Instagram Corner

HOW DID YOU DO?

If you’ve set up your business Instagram page appropriately, you’re able to acquire analytics by going to your profile on your mobile device and clicking “Insights.” You may go back to the past 90 days to look at how your posts are doing.

Here are a few things to consider when seeking to up your Instagram game:

Your audience. Is it who you thought it would be? For example, are you pulling mostly from your own geographic region, suggesting your followers are mostly your own patients? Or, are your followers from other cities, suggesting you’re appealing to a wider audience than your own patients? If this does not line up with your goals, what can you do to change it?

Content you shared. Which posts garnered the most likes? Which posts got the greatest number of impressions? The former suggests an audience that may be ready to convert; perhaps consider using this with a post inviting new patients to the office. The latter suggests content that has broad appeal. Can you replicate this or do more of this to increase your audience? On stories, see which garnered the greatest number of new followers. Can you do more of this in the future?

As is the theme at the end of the year, consider what you’ve done and where you can go from here to increase your social media presence and, thus, relationship with your patients, in the next calendar year.

Observances

DECEMBER traditionally has been recognized as an awareness month for safe toys and gifts. With a wealth of holidays in this winter month that often means new toys for kids, it’s important to remind patients to consider their children’s eye health when making such purchases.

You can do so by offering tips on what may or may not be an appropriate gift or, to go another route, remind them to purchase eye safety wear when buying toys that may, for example, launch projectiles.

You also can do so by highlighting a case study: If you’ve had an emergency case that resulted from a new toy or hobby, images and a description of this would be excellent to share on social media, keeping patient permission and HIPAA compliance in mind. Consider, as examples, some cases highlighted in Dr. Kenneth Daniels’ piece “Encourage Safety for Activities” found at bit.ly/0421SafetyEyewear .

• Another tactic would be to provide the facts on toys and eye issues.
• Finally, let your patients know that you’re there for them in times of emergency.

Remember to provide all the pertinent information your patient would need in the post, whether it’s a link to schedule an appointment or the phone number to call in an emergency.

Use Twitter Hashtags to Connect Online

DEC. 10: NOBEL AWARD CEREMONIES #NobelPrize

DEC. 21: #WinterSolstice

DEC. 31: #NewYearsEve