Is your practice on Facebook? If not, you should be! The majority of people over 50 years old who use social media, use Facebook. In fact, 15.5% of Boomers spend 11+ hours per week on Facebook, and in 2019, the most significant change in Facebook user demographics was among users born in 1945 or earlier (the “Silent” generation), who increased their usage of Facebook.
The biggest piece of advice we have to offer is to make your Facebook page a means to engage with your patients. Seniors who are on Facebook are there to connect with friends. This means it’s important to create a 2-way conversation and create personal relationships, rather than simply blasting out messages. Below are some ways your practice can do this:
- Focus on image and video content: It’s easy to film short videos with a smartphone, and the “real” (vs. polished) feel is actually a nice way to convey authenticity in your content. Content ideas might include hearing aid tips and tricks from your AuDs, but it’s also great to include behind-the-scenes views of your work (i.e. setting up for upcoming events), or even fun family photos from staff to help build that personal relationship with your audience.
- Leverage Facebook Events: Set up Facebook Events (they’re free to create!) and update them regularly as you hold open houses, join community health fairs, loyalty events, etc. Make the Events page a prominent part of your practice page (move the tab toward the top of the page) and post events to your timeline for additional visibility. Choose an eye-catching cover photo and add tags to help yourself be found. Don’t overcommunicate – events that send more than a few notifications experience considerable audience disengagement.
- Cross-promote: Recognize other local businesses and amplify your reach at the same time by tagging local partners in posts. They get free publicity and you get additional visibility. For instance, if you’re co-hosting an event (i.e. with a local band), add “Hosts” to your Facebook Event page so partners can add the event to their own Facebook Events module and tab. Did you cater an event? Take a photo, tag and thank your partner. Did you receive flowers from a patient? Tag them (if they’re open to it) and the local florist to thank them for the lovely display!
- Create opportunities for involvement: Include a “Reviews” tab and ask people to leave reviews. For Better Hearing & Speech Month or National Audiology Month, post educational content and ask for help spreading awareness. Invite fans to share images/stories of themselves and consider offering a prize. There are many ways you can encourage your audience to engage with and share your Facebook page – these are just a few of the many ideas you can try.
By creating fun or helpful original content, leveraging free features like Facebook Events, taking advantage of opportunities for cross promotion, and asking for patient participation, your Facebook page can deepen your relationships with existing patients and attract new ones to your practice. For more ideas on how to maximize your Facebook presence, speak to your Earlens representative, or become an Earlens provider.
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.
