest struggles. It might be uncomfortable at first, but writing this type of content will get easier over time.

Note: you don’t need to share really tough stuff in the moment that you’re going through it. That might be #oversharing. To gain more insight into what stories of your own you might write about for these types of posts.

 

• Question Post

A Question Post is great for building engagement on social media. When your audience answers a question in the comments of your post,

 

for example, it boosts your page’s organic reach for that post and future posts. Even better, the well-asked Question Post will give you insight into the opinions, wants and goals of your target market.

 

• Results Post

This post type is the bread-and-butter of your social media, email and website content. Why? Because a great Results Posts demonstrates to your audience the types of experiences that people have when under care in your practice.

 

• Lifestyle Post

The Lifestyle Post is for you to demonstrate that you practice what you preach. One of the biggest advantages to this post type is that it’s often people’s favorite to see! People love to see the behind-the-scenes, more personal side of YOU (and your team members, too).

 

• Invitation Post

The key with Invitation Posts is that they don’t work well when ALL of your posts are Invitation Posts. What that means is…. if all you ever post on your practice’s Facebook page is “We have an opening today at 2pm for a new web chat! Who wants it?” you will be very frustrated.

 

However, this post type works well for an audience that you’ve built trust with by using all the other posts types first and foremost. Don’t overthink the Invitation Post. While you may only utilize these for about 20% of your total posts (so if you post on social media 5 times a week, no more than 1 of your posts should be an Invitation Post), this post type can be powerful.

 

 

Content Types

There are  basic content types: video,audio text and image. Experts advise creating social media content in all of these content types daily. The reason why is because people learn in a variety of ways (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc), and creating all of these
content types theoretically mean you’ll improve your social media reach to people of all different learning styles.

 

But when you’re just starting out or don’t have the budget to hire a social media manager, creating daily content in all 4 content types will no doubt leave you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. To keep things simple, you should sprinkle a bit of all of these content types throughout your weekly social media posts.

 

• Video

video content can be pre-recorded or streamed live. Live video audiences don’t expect fancy editing or perfect scripting. So creating social media content by live streaming it is generally the most time efficient.

• Audio

the most common way to share valuable content for your community through audio is via a podcast. However, podcasts require audio editing, editing software, and file-hosting services.

 

For these reasons, podcasts aren’t recommended. If you already have some knowledge of how to create and share other types audio files via social media, by all means go for it! But due to the technical know-how needed for creating this content type, I don’t encourage you to include audio in your Marketing Plan.

• Text 

this is the simplest of all social media content types! Despite all of the other content types available now, plain ol’ written words is still very effective.

• Image

some platforms, such as Instagram, require an image for every post. Images can include photographs taken on your cell phone, professional images shot by a photographer, and also graphic images designed in an app such as Canva.

 

Content Placement

Content placement refers to where the content gets posted–in most cases, the newsfeed or stories. With so many options, how do you decide?!

 

In general, reserve your newsfeed for more intention, thought-out content while of-the- moment posts fit best in stories. Stories are also a great place to demonstrate that you practice what you preach–whatever that is!

 

If you incorporate nutritional programs into your patients’ care plans, stories are the place for you to lead by example. If you see a lot of athletes in your practice, you might share your workout of the day in your stories. Experiment with what feels easy and most organic to you, while also paying attention to where your community likes to engage with you!

 

 

How to Write Engaging Content

Have you tried writing posts for social media but feel like no one’s paying attention? It’s a really common frustration amongst not just chiropractors but all kinds of small business

 

owners. Worst of all, when you’re struggling to build an engaged audience, you start wondering why you’re putting all that time and energy into creating social media posts…. and then give up. No wonder so many practice owners struggle to be consistent in marketing! You need to know some key things about content writing so you can effectively market your practice.

 

Writing content for your practice’s social media posts, emails and website is a skill. And just like with adjusting, you can’t expect to be good at it when you start. In fact, you might really suck! But please don’t let that stop you from continuing to practice the skill.
In order to build your content writing skill, you have to make time for the practice. This means you create time on your weekly schedule to write. Again, actually writing is the most important way to build your skill.

 

Speak directly to one person. Instead of using the pronoun “they,” write like you are talking directly to your Ideal users and use “you.”

