How to use social media to grow your functional medicine practice

Marketing
Written By Otto Health

Social media can be a game changer for growing your functional medicine practice. With the right strategy, you can build awareness, connect with your ideal patients, and position yourself as an expert. Below, we share some tips on how to get started.

1. Choose the right platform

Not all platforms are the same, so pick one that aligns with your goals:

  • Facebook: Ideal for building community through Groups and targeting specific audiences with ads. Aligns nicely with a local go-to-market strategy

  • Instagram: Great for visual content like patient testimonials, wellness tips, and behind-the-scenes glimpses

  • LinkedIn: Perfect for professional networking and sharing long-form content like case studies. Particularly valuable if you plan to partner with employers or local small businesses

  • TikTok: Short, viral videos that attract a younger audience looking for quick health tips

  • YouTube: The go-to for longer, educational content such as deep dives into treatment options

Anecdotally, we’ve seen clinicians have the most success with Facebook (especially local groups), followed by Instagram and LinkedIn.

2. Choose the right content type

Video consistently performs best across all platforms. It’s the most engaging, and platforms rank video content highly. Although you don’t need professional equipment, make sure that you nail video quality (lighting, resolution) and sound quality. It might be worthwhile to invest in a simple microphone or ring light. If you are posting video content, be sure to add closed captions.

If you're posting static visuals like infographics, create a few branded templates that look different but still match your style. This keeps your profile visually appealing and helps your audience instantly recognize your content as yours.

3. Be consistent

If your goal is to acquire patients through social media, rather than just have an online presence for SEO purposes, it’s important to post consistently. Consistency builds trust, both with prospective patients and with the algorithms.

This means posting at least 3-4 times per week as well as engaging with other posts (comments, likes, re-shares).

4. Prioritize quality

The key to success is delivering high-quality, valuable content. Don’t waste time trying to game the algorithms—they change constantly. Instead, focus on content that educates, engages, and genuinely helps your audience.

5. Still, understand platform-specific nuances

While quality content is king, it’s helpful to know a few key points for each platform. Here are a few highlights for each platform at the time of writing (October 2024):

  • Instagram

    • Reels are the place to be. Reels are short, engaging videos that can be up to 90 seconds long. You can feature music, effects, and various creative tools. They appear in a dedicated Reels feed and can also be shared on your regular Instagram feed and Stories. Reels are designed for discovery, making them a powerful way to reach a broader audience, as they are often shown to users who don’t already follow you.

    • Comments and saves have a heavier influence than likes.

    • The algorithm prioritizes content that is fresh, meaning posts made within the last few hours are given more visibility in the feed. Engagement within the first few hours after posting is crucial, as this signals to Instagram that your content is relevant and should be shown to more people. Posts that are more than a day or two old start to lose prominence in user feeds unless they continue to receive significant engagement.

  • LinkedIn

    • Although LinkedIn is a better platform for long-form text than some of the others on the list, posts with media (images, videos, documents) still tend to perform better than plain text. LinkedIn also pushes posts with native videos more than external links.

    • LinkedIn’s new video-only feed could be an excellent way to build an audience before other creators get onto the platform and crowd you out.

  • Facebook

    • In Groups, prioritize interaction—respond quickly to comments and become a trusted authority.

    • For Feed posts, the algorithm tends to reduce the reach of posts that contain external links, as Facebook prefers to keep users on its platform. If you want to include a link, putting it in the comments might be better.

    • Similar to Instagram, Facebook prioritizes newer content (on the magnitude of a few hours rather than days), so consistency and frequency is even more important.

  • TikTok

    • TikTok values completion rate, meaning videos that are watched all the way through (or rewatched) are prioritized. Short, engaging videos tend to perform well for this reason.

    • TikTok's algorithm heavily promotes videos using trending sounds, effects, or popular hashtags. Jumping on trends helps increase visibility.

    • Using TikTok's native editing features (filters, text, effects) helps push your videos to more users.

    • TikTok prefers newer content. Your video is likely to be shown within the first few hours after it's posted, and the more engagement it gets quickly, the more reach it will have.

    • The algorithm looks at video captions, sounds, and hashtags to understand the content and decide who to show it to.

    • TikTok pushes a mix of popular and less-known content to users. This means even new or small accounts can go viral if their content is engaging and relevant to users.

  • YouTube

    • Recently uploaded content is given more exposure, especially if it garners quick engagement. However, evergreen content (relevant over time) can continue performing well even after weeks or months if it maintains strong engagement.

    • Search optimization is key. Titles, descriptions, and tags play a role in how YouTube indexes your video for search and recommendations.

    • YouTube rewards videos that keep users on the platform longer. If your video leads users to watch more videos, either from your channel or elsewhere, the algorithm sees it as valuable for keeping users engaged.

    • The algorithm monitors how often users click on a video after seeing the thumbnail and title and rewards videos with a high click-through rate (CTR). Add a compelling title and thumbnail to boost your visibility.

6. Activate your personal network

To avoid the “empty house” problem, when you’re new to a platform, ask your friends and family to follow you and engage with your content.

7. Use helpful tools

Simplify your workflow with these tools:

  • CapCut: An easy video editor for platforms like TikTok and Instagram

  • Canva: Create visually appealing graphics and infographics

  • Trello / Asana: Organize content ideas and manage your workflow

  • Google Analytics: Track social media traffic to your website and measure your ROI

  • Sendible / Later.com: Schedule and analyze your social media posts across platforms

  • Repurpose.io: Automatically repurpose and distribute your content across multiple platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn

Ready to grow your practice?

Choose the right platform, stay consistent, and focus on delivering quality content. For more tips and strategies, check out our full Social Media Guide.

Social media is a powerful tool—use it wisely, and watch your practice grow!

Otto Health
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