Social Media Best Practices

We are currently faced with challenges that we need to meet head on. No one expected this to happen in 2020, so there was no advance notice to adequately prepare for something that has never happened before globally. 

Setting yourself up for success during this period may entail pivoting your practice so your business will be poised for growth. It will be hard, in fact it may be the hardest thing you’ve ever faced, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

Consumers have an insatiable appetite for all things aesthetics and that’s never going to change, in fact it’s only going to get bigger. Sure, you may lose some patients in this period, but you will also gain new ones who are entering the aesthetics space for the first time. 

Educate 

1. Stop selling for the moment or convert to a soft sell approach. Education is a better sales tool than overtly throwing stuff at customers. What are your patients interested in most right now? How can you keep them in the loop as in the next normal? From Zoom to WhatsApp and Google Hangouts, there are lots of different op-tions for communications. 

Spend wisely 

2. Don’t spend money on social platforms where your target audiences are not active. Facebook and Instagram are still the most effective and cast the widest net in terms of attracting aesthetic patients. Think about the tone you want to set which should be positive and inspirational. Don’t lose sight of who you are and what your brand represents. 

Tell your story 

3. Storytelling and Instagram Stories are still hot. Connect your Instagram and Facebook Stories together to save time and give you dual exposure. Your audience wants to see who you are as a person as well as a practitioner, and they want to know enough about you to decide why they should go to you versus 50 others. 

Video content 

4. Video is an important tool to tap into now, if you haven’t done so already. Do not overlook YouTube—it’s not just for millennials. Educational videos and personal experiences do well, as do treatment demos. Talk into the camera and don’t use a script, it should be authentic. Invest in an inexpensive editing app. Get a selfie stick 7 

and set up a place to record video in your home or office. Video clips can be used on every platform, including your website, blog and a monitor in your waiting room and treatment rooms. 

Frequency 

5. Posting consistently is important but be strategic. Once a day may be fine, but don’t post if your content is not interesting and engaging. Post your best content when you have time to respond to comments. If you’re looking for different responses, consider a poll, or repost content from ZO—it’s a beautiful range and the im-ages are stunning. 

Remote appointments 

6. Virtual consultations are in demand, and both consumers and practitioners are on board with this model. Patients want this service and it saves valuable face time in the clinic. You can use virtual platforms for consults, follow-ups, skin care evaluations, product education, pre and post-procedure instructions, etc. Some practices charge their standard fee for a virtual consult, whereas others may waive the fee. If you do charge a fee, it can also be collected and then applied to a treatment or product sale. Look for a GDPR compliant platform to play it safe. 

Photography 

7. I’m a big believer in building up a robust portfolio of your own before and after photos. Patients who let you take proper photos and sign off that you can use them, help you demonstrate the results you can deliver. Refine your photography skills; if it is not a good set of before/after photos that clearly show a result, it’s best not to post it. Use photo editing apps to keep photos looking consistent and branded with your watermark to prevent photos from getting lifted, which happens all the time. You must also get a signed consent from the patient to post or share any photos. 

Hashtags 

8. A good hashtag strategy will get your content found—you can use up to 30 on Instagram. Find a few and stick with them, e.g. treatment related, branded ones specific to your practice, and general—#ZOpeel; #DrObagiSays, #BestSkinEver. 

Interaction 

9. Get friends, family and colleagues commenting on Instagram posts—this helps you outsmart the algorithm, so Instagram sees that your content is getting attention. Try to use at least three words and emojis so Instagram does not think you are a ‘bot’ when posting comments; when there is engagement, Instagram will tend to promote your content more without you having to pay to boost it. 

Testimonials 

10. When it comes to brand advocates, happy patients are the best endorsements you can get. If they mention you on their own channels, this allows you to reach a whole new audience. 

Wendy Lewis is president of Wendy Lewis & Co Ltd, Global Aesthetics Consultancy, wendylewisco.com, an author, writer and founder/editor in chief of beautyinthebag.com.