Creating social media accounts for your independent community pharmacy may seem like a no-brainer.
You know you need to have them and you’re probably already posting on Facebook and Twitter. But, just because you have a presence on social media doesn’t mean your social media tactics are effective.
You devote time, money and efforts to your pharmacy’s social media accounts. You want to make sure they’re working for your business.
Successful social media can bring new patients to your pharmacy, build awareness about your business and showcase your pharmacy’ health care expertise. But, even though social media may seem simple, the wrong tactics could harm your pharmacy’s reputation and your business.
Here are five signs your pharmacy’s social media isn’t effective.
1. Inconsistent posting
Belonging to social media is one thing, but regularly posting updates is another.
Do you really want your current and potential patients to see a stale Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in months? Or, a Twitter page with no tweets?
Regularly posting interesting content will encourage more users to follow your page, share your posts and visit your pharmacy.
Keeping your social media pages updated doesn’t have to take up all your time. (Here are 15 easy ideas to keep your pharmacy’s social media fresh.)
2. Irrelevant content
Just like failing to post content regularly can pose an issue for your social media presence, posting irrelevant or boring content is another common bad habit.
Strive to post compelling content that piques readers’ interest. Creating posts with too much technical jargon or sharing content that doesn’t relate to your patients will leave them uninterested in your social media pages, and possibly your pharmacy.
3. Auto-posting content
Auto-posting your content across all platforms is a definite no-no.
When you auto-post, you post the same content on all of your social media channels, and although it may make your life simpler, not all platforms will be able to convey your message the same way.
For example, you may post a lengthy, informative update on Facebook. But that same update won’t fit in the 140-character limit on Twitter.
Posting the same content, with the same messages, across all of your social media platforms is also boring for readers who look at all of your platforms. Change it up by posting the content at different times of day, altering your description of the post or simply posting different types of content.
4. Not building relationships
The main focus of your social media should be to increase your patient base, while strengthening relationships with existing patients.
Regardless of the amount of followers you have or the number of ‘likes’ your content garners, if you’re not engaging with patients, you’re social media isn’t effective.
Respond to users who comment on your page and create content that encourages users to ‘like,’ share, or respond to your posts.
5. Not checking your sales
Don’t get caught up in your number of followers on Facebook and Twitter. Look at the metrics that matter.
A clear way to determine the effectiveness of your social media is to check your pharmacy’s sales.
For example, have you noticed more patients purchasing vitamins in your pharmacy than before due to the promotion you ran on Twitter? Or, has there been an uptick in flu shot requests since you marketed your vaccination services on Facebook?
Looking at your sales numbers will help you determine how social media is actually affecting your business’s bottom line—and how you can improve those numbers even more.
Did you make a social media blunder? Follow these tips to avoid them.
