Make Facebook Work Harder for your Practice
Posted on 
February 10, 2011 in 
Social Media Marketing by 
Keith Humes
Simply creating a Facebook profile at one time constituted a social media strategy. However, when the statistics from comScore’s much anticipated 2010 U. S. Digital Year in Review are taken into account, we should all realize that presence alone is not enough.
Quality conversation and consistent interaction are essential to the success of your social network, especially for the service-related practices of plastic surgeons and cosmetic dentists. As the Rosemont Review covered in a recent post, medical and dental Facebook optimization is a key ingredient in attracting fans and developing valuable relationships through social media. However, before we begin to optimize Facebook, we must first create substance and social authority with a few basics.
Facebook 101 for Plastic Surgeons and Cosmetic Dentists
For a majority of our clients, two questions surface as we begin to discuss social media strategies:
- Why is Facebook important?
- How do I get started?
The Facebook Why
To answer the first question, we need look no further than comScore’s report.
- 9 out of 10 U. S. internet users visit a social networking site each month
- The average internet user spends 4 hours in their social network each month
- Close to 1 out of every 8 online minutes is spent on Facebook
Still not convinced?
- E-commerce spending rose 9% from 2009 to reach $227.6 billion
- U. S. internet users received a total of 4.9 trillion display ads in 2010
- Social networking sites accounted for more than one-third of all display ad impressions
Facebook How-to
Yes, getting started on Facebook is as easy as creating a practice profile. However, stopping here would be like listing your phone number in the yellow pages and expecting calls to come rolling in. Gone are the days of pay-and-wait marketing, as participation is required every step of the way. Conversation is king in the realm of social media, but it takes two to tango.
The easiest way to convert potential patients into retuning ones is to inspire engaging conversation on your practice page. By forging meaningful relationships through direct virtual interaction, you not only create fans out of the participants, but also inspire the rest of your community to participate in the future.
Join the Rosemont Review tomorrow as we discuss “5 Simple Ways to Attract Patients on Facebook” that can be implemented this weekend.
