Have you considered using Pinterest for your healthcare practice? Perhaps you don't think you have anything interesting to offer on such a visual platform. Wrong!
Many healthcare organizations such as yours are already using Pinterest with amazing results. A good example is Dayton Children's Medical Center.
Since they target parents as their primary audience, their pinboards feature parent-friendly content such as fun arts and crafts, recipes, miracle stories, kids' photos with descriptions of their health and recovery! These positive images give parents a good reason to bring their kids to Dayton Hospital.
Here are 6 ways that you too can use Pinterest to promote your organization:
#1. Pin client photos and testimonials
Happy patients and their smiling faces belong on your Pinterest board! Users love to see positive testimonials and encouraging images particularly in matters of health, where sadness and tragedy are too often the common narrative. As always, be sure to get permission before pinning your patients' images on your pinboards or anywhere else online.
#2. Show practical use of your products or services
Show users how people can use your services (and products if you have any) in a practical way. For example if you're a dermatologist, show how teenagers or young adults have experienced remarkable skin transformations by using your skin-care routine.
You can also show videos of certain procedures to demonstrate how the service actually works. "Before and after" images are particularly useful because they prove the effectiveness of your products!
#3. Use what you already have
If you have previously published content in the form of books, magazines, medical journals and so on, consider using images from those sources on your boards, and use the description space to discuss benefits to your users. You can then link those images to a landing page on your website where users can subscribe to get that content for free.
#4. Show your organization's culture
You've heard plenty of talk about 'humanizing your brand'. Well it's important enough that it bears repeating. Pinterest is a great platform to showcase pictures of your staff at work, at play, interacting with patients, or interesting (behind-the-scenes) moments at your organization. Users will love getting to know the personality of your organization through these images.
#5. Pin for conversation
When you pin as a hospital or healthcare brand remember that the goal is to drive traffic to your website and convert your followers into paying customers i.e. patients. Pin images that will arouse curiosity, questions, and opportunities for you to talk to followers. Remember too to link those pins back to your site or blog (but don't overdo it!) where a deeper conversation awaits.
#6. Take advantage of workshops, conferences and seminars
Don't forget about all the times that you or your staff attend health-related conferences. Create discussion pins that are dedicated to showing conference news, information and photos. Soon you will be known as the go-to resource in your category for this type of content. Also consider inviting other attendees to post on your board, and ask them if it's OK to add them to your mailing list.
Key Takeaway
These are just a few (of many) ways of using Pinterest to promote your healthcare organization. Be sure to follow other hospitals or practices that are on Pinterest and borrow some of their ideas as well. If you are creative and take care to provide your followers with interesting content, it won't be long before you begin to see them coming to your website to find out more about what you offer!
Over to you: Have you used Pinterest at your medical practice? What other tips could you share with us? Please leave your comments in the box below.