So the past few
newsletters we have been spending time discussing the basics and ethics of a
social media presence as Marriage and Family Therapists. This final newsletter of the year we thought
it would be best to answer the question: “what am I supposed to post now that I
have an ethical professional Facebook page?” First I want to normalize any feelings of
anxiety with starting a new professional page.
It can sometimes seem like a lot of pressure in making sure that content
is therapeutic, confidential, and representative of you as a therapist… and can
easily get overwhelming. I have
researched on a couple of social media marketing websites to come up with a few
tips that may help you get started.
First
before starting your Facebook page it will be helpful to review what some of
your goals are as an online presence.
Some goals could include: attracting new clients, giving resources,
boosting your brand as a therapist or company, providing deals or insights,
etc. As you prioritize what is important
for your Facebook role you will have more of an idea of what content to post. The
ultimate goal for posts should be to engage your followers enough to get them
to choose you as their therapist.
PICTURES,
QUOTES, and FUNNIES
Almost every website I
visited agreed that it is important to include pictures with your posts. Images, quotes, and cartoons are attention
grabbers and get the traffic on your page interested and flowing. No one can
pass up a like on a post that gives you a good laugh.
Some websites suggest showing pictures of your office
and staff. You can include maybe holiday parties or community activities that
you get involved with. Be sure to always
keep your confidentiality radar on when posting pictures and make sure you have
permission from those in the picture.
DO WHAT WE DO BEST…
Ask questions, start conversations,
and show interest. Pretty simple to
do. Some ideas include: Who or what are
some of your best supportive resources? What are some things you do to keep
your marriage fun? What are some family activities you enjoy? Implementing
scaling questions can be beneficial to get participation and to assess interests.
Just utilize the skills you already have to engage followers.
EXTERNAL CONTENT, ARTICLES, and RESOURCES
The Facebook community has become a great way to share
information and help people become informed.
Share an interesting article with your followers. Be aware that some scholarly articles may be
interesting to you but find articles that are simple and interesting for others
as well. Facebook can also be a great
place to post community supports and provide resources to the community.
PROMOTIONS AND INFO ABOUT
YOUR CLINIC
Promote your clinic or office. You can get special interest through engaging
your Facebook followers in meet-and-greet activities at the office, special
seminars, group counseling posts, etc.
Make sure you have your clinic’s contact information somewhere on your
page. We want to make sure that the
traffic we create on our Facebook page will somehow translate into clients
receiving help in our office.
ONE FINAL TIP
Post positive feedback received by clients or other
professionals about you or your clinic.
These can be anonymous but it is always good to read positive feedback
regarding a therapist that you may choose to see one day. Plus it is positively reinforcing us that we
are doing a good job too.
We all know that it takes courage to walk through the
doors of a therapist and ask for help.
We can reaffirm clients of who we are as a clinic and prove ourselves to
them as a beacon of hope through our Facebook pages. Ultimately our goals and posts should always
keep the clients in mind as we press forward serving the great people of
Arizona.
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