Instagram Corner

CREATE TEMPLATES

Planning posts for social media, such as Instagram, is a bit easier from week to week when you use templates. For example, in “Shop Local: Eye Do, You Should Too” (Dec. OM) Dr. Jennifer Lyerly says she plans three posts per week in the following format:

1. Photo or video educational post on an eye care topic.
2. Behind-the-scenes photo of a product or staff member.
3. Text-based post with an ocular health statistic.

In a previous Social Media Toolkit, we discussed how this helps with grid aesthetic, but these templates can also help to make social media planning less intensive. Here’s what your template could look like for each of the above-mentioned posts.

1. Clinical image + description of what is in the image + connection to your practice. For example, a fundus image, perhaps with a healthy eye, a simple explanation of eye anatomy, the practice technology you used to acquire it, and then let the reader know this technology is part of a comprehensive eye exam.
2. A new shipment of contact lenses that you keep in stock arrives. You snap a photo of the boxes ready to be inventoried or your staff members in the process of unpacking. Your template is this photo + a description of what is happening, perhaps with a connection to circumstances your patients would understand. For example: “It’s a bit like putting the groceries away!”
3. Keep a consistent look and feel to text-based graphics. For example, use a consistent background color, text and text color. If you’re using a tool, such as Canva, save a file name “template” that has said background color, text and text color with a place holder. Make a copy of this template, edit it with the new information, save and schedule! (For scheduling tools: bit.ly/OMToolkit1020 .)

Observances

→ FEBRUARY: Low Vision Awareness Month

The AOA observes February as Low Vision Awareness Month. Here are some ways to showcase low vision and your medical eye care expertise.

Demonstration: Non-profit group, Prevent Blindness, provides graphics demonstrating what low vision due to AMD looks like in several of the graphics available for download from its website (as well as in this month’s download folder).

Describe to your followers what they are seeing, then include information about the causes of low vision and what your practice can do to help.

Additionally, Prevent Blindness has a wealth of resources for download at preventblindness.org/infographics-archive/ .

The AOA also has a fact sheet ready for you to provide to patients and available at the download page regarding low vision.

Editor's note: If you missed glaucoma awareness month in January, you can still promote your services on social media. Find graphics from both of these organizations at the download page.

Use Twitter Hashtags to Connect 0nline

→ IMAGE DOWNLOAD LINK
bit.ly/OMSocialToolkit
All corresponding images are available to download and use for free.