Consumers, our patients, expect high-quality eye care and a brand-consumer relationship that is transparent, authentic and personal. Patients can drive brand narratives, and those brand narratives can have a significant impact on a practice’s finances, growth and patient retention, according to an article in Business Insider. (Read it at bit.ly/strongbrandBI .) As social media has become ubiquitous, it provides unique opportunities in eye care to take control of our brand with narratives and engage our patients, future patients and team.

Here are five tips to engage patients using social media:

1 PICK A PLATFORM

When it comes to social media, there’s an abundance of platform options. The more popular options include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, Periscope, Tumblr, YouTube and Pinterest. Ultimately, each platform has a different audience and, therefore, a few platforms to connect with different patient populations may be needed.

For those of us not sure where to begin, I recommend asking patients what social media outlets they prefer or are already currently using. Another option is to find out what platforms other businesses in our geographic region are using.

We do not need to have a presence on every platform. In fact, I have found it is better to do a few really well rather than dabbling inconsistently on multiple platforms. As our social media presence grows, we can then expand to other platforms to start connecting with future patients or a different patient demographic.

2 SHOWCASE BRAND IDENTITY

We should craft our brand’s identity to truly reflect what is offered at our eye care practices and use it as the foundation of our social media content.

For example, if an eye care practice is very involved in dry eye disease, posts should be created that center around that to show it to the social media audience. Being authentic and transparent about the eye care practice will allow patients to connect with us before they even step foot in the practice.

Our content should be unique, fresh and organized. Examples include branded business GIFs, photos, question-and-answer segments, polls and surveys. Here are some ways to execute this content:

• Showcase success stories. I have found that sharing mini case studies is an effective way to demonstrate how a practice best serves its patients. Case studies provide real-life examples to show how a practice utilizes modern technology and treatment modalities to perform the highest quality patient care. Also, we can share patient stories that highlight how we exceeded patient expectations. (We must remember to always follow HIPAA guidelines and keep posts professional and tasteful. Also, we should have documented permission from the patient before posting, even if the photo, video or post has no patient identifiers.)
• Share educational content. It is no secret that patients search for eye care information online. Offering general eye health tips allows us to take some control of the information our patients receive. Sharing accurate educational content also raises awareness about the medical care optometrists provide and promotes the profession as a whole. Harnessing the power of health-related hashtags is an easy way to share our educational material with more than just our immediate social media following. Some hashtags that I’ve found helpful include: #eyehealth #healthyeyes #yearlyeyeexam #eyedoctor #dryeyedisease #medicaloptometry #digitaleyehealth #vision #clearvision.
• Highlight company culture. Community members and future employees are also looking at our social media channels. Showing our positive work environment and team dynamic creates transparency and builds trust with our audience. Additionally, it humanizes us and reminds people there are real people behind the scenes that run the business.
  Further, social media can be a tool to attract new talent and employee candidates and should not be overlooked: People prefer to work with brands they know and trust.
• Use contests. A great way to build audience involvement on social media is through contests and giveaways. They create a buzz! Photo contests, video contests, caption contests, vote-to-win, or like/share/replay contests are a few types to consider when getting started. Giveaway prizes could showcase our own products or services, or they could be trendy ticket items, such as a Peloton bike. We also could consider a flash sale that is only available to our social media audience. Another idea would be to team up with another local business to provide a giveaway. Giveaway items could include branded mugs, sweatshirts or a complimentary eye exam. Contests and giveaways keep followers checking the social media channel(s) and, subsequently, seeing the brand, advertisements and upcoming events that may be of interest. We should not be afraid to try something new. When the dust settles, we can run the analytics and see what worked best. Then we will have a benchmark for our next contest to be sure we are exceeding our goals and getting a full return on investment.
• Embrace video. Video is powerful because it engages both the audio and visual senses. Video sometimes feels more authentic and can create a strong emotional response with viewers. Effective types of video, according to multiple published reports, include customer testimonials, tutorials and demonstrations.

Livestreaming videos also are especially popular right now. Facebook Live and Instagram stories are great ways to invite our audience backstage for a behind-the-scenes look at our practices. We could give a tour of our facilities, interview our staff or patients or share a “Day in the Life” behind the scenes of our employees. TikTok and Instagram Reels can show a fun, yet professional side of a practice and patient care. (We should remember to make sure the videos still align with best care and patient safety practices. Anything posted on the internet is permanent and can have both positive and negative long-term implications.)

3 PROVIDE BRAND CONTINUITY

Our posts should evoke the same feeling, have a similar aesthetic and send the same brand message as messages represented in our other marketing. Brand continuity allows our target demographic to recognize us no matter what social media or media they see. Examples of this include: a consistent logo and treatment of that logo, colors and fonts. Having a consistent brand image and message of our practices will ultimately build awareness and effectively communicate our message to others. More brand awareness ultimately allows us to attract new patients, new customers and achieve growth!

4 BATCH PREPARED POSTS

It is important to post frequently to maintain a presence online and keep patients in the loop. To accomplish this, I suggest preparing posts in bulk and using an editorial calendar to help organize, plan and schedule our social media posts. In addition to maintaining viewer engagement, I have often found that batch preparing by topic, social media platform type and even calendar day also keeps my preparation time minimal and efficient. (We should note that because each platform is different, each might also need its own social media strategy to be the most effective. For example, Twitter’s maximum character count and real-time nature make it less conducive to a written patient story or narrative.

Get Social

 

 

→ You can find ideas for planning and executing social media content monthly via Social Media Toolkit! In this issue, find it here or at any time via bit.ly/OMtoolkits .

5 BE SOCIAL

At the end of the day, social media is meant to be social. This means we need to respond to our audience, “like” and comment on other’s posts, and “follow” other businesses, organizations or individuals. Social media algorithms are designed to reward accounts that are social and engaged. If we want people to respond to our posts, we need to make sure we are showing that same courtesy to others.

ENGAGE AND ATTRACT PATIENTS

Social media is an excellent way to engage patients and attract new customers. It allows us to create brand awareness, build relationships with patients and create connections with consumers before they even become patients. OM

DR. QUINT is a co-owner of Smart Eye Care in Maine. With an MBA background, she is passionate about entrepreneurship and optometric practice management. She was the 2019 Theia Young OD Award winner and consults for Allergan.