Social media for your weight loss practice doesn’t have to be confusing, expensive, or overwhelming. Attract more patients to your practice by making your social media posts more unique, impactful and engaging!

It’s noisy online — especially when it comes to weight loss. So, whether you are an experienced social media marketer or someone who wants to leverage the power of social media for business growth and patient engagement, it is helpful to have fresh ideas and strategies to implement that will maximize your efforts and any chosen ad spend.

While used for various intents and purposes, social media essentially refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.¹ Thus, social media covers a wide gamut of online options to choose from such as social networks (i.e. Facebook and Twitter); media networks (i.e. Instagram, YouTube and Podcasting Platforms); or blogging and publishing (i.e. WordPress and Amazon Publishing).

No matter where you choose to post, it is critical to ensure your posts are not pointless. You need to know who your post is intended for, the platform(s) they typically use, as well as the purpose behind your post. A few reasons specific to health care and weight loss include awareness, education, announcements, to clarify common myths/misinformation, promote your services and products, direct sales and/or capture the attention and contact information of potential new patients.

Put Social Media to Work for You

Do you ever feel like you are trying hard to master social media — your wheels are spinning and yet, you are getting no traction?  Maybe you have no time or desire to spend on social media and have outsourced it to an “expert,” only to find minimal or no return on your investment?  Or perhaps you are comparing yourself to your competitors online and wondering how they post so often (and if it is working for them). These sentiments are more common than you may think.

So, to help you on your mission, here is an idea bank of 12 tried and true posts to attract new weight loss patients to your practice (in no particular order of importance). Simply pick what resonates with you. Be sure to choose some that will challenge you and your team to get out of your comfort zone and try something new.

1. Life in the Day of a Weight Loss Physician: When people see you as a role model and example of how to overcome everyday weight loss struggles, it increases their trust in your abilities to help them overcome their weight loss struggles. Share your day-to-day struggles and how you overcome. Lead them down the “doable” path towards overcoming obesity for good this time.
2. Demonstration/How to: Demonstrate integral parts of your program, such as your body composition, REE and protein products. Explain why they are important. Demonstrate on camera for clarity, such as how you mix your favorite protein shake. If you love cooking, you can even share how to make one of your favorite healthy recipes.
3. Limited Promotion: It never hurts to create a little bit of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) by offering a product or program special discount or added bonus for a limited time only. You can even highlight a different special in your posts and e-newsletter each month and give your patients something to look forward to!
4. Personal Fun Fact: Share fun facts (weight loss related or not) about you or anyone on your team. This shows your personal side and helps people get to know you better.
5. Invite Guests for a Live or Recorded Interview: A great way to get seen on other people’s social media platforms is to have them as guests on a video or in an interview. No need to overthink this. It can be a simple conversation with a patient, a team member, referring physician, therapist or personal trainer. Pick an interesting topic such as weight loss on a budget, self-esteem, sabotage behaviors, plastic surgery after massive weight loss or stress relief. The sky is the limit! Have them share it on their platform as well and always include your contact information and how to learn more or take the next step!
6. New Perspective or Reason for Taking Action: People often repeatedly hear the same advice. Stand out by sharing a new perspective with a reason to act. Examples include: Four most unusual reasons that people seek weight loss surgery (or medical weight loss); why (fill in the blank) can actually keep you from losing weight (and what to do instead); top three questions you should ask yourself before starting a weight loss program or five healthy foods that commonly cause weight gain.
7. Attention Grabbing Statistic: Keep an eye on the latest news and turn it into a post that leads into how your programs, services or products can help solve the problem.
8. Your Personal Story: Share your vision and why you started your practice in the first place. It is okay to be a little vulnerable here. Share your greatest successes and how you overcame struggles. It is also good to share important statistics such as average weight loss for your patients and how many hundreds/thousands you have had the honor of helping lose weight.
9. A New Type of Testimonial – Favorite Long-term Success Advice from Your Weight Loss Patients: People love to identify with the struggles and success of others they can relate to. They also like to see what is possible! Ask your top success patients their advice and share it in a series of ‘themed’ posts. Have your team and the patient share it on their platforms as well!
10. What’s in Your Bag? This is a great seasonal post series! Just as you see in magazines, have your team or patients share ‘what’s in their bag/purse’ to keep them on track with weight maintenance/weight loss for vacations, holidays, busy days at work or family outings.
11. Ask the Weight Loss Doctor Anything: This is a great way to obtain topics of interest and better engagement. Create ‘Ask the Doctor’ posts (or you can insert your name) and then simply answer their questions — leading them to the products and services you offer.
12. Weight Loss Snack or Recipe of the Week: Everyone loves a meal prep, snack, or simple 4 ingredient recipe that supports their weight loss goals. You can gain quite a following through recipes alone. Don’t hold back and include recipes and photos that include your delicious protein products as well.

Finally, your efforts will be most effective if you are consistent. As an additional tip, try to plan your posts one to four weeks ahead, incorporate ‘day of the week’ themes that resonate with your patients and schedule posts ahead of time as often as possible. This takes the pressure off of what to say each day and ensures consistency. Always have a call to action so people can click a link to learn more, purchase or sign up for a webinar or consultation. For further ideas, click here for a blog with how to create and implement your social media plan.

Source(s):

¹ https://communications.tufts.edu/marketing-and-branding/social-media-overview