Instagram is a great tool for business owners to showcase their services, products and brand personality to a huge audience of people. Over one billion people use Instagram, mostly millennials. Although most of your patients may be Baby Boomers, you can’t skip out on relating to a younger market too.
Millennials are increasingly health conscious and care immensely about preventing future injuries and illnesses (Huffington Post). Young people are more interested in physical therapy then you might assume right off the bat!
Still, people of all ages are using Instagram, and many interact with businesses on the platform to learn, ask questions and more. If you’re not already managing a business Instagram page for your physical therapy practice, it’s time to start one!
Here are best practices for using Instagram to market your PT practice:
What to Post
The best thing you can post on Instagram is helpful health information. You should post pain management tips, health facts, exercise videos, and anything else you know your patients want to see. Not only will this delight your current patients, but it will build trust with new patients because they will appreciate the value of your content and see you as the expert.
Suggested hashtags: #healthtips #healthfacts #physicaltherapy #behealthy #healthylifestyle
Fitness and wellness are hot topics on Instagram. Young people especially are big fans of new exercises, dieting tips and products focused on improving health and wellness. Take the opportunity to showcase HIIT workouts, weight lifting techniques and wellness products you recommend.
Suggested hashtags: #fitnessfriday #healthandfitness #exercisetips #stayfit
Next, testimonials are great for this platform. Being careful of HIPPA regulations, take a photo or video of your satisfied client and post their review in the caption. This kind of post will tell others you care about your patients and your patients care about you!
Suggested hashtags: #loveourclients #testimonialtuesday #ravingreview
Lastly, throw in some fun stuff! Show pictures and video of your staff having fun in the clinic, special events or team outings. Your followers want to get to know your business and light-hearted content will give your brand a more ‘human’ vibe.
Suggested hashtags: #worklife #teamwork #lovemyjob #afterhours #needmorecoffee
When to Post
Now that you have great content, you must make sure you post it at optimal times for views and engagement – because what good is great content if it’s not being seen?
According to Sprout Social, here are the best times to share on Instagram:
- The best time to post on Instagram is Wednesday at 3 p.m., Thursday at 5 a.m., 11 a.m., and 3 to 4 p.m. and Friday at 5 a.m.
- Thursday is the best day to post to Instagram.
- The safest times to post to Instagram are Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday is the least engaging day for Instagram.
Now that you know these best practices, start putting them to use on your business Instagram account and don’t forget to interact with your followers (i.e. like their posts and comment back to them).
Instagram can be a fun, helpful tool for growing and marketing your PT business if you use it well. You can do it! If you need more help, check out these fresh ways to use your business social media.
Marketing doesn’t have to be a guessing game. Our experts know the best practices when it comes to ALL avenues of marketing a physical therapy business. To learn more, schedule a call with one of our FYZICAL Advisors today by calling 941-220-2055 to book an appointment.
