Dear Readers:
During this holiday season, the editors at Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM) are taking some time off. However, we are not leaving you without anything to read on our blog this week. Instead, we are publishing a special holiday edition filled with what we call our Readers’ Choices.
Our Readers’ Choices featured this week are the posts published on each of our individual blogs that drew the largest number of viewers during the year. Whether or not you have read these Readers’ Choice posts before, we think you will enjoy them.
Best wishes for a Happy & Healthy New Year!
by Nick Fitzgerald
One of the best ways for you to communicate with your audience is through social media. These platforms allow you to share content with and interact with your current and potential hearing aid customers.
You may assume that social media is just for online selling firms, but nothing could be further from the truth! To get recommendations on everything from health and fitness to the best doctors in town, customers frequently use social media.
But when it comes to your social media presence, where do you begin? Here are some suggestions about what to share on your social media accounts, whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Tips and Tricks
Think of pressure points for your patients and find ways to help. Provide tips on preparing for your first visit, common problems with hearing aids, etc. This will demonstrate that you are a thought leader when it comes to hearing health.
News about your company
When your patients scroll down their Facebook feeds, they see endless stock videos, ads, and other posts they fly past. How do you grab their attention?
Sharing pictures and articles of real people is one of the best ways to grab their interest and get them to engage with your hearing practice. You might be surprised to see how much engagement a simple happy birthday to a staff member post receives.
Local events you have attended
You and your staff members may have participated in quite a few community activities as part of a team. Maybe it was 10k for charity, or maybe you were donating to a recent blood donation. Share the events that bring your team closer together and bring the team closer to your community.
This kind of enjoyable and informative content is great for showing your hearing practice has roots in the community you’re based in. You want your current and prospective customers to see what your practice is about.
Share patient stories (with their consent)
A new way to exchange patient testimonials is provided through social media. You can demonstrate a patient’s visit from their viewpoint, as long as you have written permission from the patient beforehand. This could be especially helpful to those who are unsure about what to expect from a hearing test or what a hearing aid fitting session looks like.
Offer the inside scoop to your followers
People like to feel like they’re getting something on the inside scoop or getting a look behind the scenes at a location they frequently go to.
Put on a hardhat and take a photo for your social media followers if your hearing practice is going through renovations. Why not write a short post about the renovations and inform them of the development? They’re going to have all the information on what’s happening the next time they’re talking with a friend who also goes to your hearing practice.
Share original content
A recent study found that Ninety percent of healthcare professionals are social media users, but only 1 percent are creators of content. This means that there is a real chance for your hearing practice to stand out by producing your own content.
A blog is a fine place to start. Publish blog posts on your website and then share links to those blog posts on your social media accounts. Blog posts answer commonly asked questions from patients, explain your services, or debate hearing loss issues.
Ask questions
Once again, it’s all about communicating with your audience. By creating content that encourages people to click, comment, or share, you don’t just want to post information for your future patients; you want to evoke a response.
Asking a question is one perfect way to promote interaction with your audience. People enjoy a chance to give an opinion on important topics. Ask questions about your patient’s opinion on hearing hot loss topics, and inspire them to engage with an intriguing question.
Nick Fitzgerald is the President and Owner of AuDSEO. He also serves as the Chief Marketing Officer at Hearing Health & Technology Matters. With 13 years of digital marketing experience, Nick is a highly data-driven marketer, with expertise in search engine optimization, digital analytics and forensics, social media, digital advertising, and web development. He has been involved in the construction and optimization of nearly 1,000 web presences, including some of the largest Fortune 500 companies.
