Social Media For Health Practitioners (+ a FREE Social Media Tracker)
I’m back with an exciting topic I’ve waited too long to write about → social media.
I know, I know – I get excited about some nerdy things, but don’t judge me, ok? 🤓
📲📲📲
So, why is this topic so exciting to me??
Because social media is one of the areas health practitioners struggle with the most!
Which means lots of room for help & improvement. 👏
One of the reasons it’s so challenging (in my opinion) is that there’s so much NOISE – opinions everywhere about what you should & shouldn’t be doing.
Maybe you’ve heard things like this:
- “Nobody even reads posts, you’ve gotta do videos”
- “Show up on stories every day if you wanna grow”
- “Don’t even bother, the algorithm sucks”
- “Repurpose, repurpose, repurpose”
- “You’ve gotta content, batch & schedule”
It’s a lot! 🙉
So today we’re sifting through all that noise.
We’re boiling things down to the essentials.
And laying a strong foundation.
In other words, I’m going to help you create a social media strategy.
One that lowers your stress & moves the needle in your business. But, don’t worry – I’m not going to tell you to post 7 days a week or run yourself into the ground with video creation.
Really, I promise!!
- No dancing on Tik Tok
- No using complicated scheduling tools
- No fussing over the perfect graphics
You in??
Okay, GOOD!
If you’re new around here, HI, I’m Ronda! 👋 I started working with practitioners over 10 years ago, helping them grow highly-profitable businesses. Before that, I ran a successful wellness practice myself, so I’ve got some street cred in the functional health space. 😏
The best part?
You get to learn from all my seriously serious mistakes!
So, come on → let’s get to the bottom of this social media madness.
I’ve even got a free social media tracker for ya!
Let’s go!
A Social Media Strategy in 3 Easy Steps.
First, what exactly is a social media strategy?
A social media strategy is a simple plan for what you’re going to post, how often you’re going to post it, and where. It’s about being strategic with the topics you choose so that they move your audience to action (e.g. sending a direct message or scheduling that first appointment)!
Here’s how to create one:
1. Create Your Content Pillars
Content pillars refer to the various types of content you plan to share with your audience. They’re also referred to as “content buckets”, which is a more self-explanatory term… 😉
So, how do you figure yours out??
You start by getting clear on your niche! Having a clear niche really is necessary for creating powerful social media content, so if you don’t have one yet, start right here!
From there, make a list of your ideal patient’s symptoms, problems, frustrations & questions, and create your content around that!
In other words, if your ideal patient lands on your Instagram page, they should feel like they’ve hit the jackpot! Give them all the juicy information that they’ve been typing into Google late at night. 🔥
Then, sprinkle in some personal topics that you think would resonate with your ideal patient. Maybe it’s about gardening/growing your own food. Maybe you’re an outdoor enthusiast and you want to weave that into your content. Or maybe you love cooking, so you plan to bring your audience along with you each week as you grocery shop, meal prep & cook nourishing meals.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say you’re a functional medicine practitioner who has chosen to niche down and work with menopause.
Your Content Pillars might look like this:
- Common Symptoms For Menopause (+ natural remedies)
- Hormone Balancing through Diet + Lifestyle
- The Importance of Clean Beauty & Home Products
- Myth Busting About Menopause
- Your Ongoing Adventure in Backyard Veggie Gardening
Have fun with it!
And remember, these aren’t set in stone. Content Pillars are just a tool to help you stay focused & strategic with your topics.
Next up, let’s chat about how often you should be posting.
2. Commit to a Posting Schedule
The key here is to show up consistently, so do NOT over-commit. 🙅♀️
If people see you posting every day & then suddenly, you fall off the face of social media, that sends the wrong message. It suggests maybe you aren’t so reliable.
On the other hand, if you show up every Monday, Wednesday & Friday with high-quality consistent content, it builds trust with your audience, and positions you as an expert. You could even do a weekly “ask me anything” where you open yourself for questions on the same day each week.
Over time, your followers begin to think:
- “Oh yeah, there’s that lady talking about hormones again”
- “Hmm, I wonder if that’s why I’m feeling exhausted all the time”
- “Maybe I should tell my sister about this lady”
Ready to put it into action?
Here’s what you do:
- Choose a primary social media platform to focus on. I recommend starting with Instagram or Facebook, but ultimately you should choose the platform where you think your ideal patient hangs out the most. Don’t add another social platform until you’ve gotten really comfortable with one.
- Then, decide how many days per week is reasonable for you to post. If you have someone helping you out, maybe you can post 5-6 times per week. If not, maybe 3 days is more realistic for you. Again, consistency is the name of the game.
Got it? OK!
Now we just need a system to put this all together. 👯
3. Build a Simple System
There are lots of fancy ways you can go about tracking things, but I’ve outlined a perfect starter system for you right here:
To get started, there are just 3 steps:
1. Download My Free Social Media Tracker → 👩💻
[You can make a copy & use it as your own. Just be sure to have a quick look before continuing so this all makes sense.]
This social media tracker is where you can map out all your topics (in advance). Personally, I set aside time quarterly, but start with a month if that feels easier! Each month of the year will have its own dedicated tab at the bottom.
From there, fill out your topics according to your content pillars & posting schedule from above. You can either write out your full post or just list a few of the main points you want to mention.
Next, you’ll notice that the social media tracker has two tabs for topic ideas. This is where you can brainstorm for future months. I filled out a bunch of general topics to get your wheels turning, but you’ll want to focus on building out the “niche-specific” tab with content that is highly relevant to your wellness niche.
[Reminder: if you don’t have a wellness niche, definitely check out this post]
2. Sign-Up For a Free Canva.com → 🎨
Canva.com is hands down the best way to create all your graphics. There is a free version and a pro version. Start with the free, and see how it goes. The Pro version is still very affordable at $12.99/month and gives you access to additional stock photography, among other things.
If you’re new to Canva, spend some time getting used to the tool – it really is a necessity for social media!
Pro Tip → in Canva, create one file titled “Month Year – Social Media”, and have all your graphics for that month prepped in one file. This builds an easy database of past content so that you can easily repurpose your best-performing posts in the future.
3. Place a Recurring Calendar Hold → 📆
This one is important! This calendar hold ensures you have dedicated time each month (1-2 days) to prepare your content for the month ahead. Hold yourself accountable and don’t move this around.
This strategy is called “content batching” because you’re creating a big batch of content all at once. It’s a great way to be efficient with your time because you aren’t switching gears a million times.
Now all you have to do is post!
If possible, I recommend having an assistant or team member post on your behalf. You can also try using a scheduling tool, such as later.com, which allows you to auto-schedule your posts. Butttt, I’ll be honest – these tools are a little finicky and they have some limitations (e.g. they don’t accommodate carousel posts).
Whatever you decide, the ultimate goal is to find something you can stick with.
Social Media Support For Practitioners.
I hope this has been helpful, friend.
And btw, I’d love to connect with you! ✨
Join the tribe by subscribing to my email list RIGHT HERE!
This is where I share what I’ve learned over the years, running my own practice & helping hundreds of practitioners build successful businesses.
And that includes social media tips! 🔥🔥
P.S. Don’t forget your free social media tracker before you leave.