In today’s world, owning a business pretty much demands you also have a social media presence. Chances are you already have a Facebook page and a Yelp listing for your practice, you may have a personal Twitter account, and now maybe you’re thinking about adding Instagram to the mix.
But are you really using your social media presence to the best of your ability? For instance, when was the last time you posted to your Facebook page? Is someone constantly monitoring — and responding when warranted — to Yelp reviewers? And is Instagram really something you need to be on?
Social media can be trickier than many people realize, and some mistakes can be costly to your eye care practice. We recently sat down with Dr. Alan Glazier, owner of Shady Grove Eye & Vision Care in Rockville, Md. and founder of ODs on Facebook to find out the biggest five mistakes he sees ECPs making on social media and how to correct them.
#1 Get Them Engaged…
When it comes to Facebook, everyone wants more "likes" or followers. However, Glazier said ECPs should put less effort into getting likes and more emphasis on engagement. "If (followers) share what you have on your page, that means they're really connecting with you and they appreciate the free information that you're giving them," he explained. "That's really the deepest metric other than likes."
Glazier said sometimes ECPs will make the mistake of posting content to Facebook that is not going to illicit a response or they'll post content just to "see what sticks" and then move on to the next thing. This, Glazier said, is a dead end for creating a conversation.
Instead, he suggested following what he called "Glazier's Rule": You can never share too much content as long as the content that you share has more value to those you’re sharing it with than with yourself. "Come up with unique, compelling content that’s either fun or gets some engagement," Glazier added. "It’s fun, it’s compelling, it’s something that people don’t know and when they read it they’re like huh, I didn’t know that." Subconsciously they appreciate things that are free that add value to their life and they will appreciate you for that, he added.
#2 … And Keep Them That Way
Once you have your followers engaged, you now have to keep them that way. Glazier sees ECPs sometimes make the mistake of setting up social media streams and then letting them sit unattended. That, he said, can end up hurting them in the long run.
"You have to have a sustained effort because it takes a while to build it up," he explained. "You’re not going to start to see real results from your social media marketing for six to nine months, and that’s when you really start to build and you’re going to be building for years. If you stop, you lose everything you gained in terms of followers and in terms of people who pay attention to you."
#3 Tweet Correctly
When it comes to Twitter, Glazier said it's a great way to boost the SEO of your website or blog. "When you share links from your website on there and people click on them, that’s kind of like a vote for your content so it gets upped in Google’s eyes," he explained.
One mistake Glazier sees those on Twitter make is sending out a tweet minus a link — without a link there's no value coming back to your website or blog. "Twitter is like medicine for your website or blog — each tweet is like a pill that makes it healthier if you include a link," Glazier explained. "(If your followers) like what you’re saying, they can go beyond that to where you are and that adds value. Getting people to your website adds value to (your) SEO, it adds value to your reputation, (and) it helps local people find you if it happens to be somewhat in a radius to where you are."
And Glazier said Twitter can be a great way for ECPs to establish themselves as thought leaders in whatever subject matter they want to. "A lot of people get all their news from Twitter," he explained. "If you want to be incorporated as an eye care thought leader either locally, regionally, nationally or internationally, you can do that on Twitter.”
#4 Pay Attention to Reviews
When it comes to Yelp, one big mistake Glazier sees ECPs make is not paying attention to reviews — even the negative ones. "People think by not looking at their Yelp page it’s going to go away, but actually the opposite thing is happening as it’s hurting their business," he said. "One-star reviews can be turned to five-star reviews by how you respond to them."
And Glazier said ECPs also need to take the time to respond and thank those who leave positive reviews. "If someone takes the time out of their busy day to say something on the internet about your practice, they’re doing you a huge favor," he said. "You have to love them back — they’ll appreciate that and then you might get more."
#5 Know Your Limits
With so many social media websites and apps out there today, it can be hard to figure out which ones you should be on and which you should not. For instance, even though Instagram is really hot right now, Glazier said unless you're creating a lot of images Instagram brings less to the table than other social media communities do.
And ECPs do not have to do it all on their own. According to Glazier, there are a number of companies that provide social media services that can help keep social media streams active and watched. Or if you choose to have staff members help out with social media, "you have to be confident that they’re going to portray your brand the way you want them to at all times," Glazier adds.
"You don’t have to participate in every social media feed — you just have to be somewhere," Glazier explained. "If you want to be in more than one place, start in one place, get really good at it, and then when you have your rhythm down move to the next one if you want to. But you can do really well in just one community — you can be really good at this."