What does Facebook have to do with your medical practice? A lot, actually. That’s because Facebook is one of the most powerful digital marketing tools at your disposal. But you need more than a business profile to get the most out of the platform — you need posts that gain reactions to reap the real benefits.
Facebook reactions are updates to the classic Like Button, giving more nuance to how your audience feels about your posts. Their biggest benefit to your medical practice is social proof, creating powerful word-of-mouth marketing that can be used in later campaigns and materials. To gain this social proof on Facebook, you should engage with your audience, do contests and giveaways, as well as invest in ads.
What Are Facebook Reactions?
According to Facebook (Meta), “Reactions are an extension of the Like Button to give people more ways to share their reaction to a post in a quick and easy way.” There are seven reactions total that users can choose from, which include:
- Like
- Love
- Care
- Haha
- Wow
- Sad
- Angry
Reactions let you know how many people are interacting with your Facebook page. They can also let you know how people feel about your posts based on the type of reaction they give. For instance, a like is a pretty general reaction that has existed since Facebook first went online in 2009. However, other reactions can provide you with more insights than a simple like.
A love or care reaction can indicate loving a product or empathy for the subject matter a post is covering. The haha reaction of course means that a Facebook user thought a post was funny.
A wow reaction can indicate that you were able to provide completely new information for people. With sad reactions, your content may have touched an empathetic nerve that resonated with your followers. Angry reactions can function similarly, but it’s also important to know that they can also indicate anger at your content, products, or company itself.
Sad and angry reactions aren’t always bad. On the other hand, consistent or large amounts of them may indicate a problem. If you regularly get negative reactions and comments, it would be wise to look at your content to make sure that you’re not inviting the wrong kinds of responses.
To read our blog on building trust and authenticity with Facebook users, click here!
How Facebook Reactions Help Your Medical Practice
Reactions do more than let you know how people feel about your content. They also provide valuable information to Facebook’s algorithm. This lets them know what content to prioritize in users’ news feeds. The different reaction options highlight the growing complexity of Facebook’s algorithm over the years, evolving from the simple Like Button to seven different options.
As Hootsuite explains, Facebook’s algorithm is a mathematical black box with no one outside of the company knowing exactly how it works. However, we do know that the algorithm favors posts that get more attention, so having as many people interacting with your posts as possible is almost always a good thing.
Another one of the biggest benefits of reactions is social proof, which makes up a large part of your word-of-mouth marketing along with reviews and peer-to-peer recommendations. Over the years, social media platforms have become an important source that patients use to gather information about medical practices they’re interested in.
In this case, a potential patient would naturally review your medical practice’s social media presence to see what people are saying. When this happens, you want them to find posts with as many positive reactions and comments as possible. How people engage with your page is a good way to tell if you have more of a positive patient experience than a negative patient experience. This becomes the social proof you need to attract more patients.
The power of social proof and word-of-mouth for your medical practice can’t be understated. According to SEMrush, a powerful tool for digital marketing, word-of-mouth marketing results in five times the sales of paid ads. With opportunities like that, you can see why it pays to build your social media presence to be as robust as possible.
Other Places to Find Social Proof
Of course, social proof goes beyond social media. It can also be gathered from:
- Case studies
- Q&A sessions
- Patient testimonials and interviews
These along with comments on your socials provide the perfect source for quotes to use in your marketing materials later on. Make sure to experiment with different quotes to see which works best for your audience, placing them next to a call to action (CTAs) for the strongest effect.
Click here to read our blog for the biggest marketing trends in 2022 that will boost your sales!
Tips for Increasing Engagement on Your Facebook Posts
There are plenty of benefits to having a Facebook page for your medical practice. The big question is how to get reactions and build your brand. The key is creating content that resonates with people so they will engage with your posts. With a few easy steps, you can create Facebook posts that will grab your audience’s eye and have them clicking those reactions.
Engage Your Audience
Posting alone isn’t enough to generate reactions on Facebook. You need to engage with your audience as you do so, responding to their comments with helpful advice, offering “thank yous” for positive comments, and tactfully interacting with negative ones. This will show your current and potential patients that you’re paying attention, which will incentivize them to react to your posts even more.
Plan Contests and Giveaways
A great way to increase engagement and reactions is with contests and giveaways. You’ll need to think up a strategy, including what you want your audience to do and what the prize is. Whatever you choose, make sure that you’re offering something that your audience will be willing to exchange their time for.
Buy Ads on Facebook
Facebook allows you to do much more than stay in touch with your friends and family. As one of the most powerful advertising tools out there, running paid Facebook ads is one of the best ways to be seen on the platform. According to Search Engine Journal, this will help you build your audience quickly while amplifying the content that you already have.
Get Help Boosting Your Engagement on Facebook
Navigating the digital world can be difficult, but throw Facebook and other social media platforms into the mix and it can feel impossible. Fortunately, Baker Marketing is here to help you navigate the digital landscape. With over a decade of experience, our passionate team of marketers are here to be your partner and guide as we work together to achieve your digital marketing goals.
Do you need help increasing engagement on your socials? Schedule a free marketing review with us today!
As an extension of the original Like Button, Facebook reactions allow for more nuance in how your audience feels. You can use them to gauge what your patients like as well as how they feel about your medical services to be used as social proof later on. To increase reactions, you should engage with your audience, do contests and giveaways, and invest in ads.
Baker Marketing Laboratory has spent years helping healthcare businesses find their footing in the digital world. Through a combination of inbound digital marketing and powerful messaging strategies, we help you craft a marketing campaign that resonates with your ideal customer. Contact us today to schedule a call and learn the difference we can make for your business.
