As seniors spend an increasing amount of time online, and specifically on Facebook, incorporating Facebook into your practice communications strategy is a great way to increase your presence in the local community. Moreover, by consistently communicating with your patients and inviting them to engage with your practice, you will remain their trusted hearing health provider of choice.
Before you launch your page, remember that there are a few key behaviors that make seniors different from younger generations in their purchase habits. Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation prefer to shop in-store and speak to a live person. They are more influenced by traditional marketing (newspaper, TV ads). So, if you are seeking to use Facebook to grow your practice, remember that your goal online is to engage, rather than to advertise.
If you’re just getting started on Facebook, here are some ways to start building your followers:
- Invite people to “like” your page using the button on your practice profile
- Let people know they can stay on top of upcoming events by “liking” your page on Facebook
- Include links to your Facebook page in any digital communications (in your email signature, e-newsletters, blog posts, etc.
- Create a Facebook vanity url that’s easy to remember (i.e. facebook.com/practice-name) and include your Facebook URL on collateral, business cards, etc.
- Post regularly. Two to three times a week is ideal, and update your banner image on a regular basis with group shots.
The content of your posts will ultimately determine how often and how deeply your patients engage with you on Facebook. Ideally your content will be original and unique to your practice because ultimately your patients are going to follow you on Facebook to interact with you. So, while it’s easy to fall back on sharing content from manufacturers, your audience will find content that you produced to be more compelling.
Wondering what kind of content you could create? Short videos on hearing loss or hearing aid tips are a great place to start. But, you don’t have to limit yourself to hearing-related or practice-related information. Your page can become a valuable community resource by sharing local news. Does a local gym offer a discount for seniors? Is there an upcoming health fair or do some businesses offer special senior days? By offering useful information, your audience will be more likely to share them (and your page) amongst their networks, and continue to want to engage with your page.
We hope you find this article to be a helpful basic roadmap for launching your practice Facebook page. For more content ideas, see our article on Facebook Marketing Tips.
Earlens is a privately held medical technology company committed to transforming the hearing experience for millions of people who suffer from hearing loss.
The company has developed the Earlens® Contact Hearing Solution, which directly activates the hearing system, delivering the broadest bandwidth available today and superior sound quality. This revolutionary, nonsurgical hearing solution uses a small lens to vibrate the eardrum, replicating the natural hearing process. The Earlens® Contact Hearing Solution received FDA clearance in 2019 for a second generation of the Earlens technology.
