Types of Social Media Posts
Social media posts represent an excellent opportunity for businesses, including healthcare practices, to inform, educate and engage with their audience. However, it is also a huge time drain for healthcare professionals who are already too busy providing care for their patients/clients.
That’s why we’ve created a free social media calendar to show you this pain-free tactic for keeping your audience educated, informed and engaged. It is designed specifically for health practice owners and managers. It is for doctors, vets, dentists, nurses/midwives, pharmacists, chiropractors, psychologists and other related health professionals.
Our clients have described it as an essential tool for running their social media accounts:
- Discover 365 days of social media post ideas. No more staring at that blank screen!
- Get more engagement for your posts, reach more people and get better results!
- Be less stressed about what to post and save time spent on social media, for other productive stuff!
This article – types of social media posts – is designed to be used in conjunction with our Social Media Calendar for Healthcare Practitioners.
If you have not already downloaded your free copy of the calendar, click here to get it now.
If you have any questions or need more help managing your social media pages, contact us here.
Your Objective of Social Media Post
Your post should be crafted with a specific objective in mind, i.e. what the posts should accomplish. This way, you’ll remain laser-focused on your strategic goals, i.e. what really matters to your clinic or hospital.
We have already set the objective for each post of the year such that you can achieve maximum impact from your posts.
Below are the primary objectives of social media posts for health clinics, hospitals and other health practices:
- Education: You guessed it. The purpose of the post should be to educate and/or inform your audience about something related to what you do or common disease conditions related to your field of practice.
- Promotion: With this objective, you’ll aim to promote your services or products. You can also choose to promote one of your patients or clients, if appropriate.
- Connection: Craft your post to build rapport with your audience. The objective is to learn more about your audience and let them learn more about your clinic/hospital.
- Authority: When your audience sees your practice as an authoritative source of reliable information, your engagement will skyrocket. This objective should help you build authority and better rapport with your audience.
- Engagement: Posts meant to engage your audience are essential in helping you build a community of supporters on social media. They attract comments, likes and shares on social media.
Selecting Your Social Media Post
- Check the calendar and note the objective of the post for the day.
- Check out the suggested type in the calendar. You may go with the suggested post type for the day, or you can refer to the table below and select another type.
- Post or schedule your content.
Based on research, we recommend posting twice a day. However, some studies have shown that more than one business post a day may be a little annoying to your audience. But, we think posting twice a day in the healthcare industry is a good balance.
Important Tips:
- Schedule your posts: Consider scheduling many posts at once. You can either use the scheduling tool on your social media account or use third-party tools, such as Hootsuite or other similar tools.
- Recycle your posts: Some posts will do better than others. When you are running out of ideas, consider re-posting your old posts.
Post Selection Matrix
[If you need more help managing your social media, check out this page.]
The table below provides a guide on the type of posts recommended to achieve the objective of each post. However, practices and contexts differ. So, feel free to use any post type for any of the objectives, if it makes sense.
Types of Social Media Posts
Promote a Blog Post
Use this type of posts to promote your blog posts. Highlight the benefits of the article and add a link.
Be aware that social media platforms tend to show this type of posts to fewer of your audience. So, be ready to promote it with an additional budget, the cost usually low.
Example:
We’ve just published some of the best tips for staying healthy when travelling.
Click the link below to discover these secrets: [Insert Link]
List Posts
Lists capture our attention and arouse interest. As a healthcare practice, you have a variety of lists to choose from (see examples).
A good tip here is to use an odd-numbered list. Studies show that people tend to click on lists with odd numbers more than those with even numbers.
Also, use Arabic numerals (e.g. 1, 2, 3), not spelt out numbers (e.g. one, two, three). They stand out better and get more attention.
Examples:
7 signs that [your blood pressure is not well controlled].
13 things you must know about [dental caries]
5 things you must do when [someone becomes unconscious]
Infographics
[If you need more help managing your social media, check out this page.]
Infographics often become viral quickly on social media, making them a very popular choice of social media post. As the name implies, they show factual information visually.
To be more successful with infographics, pique people’s interest by highlight some of the vital info on the infographic so they will click to see the full post.
Example:
As #Coronavirus become pandemic, you must familiarise yourself with its common symptoms. Some of these symptoms are more common in older patients than those below 20. This infographic gives more details.
[Insert infographic]
News / Trending Events
News articles generate a lot of interest from people. Come from an angle that connects the news to your services.
Don’t forget to use trending hashtags, too.
Example:
The WHO declares #Coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic – BBC
Stay at home, wash your hands and call 111 if you develop sore throat, fever or new persistent cough.
Videos
Videos are becoming more and more popular on social media. These could be educational, informational, promotional or light entertainment, if appropriate.
Keep videos on social media short (say 5 min or less). Also, don’t upload it on YouTube and share the link – platforms are jealous of other platforms. Upload your videos directly on the platform you want to share your content.
Example:
With the current Coronavirus, more and more ask us about how to protect themselves and their loved ones.
In this short video, Dr ABC highlights the most important things you must do.
[Insert video]
Free Resources
People love free resources that could help them solve their problems. You can even use this to get people’s contact details in exchange for your free resource.
Are there any templates, guides, reports, etc., you can develop and share for free.
Example:
Due to popular demand, we’ve created a guide on how to support children with disabilities at home.
Click the link below to download this free guide:
[Insert Link]
Quote
Quotes also have a strong ability to become viral on social media. Use quotes that are relevant to your audience.
A good tip is to write a quote on an image that evokes emotions relevant to the quote. That is very powerful.
