Social media is fascinating. It’s either the most useless platform or the most incredible one, depending on how you use it. It’s misunderstood by most, like it’s some new phenomenon, but it is exactly like going to the pub. You go to have a laugh, to catch up with friends and family, to give your opinion on what’s happening in the world while you switch off from work.

It’s a place for the community to get together and get to know each other. You don’t have to be best friends to have a friendly chat.

Unfortunately, most business owners see social media as an opportunity to try to sell everything they do, to anyone who will listen. 

Try doing that in a real-life pub. I guarantee that even in the most mild-mannered middle-class gastropub, you’d be told to get lost. 

Remember: on social media it’s easy to ignore people. With one click, you can be blocked from ever contacting an individual again. And they will. Because they don’t go to the pub to be sold to. 

Social media is not about pushing your products onto people, it’s about engaging your community. Engaging your community creates loyalty and awareness, and that increases long-term recurring revenue.

So, think about how you win friends down at the pub. You show up regularly – that creates awareness of who you are. You talk to people – that shows you value them and what they have to say. You open up and share the cool, or valuable, things you’re doing – that shows you are part of the community. 

Showing up regularly as part of your community encourages people to contact you with their healthcare concerns. And in a world where people often don’t do that, in a world of insecurity and uncertainty, that’s quite a magical thing. So don’t sell your social presence down the river in an effort to make a quick pound or two. Show up in your community as the primary point of care. And you’ll start to be seen as such.

By the way, this doesn’t mean you can never mention any service you offer. If you show up at the pub with your new Ferrari or prescription collection point, people will want to hear about it. Just don’t keep going on about it. So, when you’re inviting people to like your Facebook page, approach it as if you were asking them if you’ll see them down the pub later. It’s not a big deal, it’s just nice.

It’s as simple as that

Okay, it’s not simple, but nothing worth doing ever is. Notice that most of the patient journey we’ve been talking about takes place outside the pharmacy. This is why creating digital assets like your website and content and growing an online community, either in a mailing list or via a social media page, is so important. 

So much of a patient’s experience can be impacted by these elements. Without them, you’re giving no experience at all, as it’s likely you aren’t capturing that patient’s business in the first place.

Naturally, you’ll want to add to, or tweak, all this for your pharmacy. Make it your own. Just thinking about how your patients interact and use your pharmacy is a start.

Finally, if you got this far, well done on your perseverance. And if you’re looking for a next step, or a place to start with all this new-found knowledge, you can take a 5-10 minute quiz to see how your pharmacy scores in our ‘Perfect Pharmacy Scorecard’ – and receive a free overview and tailored report on your pharmacy business.