Facebook Advertising for Medical Practices

Advertising on Facebook is no longer "fast becoming one of the more effective ways to advertise" it is the most effective and targeted way to advertise your medical practice.

Why? First, people are spending a ton of time on Facebook. In fact, social media is the now the top Internet activity, and guess which social media outlet tops the chart in usage - Facebook. Time spent on Facebook means lots of eyeballs or your content and lots of clicks.

In addition, you are able to target your audience much more specifically on Facebook than you can on any other advertising outlet. You can specify exactly what age, location, and gender you're after, along with what interests they have and which experts they like in your area. (You can target competing practices' patients if you choose). This is where knowing that specific information about your ideal patient comes in handy.

How do you get started?

Just as with other advertising methods, it is a science unto itself and the more you learn, the better you get at it! Here are some tips:

• Prepare your ads. Create a library of images and advertising copy that you can start using in ads; you are more likely to follow through with things if you are prepared.

• Change it up. Facebook ads get "old" very quickly. When you advertise in other formats you can get away with using the same copy or image for months, and still have it convert fairly well. Conversion happens when you convert a person on Facebook into a fan of your Facebook page or to a member of your e-mail list. Facebook ad images and advertising copy need to be replaced and tested daily.

• Split test. True split testing is when you run two ads simultaneously with the same goal but different images or copy. You don’t need to go that far when you are just starting out. Begin by watching for patterns on phrases and images that convert better for you.

• Keep track of results. Track your visits and conversions from Facebook so that you know what is working and what is not. Again, conversions are people that see your ad and like your page or join your mailing list or even convert further to a patient, customer or client.

• Get them on your list. Consider having ads targeted just for people who like your Facebook page, to get them on your e-mail list. As great as Facebook is, you must remember that it is always changing, and it's best to "own" the contact information of your audience.

• Get educated. Train a member of your staff to become your Facebook marketing maven. There are training programs out there to give them the skills necessary to do this for you. For example, we are launching our online training Sept. 2, for this and many other aspects of marketing a practice.

• Get help. If you don't have the staff to work on this, hire help to manage your Facebook campaigns.

Got questions? Feel free to ask them below and I will answer them.