GROW YOUR COMMUNITY
BUILDING YOUR FOLLOWER BASE & COMMUNITY
TOP TIPS FOR INSTAGRAM POSTING FOR PSYCHOTHERAPISTS
(this list is extensive - start with 5 tips and go from there!)
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Audiences will only spend a few seconds deciding whether to watch your stories, so make it easy for them to figure out who you are.
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Create great captions - the words up front (125 characters before ‘more’) should be the most impactful. Experiment with different caption lengths (can go up to 2200). Short captions are good when the image speaks for itself. Ask a question to encourage comments
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Use extra features - polls, questions, chat stickers to get users engaged.
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Post content that encourages sharing - infographics etc - others might insert your post into their blog posts, or share main feed posts in a story
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Use engaging, high quality content
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Make sure that your imagery/video is of quality resolution and that there are no typos
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A great way to encourage contact directly from your story is by adding a Direct Message tag/sticker
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Use the Location field as your potential clients may choose you based on this
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Hashtags are searchable - use them well - quality not quantity - highly targeted & relevant
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Create a consistent brand style / aesthetic / style of imagery, think of the overall grid
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Pin comments - you can pin 3 comments & can use this space to continue the story or highlight your favourite followers who engage a lot
BUILDING YOUR FOLLOWER NETWORK
If you have a blog on your website, embed your insta posts into your articles.
Share your account name on your website, email signature, business cards etc.
Follow relevant accounts - it is likely they will view your feed if you follow them.
Follower ratio is important so don’t follow too many people too fast.
Influencers - 60% of consumers would follow a person/brand if promoted by an influencer they trust - if a high profile person is covering one of your areas of interest, reach out to them and offer to be tagged in their posts for more information.
Collaborate with other Insta accounts - colleagues, local medical practice, etc - this could be a simple awareness message stating the various professions / services with a practice.
Highlights - use them well to introduce your brand. Use cover photos to make them look good and link to your brand design.
Think of your audience when posting at certain times - what does their day look like?
REVIEW PERFORMANCE
Use the Insights tool (menu option from profile page) to see how your account is performing and to identify top performing posts. You will see impressions, reach, engagement, top posts, demographics etc.
FACEBOOK GROUPS
Groups on Facebook are a great way to speak directly to your peers, people who share your working interests and those who may need your services. You can review existing groups aligned with your interests and make comments, provide advice or even create your own group of interest and allow people to join it.
You can find groups by clicking the menu button on the top right of the screen (circle with nine dots, see image below) and selecting the groups option from there.
Initially you will be given suggested groups, you will have the option to search for certain keywords in the left menu. A search using the key term ‘Mental Health Support’ provides a list of relevant groups with some targeted more specifically - for anxiety etc.
Click on the Groups icon in the left menu to see the location dropdown allowing you to search for more locally based groups in Dublin, Cork etc.
Click into any group you feel might be of interest and read any descriptions and rules they may have posted. If the group is appropriate to you, you can request to join by clicking the blue Join Group button. It may take a little time for your request to be accepted.
Each group will have a moderator who decides on whether practice providers can join and you will find out at that stage. For your protection, you can avoid providing personal advice and diagnosis but help by linking information articles and your own website details for contact if requested. It is important not to ‘advertise’ in these groups and only provide your details if requested.
As mentioned above, creating your own special interest group may open you up to your intended audience, and the process is very easy. When back in the main Groups menu, click +Create New Group and add the name, privacy level (public or private) and invite your followers if you wish.
MEASURE & LEARN
The Insights facility on your business page allows you to see how much engagement you are receiving for your posts and this in turn allows you to see what type of content works best for your audience.
You can then focus more on these topics to save time and improve your page. You will find the Insights button in the left hand menu when you are on your business page home page.
Insights include how many people viewed your page (over a set time period, page likes, clicks on about or contact details, post reach (how many people saw your post) and engagement (liked it, shared it commented etc) and follower number.
In time you can choose to ‘boost’ your popular posts through paid advertising if budget allows. You will find more information on this in the Advertising Section further on.
