Wondering what to do with the new lead you get from social media?
It’s obvious that one of the hardest things to do when marketing on social media is getting potential patients to convert into new leads that actually want to come into your practice. But, when you finally figure it out and you?re able to start gaining some traction, you will actually have people reaching out to you on social media, contacting your office after finding you on social media, and coming into your practice and wanting to know more about working with you. ?
But how will you manage these new leads? What do you say to them? How will you get them in the door??
When new leads reach out to you on social media (maybe through Instagram direct message or facebook messenger) you should treat these people just as you would someone who calls your office to inquire about your services. You’ve almost got them into your door. . .you’ve done the hard work, you’ve put yourself out there, and you’ve gotten someone to respond. ?And now it’s up to you (or your staff) to make sure that person understands that YOU are the right person to help them! They need to know that they have hit the jackpot when they found you on social. It’s your job to show them that! Don?t discount the people who reach out to you via social media. They?re most likely sold on coming into your office.
Before I walk you through the main steps of what to do with your new lead, I think that your main goal should always be to get them to come into the office for a consultation. I don?t think that you should ever try to diagnose or help someone over a direct message or anything like that. People will try to get you to do that and most times with no ill intention. But, that?s not professional or safe for you to do (you probably already know that but that was just incase you needed a reminder).
Okay, now that I?ve gotten that out of the way. Here are the three steps that you should take after your practice gets a lead form social media.
1 | Qualify The Lead As A Potential Patient
The good thing about using social media for your marketing is that you can really reach people who need you that you may have never come across before. The bad thing with social media is that people can reach you that you would have never come across before. It?s truly a double-edged sword. So, before you spend too much time on someone who is not truly a good lead, you need to qualify them. I think that the best way to go about this is to make sure the request that they sent to you seems legitimate to you.
Typically when someone reaches out, they?re going to give you a good amount of details. They might even tell you their whole life story and that?s okay. But, if it seems sketchy and you?re not sure, ask questions. ?Either way, try to build a connection with them. ?If that person is your ideal patient, try to make sure they know your products/services/treatments are just what they need. ?Don’t let them slip through the cracks!?
Note: If they aren’t a good lead, don’t be rude. ?Don’t ignore their message. ?After all, they are following you because they like you and they like your work, and ignoring their messages won’t do you any favors. ?They may not be a good lead for your office, but they may be a great follower on your page that engages with all of your posts, and they have friends or family members that can be good leads for your office.
Always remember that if someone took time out of their day to send you a message, you need to respond. ?It’s all about building a community and a tribe on social media. ?Without your tribe, your account is nothing! So make each one of your tribe members feels special, even if they aren’t a good lead!
2 | Give Them Instructions On What To Do Next
Once you?ve qualified your lead, you need to give them instructions on what to do. This is where knowing what you want to have happen with your new leads from social media is going to be very important. You have to first know what the process looks like for you in order for them to understand what they need to do. So, what do you want your new lead to do? Do you them to visit your website? Call your office and book a consult? Take advantage of a special that you have going on? Or maybe book their own appointment via your online scheduler on your website? Whatever you want them to do, tell them what that.
3 | Follow Up with Your Potential Patient
If they don’t take the action that you discussed within a timely manner, make sure to follow up with them. You never know what happened, and you want to try to get that person in while they are still interested in what you have to offer, so make sure to follow up with your new lead.?
Have a system in place of just how you will be following up with your potential patient. Like I mentioned before, when someone reaches out, it’s because they are interested in what you have to offer, so it’s your job to make sure they understand that they have come to the right place. ?And if they haven’t followed your steps, they may need a little encouragement from you!
If your potential patient has any lingering questions, you can answer them (if appropriate) or direct them to your office manager/treatment coordinator for more details. ?Having an open line of communication can definitely benefit you, so long as they understands that you won’t dive into patient care inside of Instagram direct message or any other social media messaging system.
If you follow up with your new lead?and don’t hear back right away, don’t worry. Don’t get wild and start bombarding them with messages. People are busy and get hit with tons of messages pretty much every day. Just because someone doesn?t reply to you right away doesn?t mean that they?re avoiding you. You don?t know what?s going on in his/her personal life. So, if you haven?t heard back from them, follow up. I will mention too that if you have a team that can help you, this would be a great thing to have them help you with.
So these are a few things you should do after you get a new lead?from social media. If you find that you?re still struggling with getting people to pay attention to your account and if you’re struggling with having people get to this point, hang in there! It can happen and it will happen if you?re consistent and intentional with your marketing. I want to encourage you to read through the other posts that I have on using social media to grow your practice. They will help you out a ton with your overall social media marketing strategy. Or, you can always hop on over to Instagram and send me a direct message there! I’m always happy to help!
Oh and by the way, I’ve created a cheat sheet for you to download! It’s going to go deeper into the new lead action steps! So make sure to download it ASAP and start working on it right away! It’s short and to the point, and will be very helpful!
