As 2019 comes to an end, we’re not only nearing the end of a year but the end of a decade. It’s difficult to fathom all that has changed in these past years, but one thing is for sure: digital marketing strategies are never-ending and ever-changing.
MyAdvice recently published blog posts on different 2020 marketing ideas and concepts, such as what you can expect in social media and how you can plan for the year ahead. The last post we shared focused on marketing services to consider for 2020. I’m going to take a similar, yet slightly different, approach with the piece you’re currently reading. Rather than focusing on specific services that MyAdvice or another agency may offer, I’d like to focus on 2020 digital marketing and social media strategies as a whole.
These concepts aren’t always specific things you can buy, such as ad campaigns or a review marketing solution, but more so strategies that help you stay top-of-mind with your potential patients or clients.
So, what’s changed in digital marketing over the past decade? To be quite honest, the first thing that comes to mind is social media.
According to Mashable, there were 150 million monthly active users on Facebook in 2009. Today, it’s estimated that 2.8 billion people are engaged with the Facebook family of services. If your business isn’t present on social media, that’s unfortunate because you’re ignoring a huge audience and potential revenue.
Cosmetic Dentistry Marketing Strategies for 2020
If you’re a cosmetic dentistry practice, you require a Facebook Page, you need to be on Instagram, and you should explore the world of Snapchat. At the very least, your Facebook Business Page showcases your doctors, staff, and patient successes. Instagram is even more ideal since it’s such a visual outlet, making it the perfect platform to showcase your amazing patient cases with before-and-after photos.
So, let’s talk about Snapchat. Snapchat almost seems like a foreign language to some professionals, but it’s a widely used social media platform that potentially gives the most behind-the-scenes look into an actual business.
Snapchat is all about catching spur-of-the-moment situations that other social media platforms aren’t fully framed around. It’s also one of the easiest platforms to use when it comes down to it. It’s simple, fast, and FREE to post a story to your Snapchat account. Who doesn’t like free marketing?
How about creating your own unique Snapchat geo-filter? A Snapchat geo-filter is a design overlay that you can place on top of the photo you’re snapping, based on the user’s location.
I know that in the mere 30 seconds between being seated in the dental chair and before being visited by the dentist, I’m pulling my phone out and sending a Snapchat to my friends. There’s something silly and goofy about seeing myself sitting in the office chair with that bib on that for some reason I am inclined to share.
Chances are there are a lot of patients in your building doing this same thing. If so, they are also very likely swiping left and right to see what available filters there are. If you have your own Snapchat geo-filter created and available for public use, that patient sitting in your chair will be able to send a photo with your specific filter. Having that feature available is essentially added exposure for your practice that will allow other people to become familiar with you, although they may not have ever heard of you otherwise.
Plastic Surgery Marketing Strategies for 2020
It’s a fact that Facebook Groups are growing and that the platform itself is pushing this movement. As Daniel Brophy put it in his recent blog post, Facebook is “promoting the Groups features heavily, and prioritizing Group posts in the News Feed … and is even running large-scale ad campaigns to promote Groups.” If you haven’t seen it, check it out here:
You already know you need a Facebook Page, but what about starting your own unique Facebook Group? Let’s explore how this could be an effective 2020 digital marketing strategy for plastic surgeons and the cosmetic surgery industry as a whole.
Getting plastic surgery is not a small decision that someone makes on a whim. Your patient will do their research thoroughly, no doubt, and will look to their peers for input on their experience and suggestions for nearby doctors.
Facebook Groups are a unique way to stay top-of-mind with potential plastic surgery patients. The Facebook Group should not be thought of as a way to promote yourself or your practice, but should be focused on specific patient concerns.
Let’s think about reconstructive surgery patients as a real-life example. Your Group can be private, requiring Facebook users to answer certain questions to be admitted into the Group. You set Group rules that users need to abide by, but its purpose is to be an open and supportive forum for any men and women who are exploring the world of reconstructive surgery.
As previously mentioned, it’s not meant to be a marketing tool to promote the practice. Once people are further down the conversion funnel and are looking for a reconstructive surgeon, who do you think they will call first? I would put my money on them calling the practice that’s regularly referenced and active within the Group among any other competitors out there.
Ophthalmology Marketing Strategies for 2020
Ophthalmologists, just like the other verticals already covered, should be present and active on social media. Once again, you should have your Facebook Page set up, your Instagram profile optimized, and a Snapchat profile might even put you over the top.
Live stories are a major feature of social media. Rather than just creating and publishing a post, a live story will give users a real-time behind-the-scenes look into your ophthalmology practice. Instagram stories can be extremely powerful yet also fun and light-hearted. When I think about different stories that an ophthalmologist could post, my mind goes in a million different directions.
When considering 2020 marketing solutions for your ophthalmology practice, consider doing a live Q&A. Simply post that you’re doing this on a story, and then questions will start flooding in. Repost these questions with your expert advice, and it will show users you’re engaged by providing valuable information that many others are probably wondering about.
Another and potentially even more powerful example would be having a real-life patient on your story giving a testimonial after their LASIK procedure. Allowing social media users to see and experience the kind of impact that a LASIK procedure has on a person could be the final tipping point for having them pick up the phone and call you.
These types of marketing strategies can’t be bought through ads, but are felt through human connection and understanding. The whole point of social media is to create a connection with other people online. Your ophthalmology practice should be working on that consistently, and not just promoting your services as something someone can purchase.
Law Firm Marketing Strategies for 2020
Digital marketing strategies are not quite the same for attorneys as the other verticals that I’ve previously covered. However, that doesn’t mean they can or should be ignored. We’ve talked about Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat thus far, so now let us talk about LinkedIn.
Being active on LinkedIn as an attorney is a great way to promote your expertise in the topic at hand, and can also be a valuable way to form connections with other lawyers and law firms. These connections down the road could lead to referral sources that you may have never discovered otherwise. If you’re a personal injury attorney, just think about the potential cases you could have referred to you from non-PI firms. This is just one example of the many opportunities to build your inbound leads and potential big cases.
According to LinkedIn There are over 660 million members on the platform in over 200 countries and regions worldwide. These aren’t just your average social media users, but we can assume they are business professionals looking for quality content and highly authoritative experts in their own right. LinkedIn is a great way to share your quality content, such as blog posts or upcoming lectures that you may have. If you are active on LinkedIn after some time, it can be a valuable resource to form referral relationships with other practices or professionals in the field.
Digital Marketing & Social Media Concepts to Think About for 2020
Everything discussed in this blog is something you are fully capable of managing in your own hands. Whether you’re a plastic surgeon, a cosmetic dentist, an ophthalmologist, or an attorney, now is the time to plan your unique strategy for the year ahead. Some digital marketing campaigns may run for a month, others may run forever. In the end, it’s up to you to get the wheels turning and put the pedal to the medal.
If you’re looking for additional insight into different digital marketing strategies to consider for 2020, give MyAdvice a call at 435.575.7470.
