Three tips for creating content that will engage patients

Social media allows us to reach more patients than ever before. A single photo or video post on Instagram, the largest image-based platform with more than 500 million daily users, has the potential to reach thousands of new patients for your practice without having to spend a single marketing dollar. The challenge is creating content engaging enough to be shared by Instagram’s mysterious algorithm.

I spear-headed a research study (presented at ARVO, ASCRS and AAO in 2021 and recently published in Clinical Ophthalmology [bit.ly/3tVWN8T ]) aiming to identify features associated with the top-performing ophthalmologic posts on Instagram. Herein, I invited one of my co-authors, Kelsey Chen, MA, to provide tips for taking your professional Instagram content and engagement to the next level.

1. START EARLY AND KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Our research showed that of all ophthalmology-related content creators (optometrists, patients and ophthalmologists), ophthalmologists-in-training had the highest engagement ratios (ie, likes-to-followers) while board-certified ophthalmologists had some of the lowest. This is great news for the young eye surgeon who can start building their brand even before they start practicing. By highlighting your educational journey and advanced training, your followers will become invested in your success from the get-go.

For the seasoned eye surgeon, this is a wakeup call to create more easily digestible content that the largely “millennial” Instagram audience can relate to (eg, short, catchy IG Reels and TikTok videos). This is especially true for the refractive and oculoplastic surgeon, who typically needs to cater to a younger demographic.

2. BE PERSONABLE AND SHARE YOUR STORY

When it comes to content type, posts showcasing the author’s personal experiences perform the best, while educational content featuring a fundus or slit lamp photo perform the worst.

Again, this shows the importance of being relatable. Instead of lecturing on an eye-related topic, you can describe a first-hand experience you had with a patient’s treatment (without sharing too many details to maintain HIPAA compliance) or share a new piece of technology your practice recently acquired.

Patients are turning to social media to hear from doctors with whom they feel a personal connection — not someone who regurgitates a textbook chapter.

3. SMILE AND DRESS THE PART

When it comes to engaging your audience, your photo is your first impression. Our study showed that photos featuring “selfies” and doctors wearing whitecoats achieved the highest engagement levels. Wearing a white coat reaffirms your status as a trusted member of the medical community and gives your words more weight. Other studies have similarly shown that posts with a smiling doctor perform better than posts depicting procedures or objects. Of course, it’s important to incorporate some variety and not have the same look each time.

CONCLUSION

In this modern digital age, social media has become an invaluable tool for sharing health information. By following these three simple tips, you’ll be able to create more engaging ophthalmologic content in today’s growing digital era and bring more patients to your practice. OM

Dagny Zhu, MD, is a cornea, cataract and refractive surgeon currently practicing as medical director and partner at NVISION Eye Centers in Rowland Heights, Calif. She is active on social media with more than 50,000 followers on Instagram. Follow her @DZEyeMD on Instagram as well as on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn.