10 things hurting your presence on social media

In the past, I have covered some of the
things your should do on social media but it’s also important to
understand what you should avoid doing. Social media is an extension
of your business and allows you to communicate with your customers.
Your behavior online is just as important as your behavior at your
practice.

1. Don’t like your own post.

I know you want to encourage your
followers to like your post, but liking your own post is a big NO NO.
This is a silly mistake, novice people makes. If you would like to
like the post on the page you manage, you need to manually change to
your personal profile. Below the post, located on the same line as
the like and share buttons, you will find a down arrow next to your
company logo. Click on it to switch profile.

2. Don’t schedule post at
   inappropriate times

Another common mistake is scheduling
your post at inappropriate hours of the day. Receiving likes and
shares on articles are hard enough to do organically, so do yourself
a favor and research the best time to post. You can also read my
previous article on this subject. “When is the best time to post
on social media in 2016”. Ultimately, the best time to post will
be determined by your audience, so make sure you cross reference your
social media analytics with the information you found on the best
time to post.

3. Don’t forget to check your
   grammar and fix your typos.

Grammar mistakes and typos can hurt
your credibility in the long run. It happens to everyone to make
mistakes; that’s why it’s important to double-check your work. It’s
always good to have someone else look at your work with a fresh pair
of eyes. Sometimes it’s easy to miss an obvious mistake after
starring at your screen for too long.

4. Don’t under post.

The most common mistake I see is to
under post. If you want to reach more people organically (without
paying) you should ideally post every day on Facebook. The Facebook
algorithm will lower your ranking if your page is less active, so
hence the importance of getting likes and shares. Now don’t go
sharing 10 articles a day every day on Facebook either. Posting 1-3
articles a day seems to have the best click per post on Facebook
communities. Use this information as a benchmark and determine what
is best for your audience.

5. Don’t share low quality
   content.

You may find on the Internet, the more
content you share, the better. This information is becoming outdated.
It used to be true at the very beginning of social media sharing, but
now trends are changing. High-quality content will help establish
your company as a leader in your industry. It will also help your
site rank well in search engines and more importantly it will help
establish trust with your community.

6. Don’t only post your
   content.

You don’t always have to post the
content you produced. It is good to share articles or videos
regarding your industry as long as it is relevant to your practice
and customers

7. Don’t ignore negative
   reviews.

Negative reviews may impact your
business ratings in the short term but they also help you understand
what your customers don’t like about your practice. It gives you a
chance to improve your services and a chance to offer a better
customer experience. In the long run, your customers will come to
appreciate your attention to details and will come to trust you more.

8. Don’t delete negative
   comments

It may be tempting to delete a negative
comment, but by doing so you may infuriate that person further. Leave
the comment on your page and respond to this customer nicely by
asking him / her to continue this conversation over a direct message
or email.

9. Don’t argue with customers
   online.

Arguing on a public forum can ruin your
reputation forever. You may disagree with a comment made by someone
but always and I mean always take this out of the public eye and
continue the conversation over private message or email.

10. Don’t post patient
    information.

The most obvious advice I can give you
is to not share patient information on social media. This one should
be easy for all of you. You learned this in med school and you
already respect this principle. I don’t have to remind you, you could
lose your license for doing so.

Have you experienced any of these
before? Share your experience with us by letting us know how you
handled it.