Hashtags can be a great way to tag your content for the most appropriate audience, but only if you choose the appropriate ones. Let's take a look at the best hashtags for physical therapists and when to use them.
There is no escaping the hashtag on social media these days, especially when using Twitter – although they are also becoming more popular on other social networks as well including Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram and even YouTube. Twitter has turned the humble hash or pound symbol into a sensation! Hashtags are essentially a keyword or a phrase which is preceded by a hash symbol (#). This helps to make the post accessible to people with a shared interest. Hashtags are clickable links so if a patient sees a physical therapy hashtag they can click it to see other posts which use the same hashtag. When used correctly hashtags can help you to extend the reach of your social media posts.
The key to using hashtags effectively is choosing ones that are going to make sure that people who share an interest in your content are going to see your posts, even if they do not follow your Twitter feed just yet! So which ones are the best hashtags for physical therapists?
The most obvious choice of hashtag for you to use is of course going to be #PhysicalTherapy. It is a pretty self explanatory one – others who have an interest in physical therapy are probably going to follow this tag and as a result they will see that new article you have shared with the #PhysicalTherapy hashtag. However, you may find that those following this particular tag are actually your fellow physical therapists rather than your clients, so while it can be useful when sharing industry news, it might not be your best choice for reaching out to patients.
Some of the best hashtags to use are those which are almost like a call to action at the end of your status! We have noticed recently that a large number of physical therapists are using the #GetMovingKeepMoving hashtag in their social media posts. The tag is designed to promote a more active lifestyle and so it has some definite links with physiotherapy. It could easily be used to promote a free consultation offer or similar and will appeal to a large number of people. It's a popular hashtag right now because it is like a catchphrase or campaign slogan!
One of the things we noted about using the #physicaltherapy tag was that perhaps your average client wouldn't specifically search for physical therapy. Instead they might search for the solution to a problem such has how to rehab a sports injury or how to prevent injury. That is where hashtags like #SportsInjury and #SportsSafety come into play. You can also take this approach to different reasons why your patients seek out physical therapy, for example #BackPainRelief.
Hashtags are just one of many ways that you can boost your physical therapy clinic's social media performance. If you would like to find out how PatientSites.com can help you with social media marketing and more, then contact us today for a free demonstration.