Nearly two-thirds of Americans use Facebook as their primary social media platform with three-fourths of those users accessing it daily, according to a recent Pew Research Center report (2018). The top platforms, in order of most activity, include Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. The younger demographics regularly accessed multiple platforms on social media. Users aged 18 to 24-years-old access four platforms and those aged 30 to 49-years-old users access three platforms on average. Users aged 50 to 64-year-old access two platforms and 65+-year-old users regularly access one platform on average. Creating a solid social media marketing plan across a few platforms will help audiologists access patients of all demographics and hearing health care needs. 

A social media marketing plan will help gain attention to personal or business social media sites that could be within a hospital system, audiology department, private practice, humanitarian outreach programs, non-profit organizations, and other various projects. Consumers are more likely to trust medical advice and research posted by their physician or medical providers (Warden, 2017). The quality of the posts eclipses the number of posts. The more valuable, accurate, and reliable the social media posts, the more likely patients will like, share, and follow the social media webpage.

Start by planning and engaging consumers with these few steps for a social media marketing plan.

  1. Develop SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Limited) goals that are in line with the clinic goals and/or business plan.
  2. Research target audience which includes media platforms frequently used, peak viewing hours, and content frequently searched.
  3. Build and create engaging or interactive social media content. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram offer scheduled posts through business accounts. Develop promotions, weekly themes,  informative news postings, and video postings. Posting videos on YouTube drastically increase your media presence. Be sure to take time out of your workweek to plan and schedule posts for each month.
  4. Actively engage with your audience. Don’t ignore any comments, even if they are negative. This is just as important as actively engaging patients in person.
  5. Track online activity through tracking applications or third-party companies. Learn activities trends and always improve your social media presence.

References

Smith A, Anderson M. (March 2018) Social Media Use in 2018. Pew Research Center. 

York A. (2018) 7 Steps in Creating a Winning Social Media Marketing Strategy in 2018. SproutSocial.

Warden C. (January 2017) 30 Facts & Statistics On Social Media And Healthcare. referralmd.