Things can get overwhelming for pharmacies looking to grow their social media following and promote their brand. Knowing which social platforms to use is the key to your pharmacy’s social media success.
Below is a breakdown of the most popular platforms and how they could be included in your social media strategy:
With nearly 2.5 billion monthly active users worldwide, Facebook has become the most widely-used multimedia social platform online today. In fact, 69% of US adults use Facebook, including 46% of 65+ year-olds, and most access the platform at least once a day.
Facebook offers a web browser-like search option for people seeking out companies and services. Its integration with Instagram and common advertising infrastructure means that ad campaigns can easily be deployed on both platforms. The platform’s streamlined business pages make highlighting businesses, events, and promotions simple and convenient.
To make the most of Facebook, pharmacies should consider taking advantage of its content-sharing opportunities and platform for targeted ad campaigns. Pharmacies can also set up messaging through their business pages so their target audience can contact them directly.
Need more ideas for content? Here are more tips for driving user engagement on Facebook.
Known for bringing brands to life through inspirational images and videos, Instagram is a great content-sharing platform for building customer relationships. Last year, the percentage of US adults who use Instagram rose from 35% to 37% and the active reported monthly users have held steady around 1 billion.
According to a recent study, 31% of people ages 50-65+ say they use the Instagram online platform and messaging app.
Instagram’s connection with Facebook makes cross-channel promotion easy. The platform’s penchant for personal, inspirational visual content helps create loyal brand followers and build community. Pharmacies can use curated images or stock photos and targeted hashtags to build brand personality and promote health campaigns.
Twitter is famous for its concise posts and frequent updates. As of 2019, 22% of US adults use Twitter both online and via the mobile app, totaling 340 million monthly users. 42% of users check their accounts daily or several times a day.
A fairly even distribution of usage across age groups ranging from 18 to 64 years-old means the platform has a wide demographic reach. Twitter is notable less popular for older seniors, with just 7% of people aged 65+ saying they are active on the platform.
Twitter’s 280-character and streamlined platform make it ideal for quick, consistent real-time communication and business updates. Pharmacies can communicate directly with their customer base – on a high level and individual basis and facilitate conversations about healthcare with other industry experts.
If you’re having a hard time finding options, search for marketing themes for the month that you’re posting for, as we did in our recent blog about November post ideas.
Other channels to consider
- YouTube: This video platform has over 2 billion users a month, and is an excellent channel to expand into if your marketing strategy includes video content.
- LinkedIn: A more professional channel geared towards networking that can help your pharmacy create valuable business connections.
- Pinterest: Another visual platform that works well for sharing content such as graphics and images or grouping information.
The bottom line
Visibility on multiple social media channels is essential for any business’s marketing strategy. Here are a few tips for focusing your pharmacy social media efforts:
- Start slowly. Don’t overextend your abilities and assume you need an active presence on all channels. Instead, concentrate your promotional efforts on the one or two platforms that your customers are most likely to frequent.
- Practice consistency rather than frequency. Every marketing site has a different opinion about the best times to post on social media and the correct frequency. Rather than setting a rigid schedule, focus on consistently posting around the same times and days each week to develop a reliable brand presence online.
- Create valuable content. Consider the kinds of information patients are interested in and tailor your pharmacy’s content calendar accordingly. Ideas for posts could include community events, special promotions, relevant industry news, or behind-the-scenes staff and customer stories.
- Utilize multimedia. People absorb information in a variety of ways and it’s important to share content that can be accessible and compelling to your audience. Adding images to posts help boost engagement, but adding informative videos, podcast episodes, and graphics can also help you educate your audience and develop trust in your brand.
- Practice responsive engagement. Most users appreciate and even expect responsiveness from the brands they follow on social media. Make sure to prioritize weekly community engagement on all channels.
Your pharmacy’s social media strategy plays an important role in your overall online presence. By focusing your efforts on quality and consistency and utilizing the channels that work best for your pharmacy, you can build a loyal brand following and attract repeat business.
Originally published on December 18, 2018 and updated on March 3, 2020.
