I’m 31 years old; you would think that my millennial instincts would naturally kick in here. Nope. I have my hand in three franchise kickboxing studios and my own chiropractic office. Facebook without consulting me changed the rules and now traffic to my websites, which generated leads, has slowed way down. What does that mean? May was a terrible sales month across the board. It used to be easy. We would post a picture, video, article, etc to our fan page, decide on a dollar amount, hit the boost button and like magic paid leads are coming through the door. As it turns out, users of social media want more than paid advertisements coming across their news feed. BUT there are still plenty of customers out there. Whether you’re a lover or hater of social media, that my friend is irrelevant.
Let me give you an example: I’m learning to fly airplanes. I discovered while on the headset that some frequencies still use Morse code. My first reaction was are you kidding me? Just because I live in Ohio, do I look like the Wright Brothers? My point being it’s the 21st century. Direct mail, phone books, going door to door may have worked in the past but to really build you, your brand and your business for good or for bad, social media is where it is.
If you still don’t believe me, check this out (which I borrowed from hootsuite.com).
If you get confused like I do, check out my four reasons below on how to become a social media ninja.
The literal soapbox has now turned into a figurative one. Done correctly, it can be the fastest and easiest way to get your message out there. The cool thing is, when content is done right, users will share content from your website. Think about it like this. You or someone you hire (like me!) writes a fabulous blog and a user reads it, shares it on their Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest account and before you know it, your content is now being spread organically across several platforms of social media.
Here is the kicker, users now want real content. They want to learn real stuff from real experts like you. Is it possible that all that texting can lead to “texting neck?” Of course we know that, but potential patients don’t. Your social media platforms build you and your organization as the expert in a certain field (hey chiropractic). After so many posts of real information, than you can sneak in your first visit special or free examination.
Let’s say the social media gods come together and you put together this amazing infographic, article, blog, etc. and now the post is gaining traction. You just can’t sit there. If the people come to you, now is the time to respond. If they comment, this is the moment you can engage with your audience and create a conversation. The better the conversation, the more human you become. That leads to number 4.
Social media gets a bad rap for adulterated pictures, fake stories and vapid people so this is your moment to shine. Again posting real content, responding to messages in a sincere way both in your inbox and on your content posts will allow your audience to see the real you. In a world of automation, it’s refreshing to have heartfelt conversations.
If you still don’t believe me how important it is to be posting daily on different social media platforms take a look at this. Over half your prospective patients are on their different social media platforms several times a day. That means all day, everyday the prospects are out there, but it’s up to us to communicate our messages to them effectively.
Kassandra Schultz D.C