Maintaining your pharmacy’s social media accounts can be overwhelming, and you may not keep up with them at all when you have prescriptions to fill, patients to counsel, and a business to run. Even if you want to post regularly, coming up with daily content ideas is a challenge.
But keeping your social media accounts active with engaging content is critical to maintaining connections with your patients and your community.
Here are 15 ideas to make sure you never run out of content to post. Refer to this list when you’re running low on ideas.
1. Conduct polls
Hosting a poll on your Facebook page or website will encourage patients to digitally engage with your pharmacy. You can pose health-related questions such as, “What is your favorite meal to eat when you have a cold?” List several options and encourage your patients to participate and comment with their own ideas.
2. Share stats and data
Quick statistics are enticing for patients who want meaningful, yet easily interpretable health tips. Sharing statistics is also a great way to spark interest in your clinical services. For example, share information such as, “On average, 200,000 people are hospitalized each year because of flu complications,” to encourage patients to get their flu shot at your pharmacy.
3. Link and “share”
Sharing and linking to the content of other professional health organizations is an easy way to keep your social media fresh with minimal effort. Consider sharing posts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Heart Association or the National Institutes of Health.
Share posts or re-tweet information relevant to the patients in your community, but don’t over share. The majority of your content should be original posts that boost your credibility and enhance your pharmacy’s value to your patients.
4. Post quotes about health and wellbeing
Sharing quotes about general health and wellbeing can add a personal, human touch to your pharmacy’s Facebook newsfeed or Twitter timeline. Patients will be eager to visit your page daily if they know they can begin their morning with an inspirational and health-related quote.
For example, “Investing in health will produce enormous benefits,” by Gro Harlem Brundtland, or “It is health that is real wealth and not just pieces of gold and silver,” by Mahatma Gandhi.
5. Summarize relevant and applicable studies
Many of your patients may be interested in studies relevant to public health, but they probably don’t have the time to sift through the information themselves. Post important take-aways from public health, diet, exercise, and medication-related studies for your patients to easily read and digest.
6. Give health tips
Quick health tips that your patients can skim and add to their daily routine can boost the intrigue of your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Keeping it brief and simple is key. Post healthy recipes, ways to sneak more exercise into the day, and ideas to reduce stress.
7. Recommend favorite products
Post a blurb about a new, popular, or personal favorite front-end product your pharmacy offers. Tell your patients why it’s a smart and healthy choice, what it’s used to treat or prevent, and don’t forget to let them know they can find it in your pharmacy. You can even offer specials on featured products. Just make sure every post doesn’t contain a deal or offer. Patients won’t want to “like,” “share” or “follow” your social media accounts if they seem like advertisements.
8. Hold a healthy-habit photo contest
Having a photo contest on Facebook can be a fun and easy way to engage patients with your pharmacy outside of prescription fills and clinical services.
Encourage patients to post photos of their healthy habits, such as their morning run in the park as the leaves are changing color, or a healthy meal of quinoa, Brussels sprouts and salmon they prepared for their family.
Offer an enticing prize for the winner, such as a wearable fitness tracker or dinner for two at a local farm-to-table restaurant.
9. Profile an employee
Sharing information about each of your staff members is a great way to personally relate with patients, even if it’s through a computer or smartphone. Patients will appreciate learning more about the staff members who help them with their medication and health needs. It’s something that national chain pharmacies won’t be able to provide.
10. Celebrate holidays and national days
Not only can you wish your patients a happy holiday throughout the year, but also recognize unique national days related to health, such as World Aids Day on Dec. 1, or National American Diabetes Association Alert Day on March 29.
This will keep the theme of your social media accounts health-focused, and it provides opportunities to mention the clinical services and niche departments that your pharmacy offers. Be sure to use official hashtags for national days to increase your pharmacy’s social media visibility.
11. Share product recall notices
Use your social media to notify patients about drug and product recalls. Make sure to clearly explain why a product is recalled, to avoid causing unnecessary fear or worry, and provide clear instructions of what patients should do if they have a recalled drug.
12. Post your pharmacy’s news
Let your patients know what’s going on in your pharmacy! Using social media is one of the best marketing tools to bring interest to a special event your pharmacy is hosting or a new product or service you’re offering. It’s a great way to post about updated hours and other important information, too.
13. Complete a photo series challenge
Participating in a photo series challenge will provide you with daily content ideas for your social media accounts, and also keep you accountable for posting daily.
Choose or create a challenge that will allow you to feature your services or area of expertise. For example, for “30 days of heart health,” post a picture each day of heart-healthy habits, such as photos about diet and exercise, photos that include reminders that you offer blood pressure testing and photos that promote your smoking cessation program.
14. Compile a weekly round-up
At the end of each week, post a collection of related health articles from that week. Try curating information on related topics, such as flu shots, diabetes care, or trending health events. Write a brief summary for each article you aggregate, and provide links to each.
15. Give answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Consider devoting one day a week to a question that patients commonly ask in your pharmacy.
It could be information about properly using a specific over-the-counter (OTC) medication, common concerns about immunizations, or the best products to treat the common cold. Either way, you know patients will be interested since you already get asked about the topic.
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