Another blog about social media? Yeah we’re going there. Social media still seems to scare some in the healthcare staffing industry. Don’t be scared! More than likely you have a Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram or some kind of online social presence for your personal life. The thing is, it’s just as important for companies to have a social media presence to promote themselves just as you do on your personal accounts. If you use social media correctly, it can work to a great marketing aspect to your company. Seriously! Think about it, social media is free, helps you gain leads (FOR FREE), build great customer relations (free!) and you can market your company and what it has to offer, again, FOR FREE! As a company how can you say no to any kind of free promotion? That’s right you can’t. We can get into why marketing and social media are vital to the success of your company at a later point, let’s just get you on social media and give you some tips on how you can make your staffing agency one of the “cool kids” online. Now I’m just sounding like a Brad Paisley song….
Moving on!
Oil and Water
A common misconception is that there is no place for social media in healthcare staffing, WRONG! They do go together believe it or not. Sometimes social media can be a hard sell, and we understand. When people ask a social media guru what they do all day they expect them to say, “I just play on Facebook all day”…not exactly. Although it may seem like “just playing on Facebook”, its a benefit to the company and an easy way to see how competitors are reaching out to their client/consumer base.
Another, more important thought is, how can social media thrive in the healthcare industry when everything is so confidential and ever changing. That’s actually what makes these two a perfect combination. You don’t have to tweet about clients and their personal information. You can actually take an experience you have had and turn it in to a positive learning experience for someone else. For example, as a physician you could tweet or post on facebook small tips about your profession that educate the general public without giving away all your secrets. It could be as simple as a dentist posting about benefits of flossing. Simple as that.
Still need more proof? Let us share 5 tips on why social media IS for healthcare staffing.
Don’t limit yourself!
When it comes to social media there are numerous options, don’t limit yourself to one! The more accounts you have the more presence and influence you will have. Social media is actually pretty simple I promise. Yes, having numerous accounts may sound like a hassle but there are programs out there that help you link your accounts so you can type your message in one place and it can be posted on all your accounts. Although, it’s not always the best idea to say the same things on all your social media platforms because one of your social media bases may not find it necessary to follow all your different accounts. For example, if you post the same thing on Twitter all the time that you do on Facebook, why would your followers on Twitter feel the need to “Like” you on Facebook? Keep your “fan base” on their toes and post different info bits on all your social media platforms sending your followers to see info they can’t see on just their favorite social media outlet.
Make your social media work FOR you
I could sit here and write a lengthy blog on each different social media outlet and list hundreds of ways each platform can be used to benefit your brand, but lets face it…Ain’t nobody got time for that! Here is a list of a few ways to expand your social media outside of the box.
- Use Facebook as a job board
- Pinterest for Video Content Marketing (via Staffing Robot)
- Recruit with an App
- Keep healthcare relationships strong with LinkedIn Contacts
- Marketing done within 6 seconds on Vine
Your turn to speak out! Connect with us!
What ways have you used social media that are out of the box?
Are you connected with us online?
