In some ways, cosmetic surgeons have a tough time on social media. Your job entails improving patients’ self-esteem through cosmetic surgery, but those patients aren’t always likely to engage with your social media pages. We’ve suspected that this is the case for a while. But now we have data to prove it!
RealSelf recently published a study wherein 700 respondents sent their feedback about their interaction with cosmetic surgeons’ pages on Facebook. And as much as you want patients to engage, don’t expect likes, comments, and shares to increase even if you’ve boosted your activity.
What Does This Mean For YOU?
Likes won’t come easy. 64% of respondents indicated that they would NOT like their cosmetic surgeon on Facebook. The most common explanation was privacy, “I don’t want others to know.” This doesn’t mean that potential patients aren’t viewing your page or even using it to link to your website. But they may not make their interest known.
Article and graphic posts perform best. 73% of respondents reported that they did NOT use social media to research procedures. While they play a role in your dynamic social media strategy, links to procedure pages will not do as much for your practice as posting curated and creative content. You want to be perceived as an expert in your field by engaging with professional sources, as well as friendly and approachable with funny cartoons and inspiring quotes.
You NEED social media. 89% of respondents wanted their chosen doctor and 95% of respondents wanted their chosen practice to be somewhat or very active on social media. Doctors and practices without an online presence were considered outdated (38% of responses) or hiding something (16% of responses). So while potential patients may not use your page for research, it’ll help them make their final decision to choose YOU.
The moral of the story here is don’t worry! Even if you don’t have thousands of likes, your social media pages are crucial to converting new patients. You just may not know that they have their eyes on you. If you’d like to chat about your social media pages, connect with your Customer Success Coordinator.