Example:
“Patience is not passive; on the contrary, it is concentrated strength.” – Bruce Lee
Live Streams
Live streams are becoming more and more popular. It is even more powerful if you can announce the live stream before it happens so people can make deliberate attempts to see it. Make sure you prepare well before the stream to avoid surprises.
You can stream about your office set up, service demonstration, Q&A, etc.
Example:
Today, we are doing a live demonstration on patient enrolment procedure. Join us.
Service / Product Posts
Use this type of posts to promote your services or products. You can simply announce an improvement in your services or promote an offer to your audience. Limit this type of post to as few as possible, say 10% of your total posts or less.
Example:
To celebrate our 5th anniversary, we’re giving away 20 vouchers for a free dental check-up. Click the link below to claim your coupon. [Insert Link]
Our newly installed [XYZ] machine now enables us to offer you services such as [EFG]. We will no longer need to send you to [Insert] City any more.
Behind-the-Scenes
Use this type of social media post to build more rapport and credibility with your audience. You can post pictures you or your staff working to serve your patients or clients.
Example:
Every evening, we take great joy in reorganising our clinic after serving all our patients.
In this pic, Sarah, our indefatigable office assistant, re-arranges the furniture in the waiting room.
[Insert picture]
Testimonial
Very few things work better in selling a product or service than a revving review from an independent person who has used the product or service.
A short video (less than 2 min) posted on social media will do the trick. A written testimonial will also work, but a video is better.
Ask the person giving the testimonial to say their state before using your product/service, how you helped them, and how they felt after.
Note: Please use this responsibly. See disclaimer below.
Example:
Have you been suffering from a neck and back pain?
Check out what Caroline says after visiting us today.
[Insert video/quote]
Photos of Events
When you participate in events such as conferences, it is a great opportunity to keep your audience engaged. It not only updates your followers with what is happening in your practice but also shows how you are keeping up-to-date with developments in your field.
Example:
This week, Dr ABC from our clinic is attending a conference on XYZ to share ideas with colleagues and learn how to do EFG better for our patients/clients.
[Insert picture(s)]
Celebrate a Patient / Client
We often focus on ourselves too much. However, shifting the spotlight on your patients/clients could work wonders. For example, you may decide to post a happy birthday message for a patient/client.
The person you focus on, their relatives and friends are highly likely to engage with and share your post.
Tip: Don’t forget to tag the person you’re celebrating, so they are sure to receive a notification for your post.
Example:
Today is a special day. We are celebrating with John Doe on his birthday.
John, on behalf of all staff here at ABC Clinic, we wish you a very Happy Birthday!
Have a great and memorable day!
Personal Photos
Photos are by far some of the most popular posts on social media. When you share appropriate personal photos, you connect with your audience faster. Such photos show the human side of your practice and make your followers feel closer to you.
Example:
Last weekend, my family and I went for a visit to the countryside. It is incredible how little things like this can help you recharge your batteries and be more productive in your work.
[Insert picture(s)]
[If you need more help managing your social media, check out this page.]
Competitions
Competitions are a great way to build engagement. Basically, you ask your followers to do something and the winner gets a prize from you. Don’t forget to explain why you’re doing the competition.
The key here is offering a prize that is relevant to your practice and is of value to your audience. For example, a dental practice may offer a set of a premium electric toothbrush.
Example:
To celebrate the launching of our new lab, we are giving away 5 sets of premium brand toothbrushes (£50 value).
To qualify to receive these highly effective toothbrushes, like this post and share to 3 groups. Winners will be selected through a draw.
Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions could generate great social media post ideas. They are questions the listener cannot answer with a “yes” or “no”. For example, how are you?
Use this type of social media post to get engagement, discuss issues and obtain valuable insight into how you run your practice from the people that matter the most – i.e. your patients/clients.
Example:
You may have heard that the government is launching a new health insurance scheme next month, which will change how you access our services.
What is your view about this?
National Holiday
National holidays are important periods in every country. Rather than keeping quiet during these times, post a message to your audience.
Tip: You can schedule messages ahead of time so that you can have some downtime during the holiday, too.
Example:
Christmas is a special time, when friends and families come together in joyous celebrations.
From all of us here at XYZ Clinic, we wish you and your family the very best of times today and always.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Frequently-Asked Question (FAQs)
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This type of post serves many purposes. You can use them to answer questions frequently asked by your patients. You can then compile them later and post them as a blog post for your patients to read.
Examples:
7 questions most frequently asked questions about [diabetes]. Here is our answer… OR
The #1 most frequently asked question by our patients about [back pain]. Here is our answer… OR
Top 3 questions asked about [sensitive teeth]. Here is our answer…
Polls
If you have a couple of choices to make about your practice that are appropriate, polls could be a great way to go. They generate a lot of engagement and make your audience feel part of your community.
Example:
Can you do us a favour?
We are redecorating our waiting area. We’ve found these beautiful chairs, which come in sky blue and light green. The problem is that we aren’t sure which colour our patients would prefer. We would like your opinion on this. Which one would you prefer – the blue or the green one?
[Insert pictures]
Action Steps
- If you have not already done so, you can request your free copy of the Social Media Calendar for Healthcare Professionals. It provides 365 social media post ideas to save you time.
Click here to download the calendar. It’s free!
[If you need more help managing your social media, check out this page.]
Disclaimer:
You are entirely responsible for using any of our content.
Some methods posts proposed here may not be allowed for all types of medical practitioners in your state/country. You are entirely responsible for knowing what is and what is not permitted in the state/country where you practice.
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