What to Post on Social Media

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What to Post on Social Media
July 9, 2021
RxLocal Team

Pharmacies everywhere are beginning to embrace the power of social media — using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to connect with patients, advertise their services, and build their business beyond the brick and mortar.

In order to see success and drive followers to their storefronts, though, pharmacies must capitalize on the most important part of social media: creating good content.


Content is the key to social media marketing — and one of the most critical steps to getting your pharmacy noticed online. Gone are the days of posting direct advertisements, promotional offers, or the occasional update to your pharmacy’s social media.

Instead, good marketers and successful pharmacies know that the content you post on your favorite platforms should be engaging, compelling, and action-oriented.

It should convince your followers to become patients and your patients to become followers — in a subtle, yet effective,  way.


In an effort to create compelling content, what exactly should you post? To get inspiration, consult our list of ideas and implement them into your social media strategy.

Or, for more personalized assistance, look into RxLocal’s Social Media Assistant, which takes the guesswork out of social and provides you with a helping hand to create content your patients will love.

1. Health and Lifestyle Advice

Patients look to pharmacists to provide easily accessible health and wellness information. Take the advice you give on a daily basis to the digital world and post helpful tips and tricks on your social media accounts.

Ideas include posting at-home workouts, sharing healthy recipes, and offering advice on how to increase your intake of a particular vitamin or nutrient. An important part of creating a strong social media presence is to post content your followers didn’t know they needed — and offering health “freebies” is a powerful way to do it.

2. Quotes

In addition to being informed and being entertained, social media users want to be inspired when they visit their favorite platforms. To help facilitate this, try posting quotes to your social media accounts — which will offer your patients inspiration and encourage them to lead healthy lives.

Many pharmacies like to start off the week by posting a quote with the hashtag #motivationmonday, but one post every week or so can make a difference in your content quality.


3. Staff Spotlights

Patients feel more connected to their pharmacy when they know the staff on a personal basis. In order to create a sense of connection and community, take the time to post team introductions on your social media.

Whether it be your pharmacists, technicians, or clerks, spotlight your staff and help patients get to know them not only on a professional level but also on a personal level. Discuss their interests and hobbies or share some fun facts about them. Odds are patients will feel more in touch.

4. Patient Spotlights

To further promote community in your pharmacy, spotlight your patients online. Snap a quick picture, ask about their experience in your pharmacy, and share it on social media.

You can highlight long-time customers, customers who have had a notable achievement or made an impact in your community, or simply those who put a smile on your face.

Not only will highlighting your patients show that you value them and their business, but it will provide an opportunity for them to share what they love about your pharmacy — and let others know about it, too.


5. Pharmacy Updates

Because the majority of your patients use social media, it is the first place that you should go to update them on anything and everything happening in your pharmacy.

Whether it be an upcoming holiday notice, a change in your normal operating hours, or an event that you plan to host in the near future, share it on social media. Patients will be grateful for the advance notice and can share updates with their friends.


6. OTC Recommendations

An excellent way to expand your content and increase your OTC sales is to recommend your most-loved products on social media.

Ask a patient or a team member to pick out one of their favorite products and speak about it for a featured post. Products can be adapted to the season (like nasal sprays and cough drops during the winter months), or they can be everyday favorites (like vitamins and supplements).

For an added bonus, offer a discount on the product you spotlight for a limited time.


7. Public Health Information

In addition to learning about your pharmacy and all that it has to offer, patients rely on your social media to provide them with the latest news in public health.

With ongoing concerns like COVID-19, as well as the upcoming cold and flu season, it is important to keep your patients up-to-date on all they need to know.

The majority of patients don’t seek out the information on their own, so it is your responsibility to bring it to them and ensure that they can make informed decisions about how to care for themselves and their families.


8. Statistics

Alongside public health information, your social media is an excellent outlet to share statistics on various health concerns — like rates of illness and disease, demographics of a certain health issue, or a concern that is affecting your community.

Statistics can also be a good way to illustrate how your pharmacy can help address a particular problem, via prescriptions or clinical services.

For your statistics to be as beneficial as possible, keep them accessible to your audience and make sure that they are easily understood by non-health professionals.


9. Community Events

Patients care about the efforts you make beyond the four walls of your pharmacy. In addition to staying active in your community, you should share your involvement and promote activities and causes in your area.

From cheering on the local high school football team to raising awareness for an important cause in your neighborhood, use your social media to advertise community activities. Sharing these activities demonstrates that you care about your patients beyond their prescriptions and that you want to see your local area succeed.


10. Your Story

In an effort to help your followers get to know you and your pharmacy better, share your story on social media. If you have a rich history, go back to your roots and show the evolution of your pharmacy, then and now. If you are a new pharmacy, show how you have revolutionized care in your area.

In your post, you can discuss the initial days of opening, the hurdles that you experienced, and how you overcame them to get where you are today. Patients love a good success story, so use your social media to share yours.


11. An Inside Look at the Pharmacy

Go beyond your origin story and show where you are at today with an inside look at your pharmacy. Share photos and stories from your store, whether it be at the front-end, the dispensing area, or the clinical services section.

A behind-the-scenes look at your pharmacy will help patients better understand the ins and outs of the business and will give you an opportunity to show them what you do on a daily basis — helping to demonstrate that pharmacists are full-fledged healthcare providers.


12. Resposts from Patients

Your social media doesn’t just have to revolve around content that you create.

You can also curate content from your followers and share what they post to their favorite social media apps. Repost photos taken in your pharmacy, republish positive customer reviews, and share any posts that advertise your services or upcoming events.

Reposting not only allows you to interact with your followers more directly, but it takes the hassle out of creating your own content exclusively.


13. Reposts from Industry Leaders

A second way to curate content is to repost from trusted voices in the pharmacy industry.

Whether it be from an organization like NCPA or CPESN or a leading company that you partner with, like your pharmacy software provider, reposting can help you to provide fresh, relevant information without making it yourself.

In addition, it helps you build connections with other companies and organizations that can benefit you later on. Who knows? They may even repost your content, too.

Conclusion

If you are looking to improve your social media presence and grow your pharmacy both online and in-person, focus on creating compelling content. Using these tips and tricks, along with the help of the Social Media Assistant, you will be well-equipped to create engaging, patient-centered posts.

Good content is the key to success, and with it, you have the ability to unlock countless opportunities for your pharmacy.