Social Media For Pharmacies – A Detailed Guide To Easily Communicate and Reach New Patients

Feb 9, 2021

 

Photo of patient on phone looking at pharmacy social media page

In today’s time, social media has become a potent tool for both pharmacies and businesses. It makes it simple for users to attract new patients because it’s free and easy to use, and a large audience is already there.

Thus, it’s become tough to reach new patients and increase pharmacy website traffic without having social media by your side. But if you’re highly skilled in attracting patients with your pharmacy social media posts or marketing techniques, there are higher chances of improving and growing your pharmacy business.

And if you’re unaware of how you can reach new patients or improve your pharmacy business, then don’t worry; this blog post will help you understand everything from top to bottom to bring success.

Summary

What Are The Benefits of Social Media for Pharmacies?


Over the years, social media for Pharmacies has become such a powerful tool. With the rise of COVID and the rapid shutdowns of businesses, many people have resorted to social media to communicate with their customers.

Both small and large businesses have used their social media presence as part of their local marketing programs. Social media helps businesses engage with the community and build relationships with their customers.

Like most companies, a lot of independent pharmacies have begun to increase their social media presence, but they aren’t getting the value they deserve.

Properly utilizing pharmacy social media marketing is a great way for pharmacy owners to bring their business out from behind the bench. It is a free tool and most of your audience is literally at your fingertips.

If pharmacists learn the correct strategies to engage with patients in their community, then the possibilities are endless for your business. Not only will you improve patient loyalty, but you will grow and expand your brand. Stay ahead of the competition by enhancing your patient engagement on social media.

Here are 3 major benefits of social media for pharmacies:

1. Social Media Helps deliver better pharmacy-patient communication

Social media is designed to create ongoing dialogue among users on the platform. From sharing pharmacy social media posts to commenting on pictures, this distribution of information is essential to encourage and enable patients to talk with the pharmacy.

Social Media for pharmacies cannot be used as a one-way communication device, It is not the same as traditional advertising, therefore you cannot treat it that way. Instead, pharmacies need to have high-engaging conversations with their customers.

Real-time communication helps to make happy patients which, in turn, creates returning patients. Patients convert time and time again thanks to pharmacies answering questions promptly.

Make sure your posts are friendly and sound conversational, rather than wordy and too professional. Patients want to relate to your message, not feel turned away by it.

2. Social Media Builds your pharmacies personality

Social Media not only helps bring people together, but also helps develop what your business is as a brand. One of the great things about using social media is that it will create a voice and tone that will reflect the personality of your pharmacy.

When you walk inside, patients should see your pharmacy the same way it was portrayed online. This congruency helps build trust in customers and shows that you are the same brand as you are online. Social media for pharmacies help businesses retain patients in the long run.

So, think to yourself: what personality or traits do I want my patients to see my pharmacy as? How should I structure my business online so that it is the same experience when they walk inside my store? Am I looking for a more warm and sincere vibe? Or do I want it to be a fun and lighthearted atmosphere?

All these questions bring congruency to your pharmacy’s personality and will add a lot of trust between you and your patients.

When the experience is the same on the outside as it is on the inside, it connects patients to believe and trust in what their pharmacy is doing.

Consistency in your voice and tone both in person and online drives trust and increases your pharmacy patients. Social media for pharmacies can really build a brand for the business & turn its image completely upside down

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3. Social media drives traffic and builds sales

Staying active on social media will help increase the amount of traffic both on your website and in person. When your brand is talked about or mentioned in a post, it signals that you have content that is worth talking about and sharing.

This is where social media algorithms take over and rank your pharmacy higher when your company is searched more frequently. 

Roughly two-thirds of U.S adults are Facebook users. With Facebook currently the biggest social networking service based on global reach and total active users, it is important to jump on the social media bandwagon. All your potential pharmacy patients are right there on Facebook.

Placing a link to your website or creating hashtags that are specific to your pharmacy helps drive traffic to your website.

Not only does it bring potential patients to your website, but also helps improve your pharmacies marketing. Users can share posts you create, thus driving your brand name higher into the algorithm to be seen by more users.

Social media drives website traffic, but it also drives in person sales. Like flyers or traditional ads, social media makes an imprint on people’s brains. People remember posts or videos word for word from years ago. For example, say someone was on Instagram the other day.

They saw a post you made about a product you’re offering at your pharmacy. They may take a glimpse at it and keep scrolling, but next time they drive by your store, your name will pop out.

That is the beauty of social media. It is word of mouth marketing, but it is occurring online instead which makes the information more accessible for anyone to see. 

Why social media for pharmacy over traditional marketing?

Traditional marketing is always a one-way conversation. You make an ad, pay for it, and put it out for the world to see. That’s it. Sometimes companies add phone numbers or emails for people to contact them, but that is where your marketing stops.

There is no room for patients to reach out, ask questions, and communicate with the pharmacy. Social media for pharmacies provides a great option for customer/patients to reach out at convenience. Here are 2 things why you should prefer social media for pharmacies over social media marketing:

1. People believe in their community

Today, so many people don’t believe what they see or read online, but they do believe their community. When you become part of a community on social media you are gaining trust in your potential patients.

Social Media for pharmacy helps proving to the non-believers that your pharmacy has a solid reputation which is backed up by reviews and social proof from current patients.

2. Positive reviews capture the attention

Now more than ever, local business thrives off recent positive reviews. The beauty of social media is that comments and sharing make patients more willing to write or speak their thoughts for the world to see.

A recent study found that 70% of customers need to read at least four reviews before they can trust a business. These reviews don’t need to just be written reviews, they can be anything from video content, to comments in posts, to pictures of products.

Social media provides you with the tools to capture a potential patient’s attention in less than a minute.

 

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What platforms to start out on social media for pharmacies?

If you have never created any social media content for your pharmacy, it can be a little overwhelming to start. With so many different platforms and channels to choose from how do you know which one is best? Well for starters; you don’t need to be on every channel. Instead, opt for platforms that you’re willing to invest time in and that will pull in your target audience. The two biggest things to consider are demographics and how you spread your message.

1. Demographics

It is vital to understand who your target audience will be. Determine what your patient’s age, geography, and interests are to get a better understanding of what your ideal audience looks like. Check out this 2021 social media demographics guide for more assistance with finding your target audience.

2. Messaging

This is where you need to do some real research. Are your target audience mostly older people? Try Facebook. Do you want to create consistently compelling images? Then opt for Instagram. It is important to consider what you wish to say about your audience and how you feel most comfortable passing along that message. Once you narrow that down, the right social media channel will shine through.

Social Media for Pharmacies – Final Thoughts

20, 10, even 5 years ago nobody thought that social media for pharmacies would have the power that it does today. It is such a powerful tool that should not be overlooked.

People spend on average 6 hours and 45 minutes a day online. This is 3 times more than typical TV media consumption in a day. Marketing is not the same game as it used to be – the old techniques just aren’t as efficient anymore. Patients want to know who you are and that have congruence with your online and in store presence. 

In 2021, potential patients look for authenticity, personal connections, and a reputation to back up who they are. So, go out there and start building a strong online presence. Reach new patients and connect with the ones you already have.

Need help getting started? Click here to chat with one of our experts at PharmacyLive to begin your digital marketing journey.

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