Internet social media sites like FaceBook and Twitter offer a new means for chiropractors to market their practices.  For the techie-phobes who have purposely avoided these sites, which seem to have made their way into the fabric of life in the U.S.,  FaceBook is basically a site that connects you to people you already know, or may want to know.  You sign up, create your profile, and start sending “friend” requests to people.  FaceBook gets you started by checking your Contacts list on your computer and seeing if any are signed up on FaceBook.  You can also search people by name (from your past– high school, college; and your current life) to see if they have a FB account, and send them a “friend” request.  They must approve your request in order for you to view their postings, and vice versa.  You basically write on your “wall” (your FB homepage) anything that comes to mind.  You can post pictures and videos, too.  People who you’ve approved will see what you are posting, and can converse with you.

Twitter is microblogging, where you periodically tell the world what you are doing or thinking at the moment, in 140 characters or less.  You sign up for an account and “follow” other people on Twitter; and likewise people can follow you.   You can follow celebrities who have Twitter accounts like Jennifer Lopez or Lance Armstrong, and you can follow the likes of CNN and your favorite blogs.  Your screen shows all the posts from those you are following.

So can you think of how to use FaceBook and Twitter to bring you more chiropractic patients?  If you’re not turned off to this kind of technology (believe me, I can understand those who refuse to jump on this bandwagon so don’t feel bad), it’s worth getting an account and using it to stay in touch with your patients (if you already have an existing FB and Twitter account for your family and friends, you can always create a “second identity” consider using a different email address).

Perhaps use these sites to distribute news regarding your services, and a resource to help your patients stay well through chiropractic.  You can use it to connect to a deeper level with your patients by posting personal “human interest” stories, like maybe a recent trip you took, with pictures of you and your family.  This can be very powerful, from the marketing standpoint.

And know that, in both FaceBook and Twitter, you can include links to your website.  The possibilities are many!

I welcome suggestions on how to best use Twitter and FaceBook to get new patients, and help keep current patients focused.

Dan