Some people, especially those in medicine, are often sceptical of social media and Facebook. They don’t really think that this is important for their business. However, every physiotherapist should have a Facebook page for their clinic. Let's discuss some of the reasons why Facebook is important for every physical therapy business whether they believe it or not!
Around 40% of all consumers have said that social media has some impact on how they deal with health concerns. This means that in order to meet your patients' demands and expectations you have to be creating and sharing relevant information on social media. Patients want to be able to find the information they need on social media, so why not set yourself up as the credible expert for all things physical therapy!
When a patient (or a potential patient) hits that like button they are indicating that they want to begin a relationship with your clinic. If you take the time to interact with that person then you are going to build up a relationship and trust. That means that they will be more likely to create referrals for you among their friends.
Having a Facebook page can help you to drive more traffic to your clinic. If one of your patients shares a post from your page or mentions you in a status update then your name and a link to your page is going to be shared with all of their friends. Similarly, if your patients are 'checking in' to your clinic when stopping by for their appointment you are going to appear in their feed and be visible to their friends. There is no better endorsement for your services than a potential patient knowing that their friend is a patient!
If you decide to use promoted posts and Facebook advertising to attract more people to your clinic's Facebook page then you are going to be able to target your ads to a very specific audience. As a local business you will only be interested in people from your local area. You can also filter for particular age groups if you prefer which is great if you are running any age specific discounts or specials (like a senior's consultation) that you want to promote. The Graph Search feature on Facebook is an excellent way to target your audience.
Social media is a huge part of our lives these days. When it comes to verifying how trustworthy a service provider like a physical therapist is, people turn to social media to see what people are saying about them. As many as 41% of people say that social media affects their choice of healthcare services, so not having a regularly updates Facebook page for your clinic is like not having a website – something that is unthinkable in this day and age! Your consumers need to be able to see your interactions with patients and check out your reviews before making the decision to book an appointment.
Facebook pages can be a very useful tool for increasing that all important engagement. To find out how PatientSites.com can help you to manage your Facebook presence, book your free 15 minute demonstration today.
