Instagram Tips for Chiropractors

Instagram Tips for Chiropractors

Instagram users have the most even age breakdown of all social media platforms, with more than 200 million people visiting the app per a day. As Chiropractors there are so many ways we can utilize it to market our practice. Listen to the podcast here! You can find us on Instagram at @greatdaydocs and @lifestylepractice.

Instagram is...

• an awesome way to connect and build relationships within your community with other business leaders, co-managing partners such as massage therapists, acupuncturists, and other doctors, as well as, possible new patients. 
• a way to communicate who you are and what you treat, so that when possible future patients stumble on your account they know you’re the right chiropractor for them.
• a great way to show how relatable you are through the use of stories and posts.
• a way to educate people who already know you, about what you do and the services you provide, so when they, or someone they know needs help you're the first person they go to for help
• a great way to narrow in on your target area/location.
• helps you learn about the type of content your followers enjoy to see from you, drive traffic to your website to, and to even have patients schedule a visit. 

Your instagram profile should tell visitors who you are, what you offer, and why they should care about you enough to hit the FOLLOW button.

It starts with your username, which should be similar to names used around all social media. Your profile picture should be a picture of you or your logo. I think a picture of you is best because it's more personable and easier to connect with. Optimize your bio name. Think like a search engine and include a place, your name, and/or practice name.

The main meat of your profile is your bio. Every word or emoji matters! Make sure you answer the basics using only 150 characters and try and include your USP(Uniques selling point). Don’t write in paragraph style. Instead, use bullet point, bite sized chunks of information with emojis at the beginning.

Make sure you include a strong CTA(Call to action) in the bio. What do you want people to do once they land on your account? Follow your feed, join your facebook group, download a resource? Ask them to do this in your bio.

Make sure to include your phone number and for sure include your location or address! People will easily pass you up if they have no idea that you're in their area.

You get to include one link in your bio, so make it count! You can use your website or use linktr.ee in order to link to a few places...your website, a particular page on your website or a recent blog or resource. Keep your links minimal though so it's not overwhelming.

Do not use hashtags in your bio unless they are specific to your practice, otherwise clicking on them will take customers away from your profile.

Make sure you're using a business profile, it's set to public, and the contact button links to your phone, email, and directions to your office.

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” -Will Rogers

Chiropractors on Instagram - Posting, Stories &IGTV

When posting to Instagram- limit generic pictures, limit selfies, limit technical posts, and don’t post just to post. Do some editing to your pictures or use a filter that's consistent the vibe of your practice. If you are having a hard time thinking about content to post, then create a pattern to your posts. Monday for memes, Tuesday for exercises, Wednesday for healthy food choices, etc. This will help you stay consistent and on target with your message.

• share about your practice -common issues you treat, educate on a technique you use, service you provide, what makes you unique, what patients can expect in your office
• share about you- hobbies, favorite restaurants, favorite health activities, favorite routines, etc
• share about your community - restaurants, stores, festivals, parks, healthy activities
• share testimonials of patients - make sure you have signed releases, talk to an attorney about what you’ll need, when using images and names
• regram fans and followers posts to share their content or share post they've made about your office.
• promote your presence outside of Instagram - YouTube, SnapChat, TikTok 

When posting to Instagram, make sure you geo tag(tag the place/location where you are) - your practice, the restaurant, the park, the store, etc. That way others will see your post under that location.

Remember to add a CTA(call to action) in your comments. Ask followers to visit your website, leave a comment, answer a question, etc. to help get engagement on your posts.

Highest engagement times are typically found around lunch to early afternoon. Take a break on Sunday, not much going on, everyone is enjoying Sunday, Funday….

Use hashtags - up to 30, I would use mostly location dependent hashtags, to help local people find you when they're looking through Instagram.

Stories-

Instagram stories tell a story about your daily life, your practice, and your community. Some followers only look at stories, so use this feature! Post several throughout the day, they only last 24 hours. This is your opportunity to get creative. Watch others and play around with the app to get comfortable with posting to your Instagram stories.

• Mention others - this allows them to also share the story, other businesses will typically repost/share your story
• Use up to 10 hashtags to direct traffic to your story
• Use location so it’s shared by that location
• Get feedback by using the poll feature
• Ask your followers questions to learn more about them and what they want
• Use countdown timers to alert your followers to upcoming events
• Use quizzes as a fun interactive game
• Add GIFs to get noticed
• Add music
• Add words with different fonts, colors, and backgrounds.
• Add your Instagram posts to your stories and invite lookers to read and engage with it.

To create a story, you can video from the app itself, or upload video from your phone.

Use highlights on profile to share stories for longer than 24 hours. You can create categories that share about your practice, your town, testimonials, exercises, etc.

IGTV-

IGTV is a way to show long form videos on Instagram. It hasn’t really taken off yet, which is good because its not oversaturated, meaning your videos are more likely to be seen by those utilizing. The more you post it to your Instagram account and other social media, the more your followers will see it. Tips for using IGTV:

• Use vertical video
• Keep it short, 10 minutes max for users, 2 to 5 minutes is best
• Can be recorded using phone/camera
• Change it up
• Keep content relevant, use other popular content of yours as a basis for creating popular IGTV videos
• Be a teacher by doing how to videos - exercises, lifting, yoga tips, cooking tips, etc.
• Go behind the scenes to show your chiropractic office, the people in your office and equipment
• Good content that can also be uploaded to YouTube
• Do promotional videos for potential customers
• Do an interview with another local business
• Use subtitles
• Use pop up text
• Use hashtags
• Use an inviting/interesting cover
• Promote your IGTV across social media
• Tease future content through the use of posts and stories
• Wear branded apparel
• Check analytics

 Build your following using Instagram

Actively engage with your audience and people in your community by watching their stories and responding genuinely to their posts and stories. Be genuine and only leave comments on posts that catch your eye.

Look at who is following similar accounts or other businesses in your area and interact with/follow their accounts. Maybe they'll follow you back!

Ask your followers to share your posts or stories if they’ve found the information useful.

Share to your other platforms and ask for follows on Instagram.

Put up a sign in your office!

Put your username on your t-shirts, logo shirts, and workout gear.

The Downsides of Instagram 

Can be a time suck.

Can be a turn off to possible patients.

Can look fake, boring, or superficial if you use generic posts, or only post using chiropractic lingo. People who stumble upon your account will find it hard to relate to you.

The one thing I’d never post to our IG account is an adjustment! I have no problem with the adjustment, but a lot of people cringe at the sight and sound of watching one. I have seen other Chiropractors post adjustments, and maybe that works for them, but for us, we'll stay away from it. There's plenty of other content that can add value to a possible follower/patients life and I think that's what will really help you market and grow your chiropractic practice.

Best of luck, and don't forget to follow us @greatdaydocs and @lifestylepractice!

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