You can set up a Facebook page for free, but if you want to do things properly it will involve havng a budget. In addition it takes times and effort and potentially people power if you wnat to get the best out of Facebook.
1. Its not expensive. Setting up a page is cheap. A lot of the apps are free and in time you may have to commit more resources, but that would be a sign that you are winning.
2. Its viral. Thanks to many apps and newsfeeds on offer, Facebook provides you with the perfect tools to connect to its huge user base.
3. You need to keep up with your competitors. Most physiotherapy practices today already have a Facebook page and are communicating with their fans on a daily basis so if you are not there as well, you are losing out from not having a presence where your customers are
4. Instant feedback. If you really want to know what your fans and customers think of a new service you have created or if there is a part of your service you are looking to upgrade or simply want a bit of feedback on what your customers think your physiotherapy practice could improve on, then Facebook is the perfect answer if you can build up a big enough community.
5. Increase brand loyalty. Regular incentives and offers are a good idea as is listening and responding to your fans on Facebook. This is really where most of your customers are so if you are not there as well establishing relationships and providing engaging content to your clients then you really are doing yourself a disservice.
6. Increase sales. Shopping is a social experience so why not utilise the network to drive appointments. You can increase the amount of appointments booked on your website by driving customers from your Facebook page and this does not have to be only on Facebook. Twitter is another great platform growing in popularity. You can utilise other social networks where your fans are engaging and interacting. The median age on Facebook is now 38, and the biggest demographic on Facebook, are males aged between 21 and 24. [Source: AdAge May 2011] they are young and this is the sort of population most private physiotherapy practices have coming through their doors so there is the added benefit of advertising and reaching these individuals through Facebook ads.
7. Increase brand awareness. Facebook is the ideal platform to share content. Give your fans something to shout about and they will amongst their friends.
8. Insight into your customer base. The Facebook Insights option can deliver up-to-date information on just who is engaging with your content.
9. You'll boost your search presence. Facebook's online strength means that for the most part, a well optimised page can rank well for brand terms in search engines and becomes a valuable property in the ever aggressive natural SERP's.
10. You can use it for recruitment. In a recruitment sense you can reach out to find the right people for your practice and avoids the costs in some cases involved advertising your post via other media. In addition you can reach out for your fans to recommend or share the job with their friends and acquaintances therefore the job post is exposed exponentially.
11. Protect yourself. If you don't register your brand name and create a relevant page then you run the risk of someone creating a Facebook page and making it look official. So it would be better for you to make your own page before someone else does.
12. Fast customer service. No need for telephone calls or time consuming customer service. On your Facebook page your practice has quick and easy access to reply to customer queries and complaints. In todays world where fans demand more than before tehy want to b heard and they want to be replied to quickly when tehy have a query.
13. Its a window into the mobile world. Today mobile browsing outreaches desktop use and your fans are looking for things on their mobile, so if your practice soes not have a FAcebook page it is virtually throwing away the opportunity to engage with its fans via mobile.
14. Tool to integrate your offline and online activity. If their is an event such as the one below from Pure Sports Medicine, it is the perfect opportunity to get feedback and talk immediately with your fans let them post photos, talk to their friends and acquaintances about what they thought about the event. Overall this can be a winner.
1. Its not expensive. Setting up a page is cheap. A lot of the apps are free and in time you may have to commit more resources, but that would be a sign that you are winning.
2. Its viral. Thanks to many apps and newsfeeds on offer, Facebook provides you with the perfect tools to connect to its huge user base.
3. You need to keep up with your competitors. Most physiotherapy practices today already have a Facebook page and are communicating with their fans on a daily basis so if you are not there as well, you are losing out from not having a presence where your customers are
4. Instant feedback. If you really want to know what your fans and customers think of a new service you have created or if there is a part of your service you are looking to upgrade or simply want a bit of feedback on what your customers think your physiotherapy practice could improve on, then Facebook is the perfect answer if you can build up a big enough community.
5. Increase brand loyalty. Regular incentives and offers are a good idea as is listening and responding to your fans on Facebook. This is really where most of your customers are so if you are not there as well establishing relationships and providing engaging content to your clients then you really are doing yourself a disservice.
6. Increase sales. Shopping is a social experience so why not utilise the network to drive appointments. You can increase the amount of appointments booked on your website by driving customers from your Facebook page and this does not have to be only on Facebook. Twitter is another great platform growing in popularity. You can utilise other social networks where your fans are engaging and interacting. The median age on Facebook is now 38, and the biggest demographic on Facebook, are males aged between 21 and 24. [Source: AdAge May 2011] they are young and this is the sort of population most private physiotherapy practices have coming through their doors so there is the added benefit of advertising and reaching these individuals through Facebook ads.
7. Increase brand awareness. Facebook is the ideal platform to share content. Give your fans something to shout about and they will amongst their friends.
8. Insight into your customer base. The Facebook Insights option can deliver up-to-date information on just who is engaging with your content.
9. You'll boost your search presence. Facebook's online strength means that for the most part, a well optimised page can rank well for brand terms in search engines and becomes a valuable property in the ever aggressive natural SERP's.
10. You can use it for recruitment. In a recruitment sense you can reach out to find the right people for your practice and avoids the costs in some cases involved advertising your post via other media. In addition you can reach out for your fans to recommend or share the job with their friends and acquaintances therefore the job post is exposed exponentially.
11. Protect yourself. If you don't register your brand name and create a relevant page then you run the risk of someone creating a Facebook page and making it look official. So it would be better for you to make your own page before someone else does.
12. Fast customer service. No need for telephone calls or time consuming customer service. On your Facebook page your practice has quick and easy access to reply to customer queries and complaints. In todays world where fans demand more than before tehy want to b heard and they want to be replied to quickly when tehy have a query.
13. Its a window into the mobile world. Today mobile browsing outreaches desktop use and your fans are looking for things on their mobile, so if your practice soes not have a FAcebook page it is virtually throwing away the opportunity to engage with its fans via mobile.
14. Tool to integrate your offline and online activity. If their is an event such as the one below from Pure Sports Medicine, it is the perfect opportunity to get feedback and talk immediately with your fans let them post photos, talk to their friends and acquaintances about what they thought about the event. Overall this can be a winner.
So there it is, a quick overview of some of the benefits of having a Facebook page so if ever you really wanted a business case you have one here to help you. What we as physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors have in the past hidden from getting involved in, market demands have driven us to get involved in social media and this does not only include having a Facebook page. To not have one should be clear for us all to see and it really would be a disservice to ignore. What frightens me evn more is the tragic fact that a lot of Facebook pages for physiotherapists even when put up get abandoned and customer queries left unanswered. Soin this case we would say yes there is the need t have a Facebook page but don't please follow the crowd and leave yours abandoned after a few months.
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