8 Tips to Gaining Your First 1,000 Instagram Views
Now that you have made the switch or got the Instagram profile all set up for the business it is time to look at growing those followers, likes, and engagements to get more patients. Instagram is a naturally visual social media platform, so you want to go in realizing you need to create some visual branding guidelines to keep your wall consistent from a look and feel perspective. Most successful accounts have a specific theme and overall color that they go for on their wall.
1. Create Posting Templates
To accomplish the branding consistency, I was referring to the easiest way is to look at your current brand and develop some high-quality posting templates for different situations. This will help to streamline the efforts when you are putting something onto the medical practice page that fits a specific template style that you have designed. Many people forgo this when starting and it creates inconsistent branding. If you want to build patient engagement loyalty over time, then create a theme and stick with it for the most part.
2. Using the Right Instagram Hashtags
Hashtags are one of the lifeblood of the Instagram platform. They are how people find new content, engage with the things they love and connect with new people. For medical practices, it is no different.
You need to find the Instagram hashtags that are in line with what your potential patients are looking for content wise. Make sure to find a right blend of very popular hashtags, branded hashtags, local hashtags, and industry-specific hashtags.
Using #love #fun #happy in all of your posts may get you some likes because of their overall popularity, but it won’t get you where you need to be regarding customer loyalty and sustained local engagement. You will be drowned out by all of the other noise on those hashtag feeds.
3. Use a Killer Photo Editor
To be truly successful and grow your medical practice Instagram following you need to think of everything you post as art. Whether it’s a graphic of a new special, the practice is running, or a photo of the surgeon in the operating room make sure you take the time to edit and add graphics.
This again goes back to the importance of developing some posting templates because if it takes you forever to post every time you may eventually be very discouraged to do so so make it easy on yourself.
Certain Instagram filters have even been showing to lead to higher engagement rates. Hubspot did an in-depth article solely focused on Instagram filters. Check it out it is worth a read during your research.
4. Post High-Quality Content Consistently
Point #4 and on is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to having a successful Medical Instagram profile. It starts with consistent, high-quality content. Now that you have a good photo editor and a few posting templates the high quality should not be tough.
It is the consistency that gets most people. Most Instagram experts agree that it is the more the merrier when it comes to posting. The minimum goal should be every day with a sweet spot of 3X per day.
When clients come to us to grow their practice Instagram account or ask me to audit their profile this is consistently the #1 reason for growth problems for medical practice: lack of posting frequency. To keep your audiences engaging you need to provide content, lots of material. You have targeted potential patients now it’s time to show them what makes you the best in the industry.
The more consistency you gain in likes the more your Instagram posts will appear on their feed. If you are posting 3 or more times a day, you are increasing the possibility to gain more likes and engage with your audience. Posting on Instagram with high-quality posts multiple times a day requires time and monitoring. This is the challenge that most doctors quickly learn when trying to grow their Instagram.
5. Following People That Fit Your Target Audience
To get to that 1,000 Instagram followers mark quickly for your medical practice, you need to be actively following people on Instagram. However, it is easy to grow fast by following 1,000s of people at random (or buying followers which I strongly discourage) but what does it matter if the people following you have no interested in what you do or are located five states away? More than likely someone in Texas is not going to make the trek to Florida to visit your OB/GYN practice.
There are a few different ways to find local people. Start by using popular places located in your city by doing a search and swapping over to the “Places” results and click on the best options. You will see photos from people that have tagged that place in the photo.
For example, a popular local yoga studio or women’s clothing boutique could be a great search to find local, health-conscious women to follow if that is your target.
6. Engage with Your Followers
If you are consistently following people, you need to utilize your main news feed and like, comment and engage with the people you are following. Especially the people that show you love on your posts.
It can be time intensive, but you will be happily surprised at the growth and reciprocated engagement you receive when you show a little love on Instagram. Social media is inherently selfish because your feed is filled with people talking about themselves or taking selfies.
Like their photos and many will return the favor. This works to help get your posts out to more people because on of Instagram’s algorithm factors is the number of likes so the more you receive the more you will increase your overall impressions and brand exposure.
7. Bring Your Instagram Followers Into The Operating Room
Many doctors and medical practices that have developed a large following on Instagram have a common theme. A large portion of their wall features their physicians doing what they do best: surgery. People want to see awesome and unique on Instagram and placing tons of stock photos of pretty models will bore your followers to death.
However, show your doctor in action performing a rhinoplasty or liposuction, while grotesque to a point, will draw in a large amount of interest and eyeballs. It also allows people to build a little bit of a relationship with the physician who will handle their patient care if they decide to come into the practice.
8. Run Contests and Promotions
Contests and promotions when done correctly are a great way to grow your following and engage with new people in your community.
Plan a promotion for the practice that will be of substantial value to potential clients and get them into the office to see what you do. I have seen some doctors do giveaways and a person on the other side of the country wins their skincare line.
How does that help grow the practice? Be creative with your promotion but also ensure that claiming the prize involves being involved in some level with the physical practice.
