Using Social Media to Market a Chiropractors Practice - Essay Example

Using Social Media to Market a Chiropractor’s Practice Using Social Media to Market a Chiropractor’s Practice The question of the extent to which chiropractors make use of social media to market their practice is one which is increasingly being debated. It has been argued that many chiropractors are constantly ignoring the reality as well as potential that accompany social media marketing subsequently leaving them behind. On the other hand, integrating social media into any efforts at marketing can help to significantly expand into other areas that were previously not possible.

This paper looks at using social media to market a chiropractic practice looking at some of the options that are available, the costs, critical issues and advantages and disadvantages. One of the reasons why many chiropractors shy away from using social media as part of their marketing efforts is the perception that it takes up a significant amount of time. However, this is not always the case as it can often be done in as little a time as 15 minutes and can even be a responsibility that is given to the office staff (Beck, 2014).

Far from the days when one had to log into their Facebook and Twitter accounts in order to post updates, technology has evolved to provide tools including Hootsuite which present the chance for one to post updates to many social networks at once (Beck, 2014). Another perception is that social media is an expensive undertaking especially with regard to the notion that one will need to hire specialists and companies to put in place a social network profile for the practice(Beck, 2014). It is true that companies can enable the individual chiropractor to save a significant amount of time with regard to tasks that are related to the internet including setting up fan pages.

However, communication with the audience is a responsibility that can be carried out by the office staff or by the chiropractor himself and the cost is often little more than one’s time. An additional advantage of communication with the audience is that the chiropractor can be assured that the message is uniquely his (Beck, 2014). Social media is often expensive if the business is either large or medium sized since it will require marketing, PR and other aspects of an advertising company. However, if the chiropractor’s practice is a small one, social marketing does not cost much and only takes a small amount of time (Beck, 2014).

Another issue with regard to social media is the perception that social media cannot be integrated for a business however setting up business pages with Facebook and LinkedIn and YouTube will help the chiropractor to engaging with patients, both existing and potential(Beck, 2014). Conclusion For many chiropractors, engaging with social media with a view to integrating it into their marketing strategies is an aspect that has been ignored. The belief that setting up a social networking profile is expensive is one that is not true especially if the business is a small one since the chiropractor can post messages himself and engage with potential as well as existing ones.

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are some of the social networking tools that can be used by chiropractors to extent their marketing strategies. Reference Beck, S. (2014). Social Misalignments: The Chiropractor’s Guide to Marketing Online. New York: Createspace Independent Pub.