Facebook certainly isn’t dead. In fact, it’s the world’s third most visited website. And even though almost 2.7 billion people actively use Facebook, the answer to “should I use Facebook” is still: it depends.
The basis of any marketing strategy is that it reaches potential patients. So if your potential patients aren’t on Facebook, then you shouldn’t use it.
In the United States, the average Facebook user is 40.5 years old, with the vast majority being 35 or older. The fastest-growing age group is users 65 or older.
If your practice’s target patient is young adults, you should focus your marketing efforts elsewhere. However, if your ideal patients are middle-aged or seniors, then Facebook might be an untapped goldmine for your practice.
If your target patient demographic is on Facebook, it’s not as simple as just making an account. You need to make sure your practice is using Facebook properly in order to actually reach your patients.
Where You Post
There are 4 main ways to use Facebook:
Business pages have been the main way businesses have existed on Facebook. However, the effectiveness of business page posts is down, while user’s fatigue of branded posts is up. In fact, Facebook has been lowering un-paid reach for brands since 2018.
Just because you make a post on Facebook doesn’t mean your followers will see that post. On average, less than 35% of your followers will see any given post. Facebook says this is to amplify posts from individual users, but it also pushes businesses to buy ads.
Ads are posts you pay for to be shown to Facebook users. There are 2 main types of Facebook ads: You can either boost a post from your page so that it reaches more people, or you can make an ad from scratch.
Either way, it’s another tool you can use to not only make your posts reach more people, but ads give you a greater ability to target the right people through location, age, interests, and more.
Groups are growing, and it’s no surprise. Facebook groups give users an easy way to connect with people who have similar interests. And as of 2018, business pages can join Facebook groups.
Joining a group can allow you to target a specific group of people in a space where people are less wary of advertising. However, be aware that many groups have strict rules about advertising and self-promotion.
Another option is joining groups through an OD’s or optician’s personal Facebook account, just be aware that you’re still following your college’s marketing guidelines, even on a personal profile.
Facebook stories have 300 million active daily users, and people are 4 times more likely to watch a live video than a pre-recorded one.
The other advantage to stories and live posts is that they automatically appear at the top of users’ news feeds. It’s also a great way to engage with your Facebook followers and build a personal relationship.
No matter where you’re posting on Facebook, make sure you:
Like any marketing tool, Facebook has to be used correctly to see the results you’re looking for. But as long as you use Facebook properly and recognize its limitations, then it can definitely be a valuable part of your practice’s marketing.
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