You know you need to promote your independent community pharmacy on social media.
After all, 81 percent of the U.S. population has a social media profile, according to data from Statista.
And, Facebook is the most popular social networking site in the U.S. Forty-four percent of all social media site visits in the country are to Facebook, with 53 percent of users accessing the platform several times a day.
But your independent pharmacy probably doesn’t have the time or money to spend on Facebook advertising. This can make it difficult to reach people with your posts.
So, what can you do?
Here are some ideas to promote your pharmacy business on Facebook, increase your Facebook reach and engage a larger audience without paying for advertising.
RELATED: Here Are 11 Fun Ideas for Your Pharmacy Facebook Page
1. Engage with an old post
When you re-engage with an old post, Facebook will often re-enter the post into people’s News Feeds.
Go back through your pharmacy page’s previous posts and see if there are any comments you can reply to. Or, write a new comment on an old post to spark engagement and give the post life again.
2. Cross-promote with other pages
If you cross-promote with other Facebook Business pages—and the promotion makes logical sense—Facebook will increase the post’s reach.
So, if another page, like the local hardware store, mentions your pharmacy, your page could show up in the News Feeds of new potential customers.
Consider other businesses in your community where Facebook cross-promotions would make sense.
For example, a local physician’s office could mention your pharmacy as a place to receive flu shots. Or, a local gym could mention your pharmacy as a place to shop for vitamins and supplements. Talk with the other businesses in your community about promoting one another on social media.
3. Start a conversation
Posts where people are engaging with the content and one another are increasingly showing up in people’s Facebook News Feeds.
Start a conversation on your post by asking your audience a question. For example, ask patients what their favorite sunscreen is to use in the summer. Or, ask them what they like most about your pharmacy.
Not only will your post’s reach increase, you’ll also learn some beneficial information about your customers.
4. Post original photos
Facebook has reduced the distribution of stock photos, memes and other similar images. So, posts containing those images won’t reach as many people.
Focus on using original images to accompany your posts, such as of your staff members or your store. Facebook will perceive these posts as quality content and will serve them to more people.
5. Use Facebook LIVE
Facebook LIVE allows anyone on Facebook to live stream videos to their followers. And, the organic reach of a Facebook LIVE video is significantly higher than a traditional Facebook post.
Facebook also notifies fans when your pharmacy goes live, which can increase the number of viewers.
Use the Facebook LIVE feature to stream videos of events or celebrations at your pharmacy. You can also use the feature to give patients a live tour of your pharmacy or to introduce them to your staff members.
6. Post at optimum times
When deciding what time to post content on Facebook, consider your audience.
Do many of your patients work during the day? If so, try posting content early in the morning or later in the evening when they will be home and more likely to check Facebook.
If you post content at hours when your fans aren’t on Facebook, or if you post at the same time as everyone else, your reach instantly declines.
7. Learn from Facebook Insights
Facebook Insights is a free analytics tool built into your pharmacy’s Facebook Business page. It provides valuable information about how your posts perform.
Check your Facebook Insights on a weekly basis and rank your posts by number of likes, comments and shares. Look for patterns in your most popular posts.
For example, do your most-liked posts all contain photos? Or, are your posts with the most comments about immunizations?
Use the data from Facebook Insights to create new content that will prompt engagement and reach more people as a result.
Now your pharmacy can improve its Facebook reach while also saving money.
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