Are you spending a lot of time coming up with what you’re certain will be quality content, only to discover that it falls flat? When it comes to creating effective content for your practice, the amount of time you invest does not directly correlate with a successful outcome.
It’s like thinking that the more hours you put in at the gym, the better your results will be. Any trainer will quickly tell you that if you want to achieve fitness success, you need to use the right form, work out at the right times, and regularly mix up your routine.
There’s a lot to incorporate when developing a fitness program that gets results. Similarly, there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to creating content that works.
Those moving parts include starting with a topic that is engaging and interesting. Does your content address a current pain point or desire? Is it so entertaining or inspiring that people want to share it? The type or format of the content, and how you distribute it are also critical success factors.
Buzzfeed executive Jonathan Perelman summed it up when he said: “Content is king, but distribution is queen, and she wears the pants.”
You already focus on all the essential elements of a thriving practice. To help ensure your content is king as Jonathan Perelman suggests, and that it thrives too, you need to stay informed about content marketing trends and data. How do you get on top of what you need to know?
It can seem like a tall order, but let us give you a head start with some interesting data points and summary statements. Use them to influence the type, channel, timing and overall variety of content you choose to produce.
According to influencer marketing agency, Mediakix:
“As of August 2017, Instagram has over 700 million monthly active users. The photo-sharing platform launched in 2010 and continues to be one of the Internet’s fastest growing social media sites, outpacing Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.”
“Top social media influencers have taken note and show a preference for Instagram over other platforms.” Instagram is dominating in the marketing industry.
More on Instagram from Mediakix:
For those interested in reaching audiences in the beauty category, “Brands are drawn to influencers in this category because the photo-centric app enables Instagrammers to feature a rich image of their finished product and/or up to 15 seconds of video that features quick how-to guides and DIY branding opportunities.” This can translate into reaching potential new cosmetic surgery patients and influencers.
Regarding the men’s lifestyle space, “Instagram’s traction is growing exponentially, especially with millennial users. While there is strong, longstanding buzz regarding female social media influencers, the men’s sphere is rapidly growing and becoming a burgeoning niche.
According to a 2014 study published in Ad Week, male and female users are equally engaged on Instagram (51% vs. 49% respectively).” This is something to think about as more and more men are turning to cosmetic surgery to enhance their looks.
From Facebook’s Company Info page:
As of June 2017 there were 2.01 billion monthly active Facebook users, and 1.32 billion daily active Facebook users.
From WordPress:
Users produce approximately 80 million new posts and 47.4 million new comments each month. See their cool interactive world map showing real-time posts, comments and likes, and for an explanation of ‘users’.
From HostingFacts, a web hosting review and comparison site:
People are 80 percent more likely to read content that has colored visuals.
Infographics are 3 times more likely to be liked and shared compared to any other type of content on social media.
Visual content is 40 times more likely to be shared on social media than any other type of content.
According to data compiled by Buzzsumo, as summarized here:
In general, long form content gets more social shares than short form, and the longer the content, the more the shares. Long form typically means 1,000-2,000 words but can often be more.
Visual elements mixed into bodies of text lead to more sharing. Twice as many people share Facebook posts with at least one image. Having at least one image also leads to more Twitter shares.
Evoke awe, laughter, amusement or joy with your content for a higher likelihood of being shared.
Because timing matters, keep in mind these points taken from a helpful HubSpot summary of an even more helpful infographic from CoSchedule.com:
In general, the best times to post on Instagram are on Monday and Thursday, at any time other than 3-4 p.m., and the best time to post videos is 9 p.m.- 8 a.m., on any day.
On average, the best time to post on Facebook is 1-4 p.m., when clickthrough rates have shown to be at their highest. Specifically, 12-1 p.m. on weekends is prime time.
If your goal for Twitter is to maximize retweets and clickthroughs, aim for noon, 3 p.m., or 5–6 p.m.
The most successful times to post on LinkedIn are morning and evening commute times (let’s hope that doesn’t mean users are engaged while driving) during the middle days of the week, Tuesday through Thursday.
We know we’ve just thrown a lot of content-related facts and figures your way — not to make your head spin, but to underline what we opened with.
Successful content has a lot of moving parts. There is no one “magic formula,” but rather, a lot of great recipes to be made with these ingredients and more.
For more on generating quality content and why it’s important, see our previous blog entry on how to create great content for your practice. And if you’re curious about diving deeper into any of the items we’ve just shared with you, exploring the websites and resources we’ve cited is well worth your time.
Get financing for your cosmetic patients today.
