Facebook can either be an amazing ally in the advertisement of your Chiropractic Practice or it can be allusive, frustrating and a tangle of algorithms. Previously, FB was a simple and relatively effective means of getting the good word out about your business but now with over 2 billion consumers using the platform, ads have to be flashy, concise & compelling. It’s stiff competition out there but using some of these simple techniques will help bump your FB ad reach and make your life simpler and more profitable.
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Target Audience aka Your Perfect Patient
Before we get into the nitty gritty, close your eyes for a second and imagine your perfect patient.
How old are they?
What kind of education (if any) would they have?
What would they live in relation to your office?
What are some activities/hobbies do they engage in?
How much money would they make?
Where do they work?
What would be some of the reasons they are coming to visit you? MVA’s, worker’s compensation, PI cases, wellness, specific injuries, etc?
The more details the better. Once you have the specifics let’s put that information to work.
- Geographical Location: how many miles (or kilometers) do you want your ad to spread out or reach around your office? This also depends on where you live. A big city like London or New York City where people are stacked on top of one another will have a smaller radius than someone who lives in the country. Think about how far people are willing to drive, walk or take the public transportation to get to you.
- Age/Gender: What is the age range of your perfect patient? Hypothetically let’s say, you specialize in pediatrics. You aren’t going to specifically target children (hello it’s the internet so don’t be creepy) but you will want to target their parents. My guess is specifically mothers. Would a 25-45 year old, female age range makes sense vs women over 55 or 60 who probably don’t have small children anymore?
- Detailed Targeting: the more you can focus and hone in on why your perfect patient will want your chiropractic services the better. This is where specificity is important like “neck pain,” “low back pain,”, “headaches,” etc. Facebook will allow you to scroll through a zillion different buzz words for you to pick from.
- Placement: the fancier the ad with complicated copy or long videos, etc will require “placement” for desktop computers over having your ads appear on a mobile device. Think about this…if we go back to the pediatric example of targeting mothers, will busy mom’s with little kids have more time to scroll through their FB newsfeed on a desktop or when they are hiding out in the bathroom for 5 minutes of alone time?
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The Ad
- Is this going to be a still picture with a bunch of copy or a video?
- What do you seem to post a lot of? If you have been trying a still picture with a lot of copy try a short video and see if it gets more hits.
- One thing to keep in mind (especially if you are not a millennial) is that the millennial's and even the next generation after them love videos. Have you heard of YouTube? Especially for young people who are busy, they can listen to your quick, snappy video while driving, at their desk at work or while they get dressed in the morning. Reading requires attention and focus and a video has a lot more flexibility in consumption.
- Different ideas for the videos could be you talking about something at your office, why your the best chiropractic ever, a patient testimonial or even a “before/after” given by a patient with all the amazing benefits they have received because of your magic hands.
- Videos should be engaging, short, sweet and to the point. Anything longer than 30-45s is going to be too long if your targeting millennial's.
- Also think about…why should this potential new patient click on your ad or click the flow through to your website? Why should they opt in to your newsletter? What problem of their’s are you going to solve if they come to you for chiropractic care?
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Ad Nurture
Let’s say you nailed it with #1 and #2 but then you drop the ball on this last step. #1 and #2 might has well not even have happened. There is so much content on the internet & all the social media sights it’s important to try and stay as human and as connected as possible to not lose potential new patients.
Let’s go back to your awesome video with ad copy that is getting traction on it with likes and comments. It’s now going to be important to go and respond to all those comments.
“Hey Susie thanks so much liking my video and saying how much you love chiropractic. That is awesome, how long have you been seeing a chiropractor? Are you currently going to one now?” Acknowledging their question or comment and then following up with one of your questions is a great way to continue the conversation. Part of what FB does is, when the FB gods see that your ad has a bunch of likes and comments it automatically gets more attention. Even without putting more money on the ad, FB will begin to show your ad to more people. Then the more people see it, hopeful the more they comment/like and the more you respond which will continue to enhance the performance of this particular ad. If the ad is doing really well, keep putting money on it until it runs out of steam.
Final thought…a great way (and cheap way) is to ask your current patients, friends and family to “like” your FB business page. If you have a bigger audience, then anything you post on your page will immediately have more viewers. Encourage your patients, to comment & share on your posts and check-in on FB when they arrive at your office too.
