Having a Facebook page is a must for any business, particularly those that have a direct personal relationship with their clients/patients, as all of our MyAdvice clients do. And you’re not alone — earlier this year Facebook announced it now has over 50 million small business pages!
If you’re the person who manages the Facebook page for your practice, it’s easy to get in a rut when coming up with things to post. But you need to be creative; customers and potential customers have only so much interest about “so and so getting a new credential” or a “doc going to a seminar and presenting on a new procedure.” But they also don’t want inane trivia that corresponds more to the age of the poster than your customers.
So, what makes a good Facebook post?
What Facebook does for your business
Facebook serves a variety of purposes for your practice. It makes you discoverable when people search on Facebook. That is getting harder and harder on Google organic search. Facebook keeps you connected with your customers, who can like your page, read your posts, and share them with friends. It can have time value to customers, engaging with them at time-specific parts of the year, such as heading into swimsuit season. Your Facebook page also gives you more insight into your customers, how they view your practice, and your marketing/image activities.
What makes a good Facebook posting strategy?
Your posts need to be a mix of relevant links and engaging content. When on Facebook, users love trivia, humor, polls, photos, even tips (i.e. UVA vs UVB rays and sunscreen). They love to engage by answering questions or participating in a survey.
You need to be careful with self-promotion. Too much “look how great we are” gets tedious to even your most faithful customer/patient.
Alternate the lengths and types of posts. One day may be a trivia test, the next maybe a new laser that the practice purchased and what it does for patients, the next a funny video link related to an upcoming holiday, the next a recipe from another customer.
Every post should be judged with the old AIDA acronym: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
Six types of posts that generate customer engagement
You could probably guess these, based on your own behavior, but certain types of posts are very popular on Facebook. Obviously, to keep your Facebook visitors interested…and coming back, you should make these types of posts. Here’s a list:
- Photos — This is probably why most people really use Facebook, to see other people’s photos. It’s no different for businesses.
- Questions — Start or end posts with questions to ask for engagement.
- Fill in the Blanks — “My favorite thing to beat the winter blues is to ____________.”
- Photo Captions — Post the photo and ask customers to provide the caption.
- Tips — For our businesses, these could be personal health advice.
- Quotes — Good quotes are fun for people because they make them think, or smile, or reflect. All of those behaviors are engagement. Plus, people share them with friends.
Interaction/engagement musts
Why have a Facebook page if you’re not going to use it to actively engage with your clients/customers? There’s no quicker turnoff for a user than to post a question or complaint only to be met with digital silence.
- If someone comments, acknowledge it — “Like” his or her comment. If it merits a response, comment on the comment to show the users you’re reading and paying attention to their actions on the page.
- If a customer posts a complaint, respond — Facebook is a good place for customers to say what they mean, without having to do it face-to-face in your office. “They didn’t tell me I would swell this much.” “I haven’t seen much from my Sculptra session in the two days since I had it.” This is where you can address either misinformation, lack of information, or genuine mistakes on the part of your practice. Customers now expect that their issues posted on Facebook will be addressed by the business.
There is an art to posting on Facebook to keep your visitors engaged and coming back. But if you do it well, you’ll build a loyal following and a venue to further engage with your most engaged customers.
If you have other questions about social media, don’t hesitate to ask your MyAdvice representative his or her thoughts.
