When it comes to social selling, many people don't consider Instagram their primary platform. Marketers mostly use the platform for relationships and brand awareness building. Some of the primary reasons why people avoided Instagram was because they couldn't use sponsored posts or add links.
This is not the case anymore.
The selling potential has increased a lot on Instagram in the past couple of years. Yes, even healthcare professionals can sell their services on this platform. Today, we are going to talk about ways you can do this as well. It might seem unrealistic but stick around for a while and see what we have to say.
Benefits of using Instagram for social selling of healthcare services
Instagram is a viral social platform. Users are engaged, and they are willing to interact with each other and with businesses. Around 200 million daily users visit one business profile each day, if not more. A lot of people learn about companies, their products, and their services on Instagram.
Shopping on Instagram is no longer a taboo. At the same time, Instagram keeps growing as a platform. This means that there is a constant influx of new customers. Let’s go through some important facts that show how beneficial selling on Instagram can be:
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Instagram is here to stay: Instagram has over a billion monthly active users. It’s one of the largest social media platforms. What’s even more important is the fact that the platform keeps growing. On top of that, it has an evenly distributed user base around the whole globe.
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It offers incredible engagement: For a platform to be good for social selling, it needs to provide engagement. Engagement shows how active users are on a particular platform. Social media engagement includes comments, likes, and shares that users do.
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Excellent visibility: Instagram doesn’t display posts selectively to users. If a user is following a business, he or she will see all of their posts each day. Partially, this is why this network gives excellent engagement. With Facebook, for example, business pages have limited visibility, and they have to pay for sponsored posts. At the same time, Instagram posts last for a longer time. They don’t disappear like tweets or get buried down among other posts like on Facebook.
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Visual platform: You probably heard of the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.” When it comes to online sales, this is even truer. Visual platforms are becoming more popular because visual content can instantly be consumed. It doesn’t require any time or effort. On Instagram, users are used to visual content. They expect marketers/sellers to deliver it to them.
Finding a good approach for an image-centric network
Visually dominant social networks are great for social selling. However, if there are a lot of visuals, this means that you will compete with other companies. You will have to create content that will outshine theirs. When talking about Instagram, images are the most dominant type of content.
People take photos and selfies, and they share them every day. On top of that, they are used to looking at other people’s photos and reacting to them. As a healthcare professional, you need to present the effects of your services or products. Show the results that they’ve given and shared your patient’s stories.
For example, if you are a cosmetic surgeon, you can show how your clients looked before and after. Show how you do your procedures and how they’ve changed the life of your patients. Still, avoid displaying images that might scare someone away. Here are some ideas for photos:
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Stock images
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Original photos
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Patient testimonials
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Behind-the-scenes photos
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Service or product photos
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Patient quotes images
Warning: Don't be tacky or compromise patient privacy
When you are sharing photos and posts with your patients in them, always make sure to ask for their permission. Some people don’t want others to know what kind of medical procedures they’ve had. After all, these are very personal things.
If we take cosmetic surgery as an example, most patients don’t want others to know they’ve had this kind of procedure. No matter what type of information you wish to share about people, make sure to ask them for their permission.
On the other hand, if they don’t want you to share images about them, you can blur their faces. This way, you will be able to show the before and after pictures without revealing their identity. Still, make sure to ask permission even for this kind of image.
Essential tips to keep you on track:
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Hashtags are crucial
Hashtags can help you recognize sales opportunities. They are used both for finding buyers and promoting your content. Hashtags are # symbols that are placed before a keyword. Through them, users can search Instagram for products or services they need.
For example, if you post a before and after photo of #teethwhitening, someone could search for this term and find your picture. Subsequently, they might look at your business profile and become a patient. Additionally, hashtags are essential as they drive engagement.
Look for keywords relevant to your customers and industry. However, also look to establish a branded hashtag through which people will recognize you.
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Respond and engage
No matter what kind of network we’re talking about, it’s essential to be active. The same thing applies to Instagram. You need to follow relevant people and businesses and engage with them. Make sure to post at least once per day, or you won’t get the results you need.
Furthermore, if you like and regularly comment on other people’s posts, they will engage in a conversation with you. This is how you open up an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and, ultimately, your products or services.
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Promote events regularly
There are a lot of healthcare conferences and events you can attend. You can even organize your own. No matter what you do, always make sure to promote those events on Instagram. Show that you are an active member of the industry and keep updated with the latest practices.
This is how you can find new potential customers. By doing this, you will let the attendees know that you will be a part of an event. This could lead to networking and meeting potential clients. On the other hand, posting about events on Instagram will also make online users take you more seriously.
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Keep your post educational and informative
Apart from trying to showcase your personality and approach, your posts are a great tool for showing expertise. You need to show value to potential customers. Talk about the most common issues they might be having, how to deal with them on their own, or how you can help them.
One of the best ways to do this is through videos. Instagram captions need to be snappy and short. With videos and stories, you can convey more information in a shorter period. At the same time, you can add exciting visuals that will keep the viewer’s attention.
Content ideas to keep you feed interesting
Present your team (yourself)
A group photo of your whole team is always a good idea. It allows you to present yourselves and drive more interest. Clients still want to see the people behind a business and learn more about them.
Answer frequent questions relevant to the industry
This type of content can be published daily. It’s an excellent opportunity to drive engagement while also being helpful to customers.
Answer the FAQs you’ve received but also general questions that are commonly asked in the industry. This shows you are accessible, and a lot of people will send you a direct message if they see that you might be able to help.
Share the same post multiple times
If you had a successful post in the past, don’t be afraid to share it again. However, make sure that you let enough time pass between re-sharing. Add more relevance to the post and perspective by writing a caption.
Talk about your patients/customers
Sharing photos or videos with your customers in them can be compelling. Talk about the issues they’ve had, what they went through, and how you were able to help them. Make sure to follow your customers on Instagram as well and tag them in your posts so that they can engage as well.
Conclusion
With a bit of time and effort put in, you can establish a compelling Instagram account for your business. Our primary focus should be the content you deliver to potential patients. Always make sure to give them value and look to inspire them if possible. Bear in mind that it will take time for you to build the right presence with a lot of followers.
