Getting your social media advertising right for your Physical Therapy site can be difficult. There may be times where you find it hard to choose your marketing strategy and how to use your social media accounts effectively for advertising. There are lots of different ways to go about promoting your physical therapy business and social media is a great way to reach a wide audience. You may know some things you definitely need to do, but what should you avoid more than anything else?
There are many dos and don’ts to explore when it comes to using social media and you need to avoid the bad just as much as following the good. Here are four great examples of big no no’s when it comes to PT advertising on social media.
There is definitely such a thing as spamming your social media followers and you want to avoid this at all costs. You will lose followers and page likes if you send out too much spam that clogs up your readers news feeds. And you don’t want to be paying for advertising when all your customers are seeing it as is spam.
Social media spam can be a variety of things that you share on your account so you should be aware of the content you are sharing and how regular you are posting on each site. If you are sending out the same post multiple times just to make content then you are not offering your followers anything new which can make your platform seem like spam.
Posting lots of content that is not relevant just to get views can also be considered as spam. Your followers won’t want to be bombarded with content that isn’t relevant or informative to them. Private messages to followers, especially when there has been no response and you message again is another no no. It can seem like you are harassing them and you will probably be blocked.
You need to think about how often you post and the type of content that your followers respond to. Making it regular can be more appealing to your customers and they will know what to expect. Think about using images and videos as well as text to showcase your brand. Manging your social media is a very important part of marketing your brand so you need to make sure you get it right.
What is the point in inviting customer engagement if you don’t respond and encourage these comments from your followers? It can be a real turn off for your pages if you don’t show some engagement and participation as a business.
Answering questions right there are then is a great way to show that you care and that you are not just an automated response. However, there may be times that you need to direct questions on social media to a full answer on your website. Of course, if any potential clients ask how to book you will want to send them over to the booking page as soon as possible.
It is also good for damage limitation and showing that you care about customer problems. If someone raises a problem or concern, going unanswered or acknowledged may exacerbate the issue. Offering solutions or to talk to the person privately will also give a good impression of your brand publicly and of course, you want to make sure any problems are resolved quickly acting on points raised.
You should also thank your followers for reviews and positive comments. Sometimes just showing you are listening is enough to make people feel valued and that it was worth their effort to write. It will also encourage more clients to leave reviews and comments if it shows you actually read and acknowledge them. You can also use this on other platforms too to show how customers feel about your business.
An inactive social media account can denote a failing business or an untrustworthy brand. Of course, this is probably not the case, but if you are not using your accounts then your customers may question your credibility. In fact, it is better to remove the account altogether than not use it at all but remain open.
If you are marketing on social media, you need a strategy that doesn’t show a sporadic approach only posting ever now and again because you want to sell something. Post regularly and you will build more trust with your followers. Even if this is not every day or even every week, having a schedule is a great way to keep your activity regular.
You may want to keep it simple and reduce your social media accounts, concentrating on the ones that generate most interest for your business. That way you can share your marketing messages to your niche audience without duplicating content over multiple platforms.
There may be times when you are finding it difficult to keep up with your timetable but this is when you can schedule posts with some advanced planning. Using an application such as Hootsuite will help you to organise and plan your posts meaning your activity will never fail.
Social media management and advertising can be outsourced if necessary, especially if you need to concentrate on other aspects of your business. Social media is an integral to marketing your business and whether you do this yourself or employ an expert to do the job for you.
If everything you share on social media is trying to sell your services then your followers will get bored quickly. It will also make you appear to pushy which is a turn off to those who see your advertising in your news feeds. Make sure you share quality content even when advertising. If you do it right, it is easy to share great information articles which also contain a call to action within.
You need to tactically include your sales and calls to action in an informative and interesting way. Most users are aware of click bait articles and sharing these kinds of self-promoted articles can lower your credibility and the value of your brand. You want all of your content you share to be professional and in keeping with the services that you offer.
Constantly marketing sales pitches will be seen as your business just wanting to sell and not wanting to engage with your audience. It can be seen as too much for some and you will find people leave your page or unfollow you if you keep sharing content like this. Liking your own posts is another big faux pas. It looks like you are trying to inflate your likes and makes you appear self-important too.
You should also stop yourself from sharing personal information or opinions. Yes, social media is all about opinions but as a business you should stick to a corporate approach. Think about your brand values rather than your own personal interests. Keeping business professional with a personal approach is the best way to advertise your physical therapy business on social media.
Social media lets you engage with so many different potential customers and is a great place to gain new clients for your business. But of course, you must share the right content and speak to your potential customers in your own brands way to promote your values.
Social media is important for a number of reasons including building awareness of your brand, showing authenticity, encouraging engagement and providing support for your business. Although it is not necessarily the most important part of your social media marketing, increasing your audience and following will mean more potential customers will see your posts.
Everyone uses social media these days and it is a quick and easy way to reach a large targeted audience. From Facebook, to Twitter Instagram and YouTube, choose the right platforms for your business and use the services to your advantage. You can even gain bookings directly through your social media site.
As you can see, there are many different things to consider when looking at social media and how you advertise. Getting it right can be hard and you don’t want to be spending funds on advertising if it is not giving you the most return as possible. The best place to start is to have a great social media strategy. Knowing what result you want to get out of your marketing, will help you to analyse and understand the results. Knowing what worked and what didn’t will mean you can tailor your social media marketing schedule for your next advertising approach. You should also stay on top of trends and using this knowledge to make your social media advertising really work for you. But in the end, as long as you follow the right track and avoid these four ‘no no’s’ you will be making the most of your social media marketing advantages and improving your overall presence as a business.
Do you need some help with your physical therapy website and marketing? Download our Free Evergreen Marketing Blueprint for Physical Therapists and start creating long-term assets that generate new patient bookings for years to come.