 

Your Content Needs to do 3 Things – CAPTURE, CONNECT AND CALL ( 3 C  )the Reader to Action

 

Follow the simple framework laid out for you below when practicing your writing skill (and be sure to check out for examples)

• Capture – the first sentence or two of your content must draw the reader in; otherwise it’s “thank you, next” in the mind of your potential reader
• Connect – tell stories, use vivid details, and infuse imagery to help activate the attention of the reader
• Call The Reader To Action – be sure that you wrap up your content with by inviting or asking the reader to DO something

 

Here are some examples

 

• CONTENT THAT’S JUST OK…

“Hey moms of Washington, MO. Dr. Danielle often sees patients in her office that have headaches. Headaches are frustrating for busy moms. They have a lot to do and can’t be slowed down. Moms struggle to make time for themselves, but it’s an important thing to do. All moms struggling with headaches should contact our office to see if we can help.”

VS

• CONTENT THAT ENGAGES…

“Are you a busy mom who’s tired of being slowed down by those unexpected headaches that pop up? Do they always seem to come on at the worst times, like when you’ve got to get all three kids to different activities at the same time? You need to know that those headaches don’t have to just be your way of life.

 

Even if you think you’ve tried everything, deal with them the best you can! Tons of other women dealing with the same situation have been helped in our office. If you’re ready to live life without the tension and stress again, click here to schedule your first visit in our office and let’s see if we can help.”

 

 

• CONTENT THAT’S JUST OK…

“Women should have more autonomy in their birthing options. Women aren’t informed of their choices. The world would be better if this changed. Women who want to be proactive about their birth experience may be benefited by receiving chiropractic care during their pregnancies.”

VS

• CONTENT THAT ENGAGES…

“Going in to birth the first time, you don’t know what you don’t know. Maybe you’re like a lot of the women in our practice and find that there were things you wish you’d known before your baby was born so that you could’ve been more prepared for how hard it would all be. Or, maybe you’ve got questions…. TONS of questions…. and just feel like all you hear from people is that you should just relax and not worry!? #nothelpful You deserve to know that there ARE things you can do to ensure your next birth experience is more what you envision. You’re not crazy for having a lot of questions or wanting to do all that you can. If you want a care provider who understands your fears and worries firsthand, call out office today to schedule with our doctors.”

 

 

A Post with Idea

Post daily fresh content needed in order to get traffic, followers to your social media channel. SO when you are sat down at your desk when it was time to write your newsletter or social media post and sat staring blankly at the screen instead, you know how real it is. Worst of all, it can leave you feeling like you’ve just wasted a bunch of time. Time that you were supposed to be working on the marketing for your product,

 

but instead, you got lost in the scroll hole. Use the below 4 Steps to get your momentum up and running.

 

Step 1 – WHAT
Describe any event that happened in your life or work that day. Even if it seems mundane, just go with it! Be as detailed as you can as you describe what happened.

Step 2 – WHY
Next, develop a Why. Think about:Why did that event happen?Why was it positive?Why was it negative?

Step 3 – LESSON
See what Lesson you can extract from What happened and Why it happened. What did you learn (or maybe, should you have learned) from this experience. Clarify the lesson for your reader.

Step 4 – APPLY
Once you’ve clarified the lesson, think about how that same lesson applies to other people, other parts of life, marriage, parenting, or other parts of work.

 

Check more: Complete Social Media Guide for The Business

Check more: 12 Best YouTube Course To Grow Your Channel

Check more: 10 Best Digital Marketing Courses 2021 [ Updated ]

Check more: 10 Best Email Marketing Course Online 2021

 

Conclusion

Digital marketing’s reliance on social media has grown to vital proportions. Social media is a way of life in the digital age we live in.
People spend a considerable lot of time and resources to staying up to date of the most recent events in their fields by reading an endless volume of information.

 

Whatever the size of your business, developing a good social media strategy is essential to its success. Create and share content that tells your brand’s story by leveraging the facilities and skills at your command.

 

Create clear goals and objectives, then go back and tweak your approach. Always be on the lookout for new methods to connect with your target audience. Investment in your social media strategy will bring benefits for your business in the long run.

 

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