By: Melody Gandy-Bohr

An active social media presence is a valuable part of any online marketing strategy. In a recent study, 78% of consumers said that a company’s social media posts impact their purchases. It’s an effective way to build connections with your patients. Social media blunders like oversharing can negatively affect your practice. If you need help finding the right tone for your practice, here are a few mistakes to avoid making on social media platforms.

Don’t Get Too Personal

Injecting your personality into your Facebook and Twitter posts is a great way to reveal the friendly side of your practice. It’s important to know the difference between being friendly and sharing too much. Keep your audience in mind when creating your posts. Sharing personal details can be perceived as unprofessional to your followers, sabotaging your social media efforts. If you wouldn’t say it directly to a patient in your office, it’s best to keep it off social media.

Don’t Incur HIPAA Violations

As a practice owner, you’re proud of the outstanding care your practice provides. While you might want to share recent success stories with your followers, be careful not to post any personal health information protected by HIPAA. Even the smallest shared detail could result in a HIPAA violation, from treatment details to the age of a patient.

Avoid Politics

Nothing can incite a heated debate like the polarizing subject of politics. It’s a subject best avoided in all situations, from Thanksgiving dinners to social media posts. Political posts can alienate followers who don’t care for political talk on social media, or for your personal views. Pew Research Center revealed that more than one-third of social media users are worn out by political posts in their feeds. Keep your patients happy by steering clear of political posts on social media.

Social media is a marketing tool that can be very beneficial to your practice when used properly. Remember, the Internet is forever, so try to avoid posting anything online that can cast a negative light on your practice. A good rule of thumb? If you wouldn’t say it to a patient in a professional setting, don’t post it on social media.

Reach out to Officite today for help building a strong social media presence!