Promoting your brand and growing your pharmacy’s social media following can be overwhelming - you might not even know where to start. There are numerous social media platforms to choose from, and if you’re not tech-savvy, it can be hard to decide the best place to focus your business’s efforts.
You don’t just have to use a single platform, though. You can utilize a few and make them work to your advantage. Below, you’ll find a list of the most popular social networking channels and how you can use them to aid your social media strategy.
Facebook has over 2.5 billion active users, making it the most widely used social media channel in the world, with a user base that’s made up of 69% adults that log onto their accounts at least once per day.
With Facebook, it’s easy to seek out companies and services because the platform employs a search option that’s a lot like Google or Bing. It also owns Instagram, so ads are easy to run on both platforms simultaneously.
Facebook even has its own business pages, which puts an extra emphasis on events and promotions and makes highlighting your services easy.
In order to get the most that you can out of Facebook, your pharmacy should use its content-sharing abilities to the best of your advantage and launch your targeted ad campaigns there. You can also set up direct messaging through your business page to make it easier for customers to get in touch with you.
Instagram is a platform that’s based around image sharing, and it’s a great place to build your relationships with your customers. Instagram has over 1 billion active monthly users, and 37% of those users are adults - exactly the people you want to reach.
31% of adults ages 50-65+ have reported that they use Instagram’s messaging platform, which makes connections with businesses easy and personable.
Cross-connection between Facebook and Instagram is made easy because of their relation to each other. Facebook is the place for words, and Instagram is the place for pictures. By making a point to upload inspirational, personal visual content, you’ll create a sense of community while assuring your customers that there’s an actual person running the account - and the pharmacy.
You can also use targeted hashtags to get more involved and build your brand personality.
If Facebook is for words, Instagram is for pictures, then Twitter is for quick and easy-to-digest updates. This platform holds about 340 million monthly users, and 42% of those users check their accounts each day.
Twitter has a good-sized demographic, with age groups that range from 18 years old to around 64. It isn’t as popular with seniors as Facebook has grown to be, but it still has a strong hold on Generation X and Millennials.
Because of the 280-character limit that Twitter employs, it’s optimal for real-time communication and updates about your pharmacy on a daily basis. You can communicate directly with your customers - individually and on a wider basis - and also keep in touch with industry experts.
Other Social Media Channels
Of course, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter aren’t the only channels available. Some others include:
● YouTube
○ With over 2 billion users a month, YouTube is a great place to create if you’ve got ideas for video content.
○ A professional platform that’s focused on networking rather than social updates; a place where you can create worthwhile business connections.
○ A visual platform that is great for sharing graphics and images.
Visuals are important on any social media channel - that’s something you absolutely cannot forget.
Focusing Your Efforts
Here are a few tips as you start (or continue) your efforts regarding social media strategies for your pharmacy:
● Slow and Steady
○ When you’re just starting out, don’t dive in headfirst and try to be active on every channel, all the time, all at once. Concentrate on a single platform (maybe two) where most of your customers are already active.
● Consistency > Frequency
○ In order to create a reliable presence, you can focus on posting around the same time, on the same days each week. That way, people will know when to look for you and they’ll look forward to your content rather than becoming overwhelmed with it.
● Quality < Quantity
○ Think about what your customers are interested in and make that a priority for your social channels. For example, things like community events, promotions, industry news, behind-the-scenes footage, or customer stories. Add images to these stories and you’re sure to create content that your audience actually cares about.
● Engagement is Everything
○ Customers enjoy interaction with businesses that they follow online. Keep this up and it’ll do wonders for community building.
Your presence on social media plays a big part in your online presence. Focus on quality, consistent content posted on the channels that work best for your business, and you’ll attract a loyal customer base and strengthen your brand.
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