Social media isn’t just for keeping in touch with family, friends, and people you knew 10 years ago from high school.  Any kind of business, from e-commerce sites to health services to the manufacturing industry, can all benefit from having a strong social media presence.

Here’s the one great thing that businesses love about having a social media account: it’s free.   Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other similar sites don’t charge a single fee for businesses to open up an account and use it to help gain more business.  This may very well be because, as Redspot Marketing reported, that in 2011, 47% of all small businesses with a Facebook page saw a significant amount of traffic go from their Facebook page to their website.

Better yet, 48% of small businesses polled said that those who were coming from their Facebook page actually converted into paying customers.

Also, be sure to check out our FREE Ebook, “How Successful Health Service Providers Grow Their Business Using Inbound Marketing” for generating more traffic and leads for your business. 

Use Social Media to Tell People Who You Are

85% of small businesses polled by Redspot Marketing stated that they used Facebook just to share basic information about their business.  It’s important to tell people who you are and what you’re about – otherwise how will they know whether or not they want to do business with you?

Your website doesn’t have to be the only place where you tell your company’s story; your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn account can serve that same purpose.  Make sure that on each of your social media accounts you fill out the profile section in its entirety, and give people a run down of why you got into the health services.

Is it your drive to help people live a happier, healthier life?  Was there someone close to you that inspired you to start the business?  Or maybe you have a totally unique business in the health services industry.  Tell people what drove you to start that business.

In order to fully optimize your social media platforms for success, be sure to check out our FREE Ebook, “The Ultimate Cheat Sheet For Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.”

Customer Service Has Never Been Easier

You know, and I know, that the health services industry is stacked up with some pretty tough competition.  One of the best selling features that any small to medium sized business in any industry can offer is customer service.

Large companies and corporations may say that they have customer service, but the truth is that their customer service is typically generalized, impersonal, and is completely lacking.  This means that you have a chance to capitalize on an opportunity to provide outstanding customer service, and for many people, there is no easier or better way than running that aspect of the business through social media.

People can post questions and queries to your social media accounts 24 hours a day, and you can respond to them in real-time.  What’s even better is that with the new Facebook Timeline, you can actually correspond with anyone via private message so if you want to keep a particular conversation private, you can.

But customer service isn’t JUST about responding to questions your customers may have; you can contribute to their conversations as well.  Twitter offers tools which allow you to search out conversations that involve you, your company, or other topics in your niche.  Why not slide into some of those public conversations and give them your two cents on the matter?

For Staff Recruitment

This is a rather new idea, but it’s one that’s starting to catch on in the industry.  Think about how much you spend on a “cost per hire” basis.  Now think of how inexpensive that would be through social media.  Social media allows you to cast out a large net to try and find the perfect candidate.  Posting on Facebook and Twitter means that your job posting will be shared and retweeted.  You can potentially reach millions of people without having to pay a single penny.

Social media is not only free, but it’s also fast, public, and people out there are already using Facebook and Twitter to find businesses such as yourself to seek out job opportunities.  Depending on where you live and your particular health services niche, it may be hard to find quality and qualified health services staff.

Key Takeaways:

There are a lot of ways in which social media can be used to the benefit of anyone in the health services industry, whether it’s to find and retain customers or to recruit staff.

Need Help?

If social media marketing is something you are interested in but are having trouble getting started, contact us today to schedule your free marketing analysis.