The time has come for independent community pharmacists—and their businesses—to join the conversation on social media. Social media provides a viable opportunity for marketing, education and discussion with patients and the public. Sure, there are hazards to hurdle when maintaining a professional social media account, but with a little education and caution, any pharmacy can use social media to its advantage. Here are some common social media blunders plus ways to fix them.
1. Blunder: Mixing personal and professional
The primary way to prevent social media mistakes is to separate personal and professional profiles. Your private account and your pharmacy’s account should have no affiliation. This helps to maintain professionalism by minimizing the potential for controversial or unprofessional posts connected to your pharmacy.
If you are concerned about accidental intermingling of these accounts, try designating a specific computer in your pharmacy as the sole hub for using your pharmacy’s social media pages. By diminishing access to the account, you are diminishing the potential for slip-ups.
2. Blunder: Not responding to online complaints
Few things are more frustrating than unresponsive customer service. And while many independent community pharmacies pride themselves on exceptional customer service, what they often don’t realize is how that should translate to their online presence.
Today, many customers (including your patients!) take to the Internet to express their frustration (or satisfaction) following business transactions. Monitoring these interactions on social media can give you insight into patients’ perceptions and bring attention to previously unidentified issues. Reply in a timely and genuine manner to show the individual that you value the input. Responding quickly and appropriately will also demonstrate your focus on customer service to the masses.
3. Blunder: Only focusing on number of followers
Another common issue that plagues pharmacy social media accounts is feeling insignificant. Without a sizeable following, it can feel like your messages are just a raindrop in a deluge, deceiving you into viewing the whole task as unworthy of your time and effort. But the power of social media doesn’t rest in the number of connections you have (although that never hurts), but the quality. Even a small following can reap benefits, as long as they are loyal customers or the target audience for your pharmacy. Learn more about growing your Facebook and Twitter pages.
4. Blunder: Randomly (or never) posting updates
Without consistent and engaging posts, followers may lose interest in your pharmacy’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Keep your content varied by mixing educational and pharmacy-related messages with customer service responses and purely entertaining comments on current or community events. Your social media sites also need proper promotion to be successful. Include information about your social media pages on all advertisements or marketing you do for your pharmacy. Also, place signage in your store with a call-to-action that explains the benefits of connecting with your pharmacy on social media to stir customers’ interest.
5. Blunder: Violating HIPAA regulations
The final, and perhaps most discouraging, pitfall of social media for pharmacists is the potential for violation of the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA). You have two simple steps to stay compliant: Put a social media policy in place and set simple guidelines for posting content. Add a section on social media to your employee handbook so that your entire staff is informed of the risks and so they know what is appropriate. Remember that even when patient names aren’t used, it’s sometimes still possible to figure out the patient’s identity, so avoid patient-related posts entirely on both personal and professional social media accounts.
Related articles:
How to Create a Facebook Page for Your Pharmacy
How to Grow Your Pharmacy’s Facebook Page
How to Set Up Twitter for Your Pharmacy
