How to Use Social Media to Market Your Practice

We get tons of questions about social media marketing. So, we decided to dedicate this blog post to the three most frequently asked questions. Let’s get to it!

1. How do I know I’m using the right hashtags on Instagram?

Instagram gives you a maximum of 30 hashtags to use. How many of those hashtags should you use? All of them! What we’ve learned with Instagram – if they don’t want you to do it, they’re not going to allow it. Instagram expert and social media coach, Alicia Bright, suggests utilizing a 15:15 formula.

• Use fifteen hashtags that are highly specific to your ideal audience or customer
• Use fifteen hashtags that are relevant to you or your brand
  

You now have thirty targeted hashtags. Bright goes on to suggest breaking down the fifteen hashtags into subcategories. Seven should be those that have been used between 100-250k times, and the other eight should be 500,000 or more. Why? If you think about it, if a hashtag has been used a million times, what’s the probability of someone finding your posts? Very little. You want your content to be seen.

Figuring out the right hashtags should be part of your strategy. According to Simply Measured, posts with at least one hashtag get an average of 12.6% more engagement than those without. There are several platforms you can use to assist in your search for the right hashtag:

• Display Purposes
• Autohash
• Instagram Hashtag Generator
• All Hashtag
  

You can also use the Instagram search function. Type in a keyword relevant to your post and select the tags tab. Follow accounts in your industry and see what hashtags they’re using. Other ways to utilize hashtags are:

• Use hashtags in your bio
• Use hashtags in your stories
• Look at your competitors’ posts and use the non-branded hashtags
• Look at your previous successful posts and recall what hashtags you used
  

You want hashtags that get seen, but that aren’t too broad. Think about using your location in your hashtags, for example, #atlantanurses. Be careful about which hashtags you use. Go through and see what type of companies and what kind of organizations are posting with that hashtag. The last thing you want to do is involve yourself with an organization or a popular hashtag that could have a double meaning. Instagram Insights gives you the ability to analyze the effectiveness of hashtags.

2. Are there better times to post on Instagram or Facebook?

Yes. The best time to post on social media is whenever your audience is most likely to see and engage with your content. This means when your audience is actively online. A well-timed post can lead to more likes, comments, shares, and click-throughs. Take a look at your insights and demographics. One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when running ads or spending money on social media, is not doing a proper job of targeting the right demographic – whether it’s age, gender, or location. Utilizing a content calendar can help effectively schedule your content.

3. How can print material help with my social media strategy?

People are very ad-blind these days. Think about it. You get mail and naturally just know what’s junk mail, and you throw it away. Your email account even segments your junk mail into a spam folder. You probably have 4,000 unread emails right now. Effective frequency is your answer to getting your content read. Effective frequency is a concept where your audience needs to be exposed to your advertising a certain number of times before the message resonates. Use a multichannel approach where you incorporate print material with your digital marketing.

Portia Wofford is a nurse, content strategist, healthcare writer, consultant. Chosen as a brand ambassador or collaborative partner for various organizations, Wofford strives to empower nurses by offering them resources for development – while helping healthcare organizations and entrepreneurs create engaging content. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter for her latest.