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Why pharmacy shouldn’t be scared of Social Media
M
any people are a little reluctant to build a social media presence as they worry
about gaining new likes, attracting customers and keeping visitors entertained and happy. Social media sites however are the tool businesses online have needed for a while as it allows those real life skills to be used in the online world.
The transition from the shop floor to the internet can be daunting, there's suddenly a much wider audience and connections seem less fragile than in the real world making conversions harder to come by. The trick is to take a step back and use skills you already have in order to make social media work for you.
The meaning of Social Media Meeting someone online should be no different to meeting them in person, especially if you're hoping to build relationships that encourage sales. People do adore the convenience of shopping online yet in the same breath; we also miss that personal service that we'd receive whenever we entered a shop looking to buy.
This is why those who talk to customers online, ask questions and listen to their needs excel whereas those that simply see them as
numbers and not real people fail or get bad press.
Your Target Market You obviously have a passion for your business; therefore it would be easy for you to connect with those that have a passion for your product or available services. Reach out to likeminded people, share what interests you in your industry, give tips and advice that your customers can benefit from. When someone comments, follows or interacts take the time to treat them as an individual and you'll soon see your reputations soar.
Tracking Your Progress A social media strategy is essential to maintain the momentum that keeps your customers interested. Once you've developed a realistic plan of who you will target and with what, you need to keep an eye on how the plan unfolds. For instance, if one blog you shared reached 20000 people yet the following blog reached only 200, you need to analyse why in order to harness the power of the first so every blog reaches 20000 and more.
Say Thank You All customers like to feel valued so don't forget to say thank you. This could be by offering a competition,
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a personal email or even launching loyalty cards for those who like you on Facebook.
Gratitude goes a long way as your company is only as big as your customer base after all.
Ah! Brilliant is a Sales, Marketing and Social Media company providing social media and marketing services to businesses across Scotland including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and throughout the UK.
Top Social Media Best Practice Tips for Pharmacists
So you’re a pharmacist and you love social media. Great! How do you ensure you are developing your social media presence so that it benefits your career and your profession? There are standards you can adhere to and tips you can follow to ensure social media is a constructive element in your career and for your profession, and not just a time-waster. Below are ten top tips recommended by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
Top Tip #1: Take the opportunity to interact and engage Think of your social media interaction as a conversation. In an offline, face- to-face conversation, would you blurt out your thoughts without listening to what’s being said first? Would you state your opinion on something and walk away without hearing or responding to any responses? You can use social media to announce your ideas and work, but you will be missing out on one of the key benefits of social media: interactivity.
Top Tip #2: Share useful information You are a highly trained professional and you should not underestimate
50 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST
the value of the information you contain. Think of social media as another vehicle to share your learning and knowledge. If you think of/read/learn something useful – share it! You never know who could benefit from the information you share, or how. Every little bit of credible, sound information shared by a medical professional counters the vast amounts of medical misinformation that confuses patients who seek information online.
Top Tip #3: Be careful giving medicines advice online NB – this could and should and will be an entirely separate and more detailed document. It is a very contentious issue, and difficult terrain to provide concrete guidance on. The Society would ask pharmacists to get in touch with your thoughts and ideas on this matter, and watch this space. In the meantime, here are some thoughts on giving medicines advice online: As the amount of ‘Google- diagnoses’ increase among patients who seek health information online increases, the value of your social media presence increases. Consider taking the time where possible to
counter medicines misinformation with your expert knowledge – but note that this requires consistency and commitment, and you will have to adhere to the same standards of patient care as you would offline, as much as possible. Offering medicines advice online is tricky business. Some prefer to avoid it altogether. If you choose to provide advice online, always encourage the patient to speak to a pharmacist or doctor face to face. Never reveal confidential information.
Top Tip #4: Social media is the real world Social media does not exist in an alternative consequence-free universe where you can do as you please. A number of libel cases and even arrests have been made over recent years associated with Twitter. You are still subject to the same professional standards. For example, think carefully before you post anything about patients. To publish a case report in a journal you’d need consent of the patient.
Top Tip #5: Have a strategy Know what you want to achieve with social media and it can be a great
learning tool, and can even contribute to your CPD. It’s easy (and fun!) to lose time posting about lunch, football and non-pharmacy related things, and it’s important to show your unique personality and your human side, so don’t stop tweeting about non-work related topics. But if you have decided to use social media to benefit your career, consider setting yourself a goal: 50% of what you put out on social media must serve your career and the pharmacy profession.
Top Tip #6: Cast your net beyond pharmacy Pharmacy impacts on the work of many other healthcare professionals, so having access to the Twitter feed and blogs of doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics etc can be an invaluable source of information and discussion. The medical and nursing communities on Twitter are lively, and are both ahead of pharmacy in terms of embracing the use of social media for professional purposes. So, if you specialize in a particular area, try to track down some doctors who work in the same field.
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