What Social Media Platforms Do Your Patients Consume?


In order to reach the patients you want to target on social media, you must know which social media platforms they use most.

How can you know that?

The first and easiest way to answer that question is to just ask some of your existing patients.

You are generally trying to reach more patients like your existing patients.

So, your current patients are a good resource to use for research to help your marketing.

Ask your current patients which social media platforms they use most?

Ask them which platform they were using while in the waiting room waiting to be seen?

The chances are extremely high that the patients you want to target use the same platforms your current patients do.

That is the easiest way to learn which platforms to use for your marketing.

The next way is to go with trends.

What are the trends in social media?

Which age groups use which platforms?

Which genders use which platforms?

There are statistics about the usage patterns of social media platforms.

Therefore, generalizations can be made about which demographic groups use which platforms.

So, it is very important that you define the exact type of patient you are targeting with a specific marketing campaign.

In marketing terms, this process of defining your target patient is called defining your “avatar.”

The “Avatar” is a detailed profile of your target patient. It is a representation of your dream patient.

The goal is to define your ideal patient in as much detail as possible.

That way you can start to understand them better.

Understanding your ideal patient, the patient you are targeting, allows you to create a better marketing message.

To create an effective marketing message, you need to know what your ideal patients want.

What are their fears?

What are their goals?

What are their needs?

What are their pain points?

How does what you offer solve their problems?

Where do they go on vacation?

What restaurants do they frequent?

What type of car do they drive?

What is the highest level of education they achieved?

Do they have kids? How many?

Do their kids go to public or private school?

What is their occupation? Labor? Management? Professional? Entrepreneur?

Are they employed? Or are they an employer? Or self-employed?

These are just some of the demographic data and characterizations you need to know about your ideal patient, your avatar.

Often, it is good to define two avatars – one male and one female.

That assumes you take care of both males and females.

It is also good to name your avatars. That way the “person” seems more real.

For example, let’s assume you named the male, “Jack” and the female, “Jill.”

Then, in your marketing message and your marketing campaigns, you need to be sure they will appeal to Jack or Jill, whichever you are currently trying to reach.

If you are confident, Jack and Jill will like your message and campaign, the chances are quite high your potential dream patients will also, because you took the tedious time, effort, and thought required to adequately define your target patient.

Next, we will look at each of the most commonly used social media platforms individually.

For each platform, we will discuss the following information:

1. Statistics

2. Typical user demographics

3. The currently best performing ad and post types.

4. Best times to post


And your marketing may just be the content you want to post or it may be paid ads with offers you want to make.

Either way, your marketing dollars will be much more effectively spent if you target the appropriate potential patients on the appropriate media with your information and ads.

Now, we will look at each of the most commonly used social media platforms.

The rest of this discussion is available in the October issue of the Healthcare Practice Secrets Journal.  In fact the entire October issue is devoted to social media platforms and which ones doctors should use in their marketing.

To order the Journal and see the full discussion of social media platforms doctors should use, click the following link:

https://www.rtrpracticeadvisors.com/hpsj-sign-up

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