Health care providers continue to invest in social media, whether they are trying to attract new followers or build patient census. Any brand can create a Facebook page or YouTube channel, but how do they know if they are really connecting with their audience? There is no sure-fire method for calculating all the ways social media is making a mark with your audience, but there are several tactics that can help determine if some of it is making an impact on the bottom line.
- Does your Facebook page have the capability for lead generation? By implementing a unique URL or phone number for inquiries through different social media outlets, you can track conversions.
- Closely monitor the amount of referral traffic your website receives from social media sites. Even if only 10 percent of your website traffic is coming from social media sites, that can make a big difference. There are also internet tools to monitor where a visitor goes once they enter your website, which can help determine if conversions were initiated from a social media site.
- Feature exclusive offers on your social media channels. Any Facebook page that has at least 400 “likes” can begin creating offers to entice their supporters to use their product or service. More than 42 million Facebook users have claimed an offer, so the demand is there.
- Measure audience growth and engagement, and pair it with market research about brand awareness. Have you gained 2,000 Twitter followers and 1,000 Facebook “likes” in the past six months? Have you seen a surge in retweets or comments on your Facebook page? Take a look at those figures, and then do a market analysis to see if there has been a change in brand awareness/reputation by employing market research. If all those numbers are growing, social media is making its mark.
Which tactics are you using to determine social media ROI?