Social Media Do's and Don'ts for Pharmacies
by Bridget Hanna, CPhT
Your pharmacy’s social media can be your online marketing storefront if run with the right processes, strategies, and content to represent your pharmacy. You can customize your social media platforms, from branding to the offerings of your pharmacy. Social media provides a platform to create content aligned with your goals. Growing your community, educating, promoting, networking, and learning from your community are just a few ways social media can support your business and marketing goals.
With all these opportunities at your fingertips, it is important to realize that the content and how you run your page will represent your pharmacy. Here are a few Social Media dos and don’ts to ensure you enable the best outcomes of your pharmacy’s social media.
DO’S
1. OPTIMIZE YOUR PLATFORM
Take the time to go through your page settings to make sure your page is set up correctly for the best performance and protection. Create a feel for your page with the page design/appearance. The way you optimize your page will support the arrangement for you and the functionality for your audience.
2. PLAN AHEAD
Plan and create content ahead of time, so you are not rushed to post and have the time to create quality content. This will also remove the stress of running your page and let your content come naturally.
3. POST WITH A PURPOSE
Instead of just posting to post, create your content with a strategy and desired result that you want to come from what you are posting. When you know what you want the result to be, you can focus your content creation on that result.
4. BE CONSISTENT
Scheduling your posts can help you be more consistent with how often and when you are posting. You can adjust this as you see fit with the results of the most popular days and times.
5. WATCH YOUR INSIGHTS
Consistently check your insights on your platforms. The insights from your content performance, including reach, engagement, and demographics, can provide essential feedback for future success.
6. LEARN FROM YOUR FOLLOWERS
Listen to what your followers tell you about how they interact with your page. The questions they ask, the comments they leave, and the requests they provide can help shape how you provide them with content within your pharmacy.
7. DELIVER A VARIETY OF CONTENT
Your audience will have a preference in how they absorb information. By providing a variety of content that includes text, photos, graphics, or video, you can appeal to many media tastes.
8. BE CLEAR ON YOUR MARKETING MESSAGE
You must be very clear on the message you want to deliver with your content. Your message should align with your content and the result you want.
DON’TS
1. DO NOT POST GENERIC CONTENT
If you want your audience to follow your page, give them content unique to you and your pharmacy.
2. DO NOT POST LOW-QUALITY CONTENT
Your content needs to catch the eye of your audience—post high-quality photos, graphics, and videos representing your pharmacy.
3. DO NOT IGNORE ENGAGEMENT
If your followers take time to engage with your content, then take the time to respond.
4. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PAGE UNMONITORED
If you want to keep your page professional, you must protect your page. Many trolls and bots will spam your page with inappropriate comments, engagements, and links to spam your followers. Keep your page and your followers safe by monitoring your page.
5. DO NOT POST NON-HIPPA-COMPLIANT INFORMATION
We must remember to check every piece of information, whether a photo or video background or how we may be sharing a success story, to keep all content HIPPA compliant.
6. DO NOT POST IN HASTE
Think before you post on your pharmacy’s page. Take time to analyze the content and its effect on your audience.
7. DO NOT HIDE WHAT MAKES YOUR PHARMACY UNIQUE
Spotlight your pharmacy’s values, products, services, staff, and how you show up for your patients and community.
8. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE YOUR PHARMACY’S SOCIAL MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
Your pharmacy’s social media platforms can be a successful marketing tool in expanding your reach, educating your community, and converting followers to patients.