When you think of the types of social media sites that would be appropriate for dermatologists, you probably have two key candidates in mind: LinkedIn and Facebook. While it’s absolutely true that these channels are worth your time, there is another that you should be considering:
TikTok.
Why TikTok? Because according to one recent study, TikTok has roughly 80 million monthly active users in the United States alone. A significant 60% of them are female while 40% of them are male. It’s an up-and-coming social networking platform, to be sure – and now is your opportunity to capitalize on it.
However, you absolutely shouldn’t just sign up for a TikTok account, start posting content, and hope for the best. As is true in all other areas of digital marketing, there needs to be a true strategy driving your efforts. One that is carefully aligned with your overall goals, both professionally and for your practice.
Therefore, if you really want to craft a winning TikTok marketing strategy that caters to all of the strengths that dermatology has to offer, there are a few key things to keep in mind.
Before we get started, here are a couple of things to think about right off the bat.
- What types of content you will create? Unlock customer insights to discover the content they actually want from your business.
- Whether or not you can sustain an active presence. Nobody will enjoy following you only for you to ghost them.
- Whether or not you will be able to have fun with it. Because marketing your business should always be fun!
TikTok Strategy Essentials for Dermatologists
While it’s absolutely true that there is no “one size fits all” approach to coming up with the best TikTok marketing strategy for dermatologists, there are a number of steps that you can take to help make sure things go as smoothly as possible. These include things like the following.
Customize Your Profile
Before anything else, you need to customize your TikTok profile to help both current and potential clients find you more easily. You should select a high-quality profile image or video depending on your goals. If you’re setting up a TikTok account for the entire practice, you could consider shooting a video of the exterior and taking people quickly indoors. If you’re setting up a profile for just yourself, you could always use a professional image similar to the one you might find on your website.
Essentially, what you’re trying to do is let your target audience know exactly what you’re about. That involves more than just letting them know that you’re a dermatologist. Don’t be afraid to put a bit of your own personality on display and have fun with it. Remember, this is TikTok – not LinkedIn.
Just don’t forget that all information in your profile – including whatever you jot down for your bio – will be visible to all accounts on the platform. So be mindful of what you share because it might not be as private as you’d assume.
Brainstorm Content Ideas
Next, you’ll want to sit down and think about the types of content that would speak to members of your target audience. Every dermatology practice is a bit different from the next, so you’ll want to carefully consider your audience before making a decision one way or the other. If your practice tends to skew younger, you’d obviously be making different choices than you would if you had primarily older patients.
Examples of content types that you could explore include but are not limited to ones like:
- Patient Reactions/Testimonials. These days, social proof is of paramount importance. People trust online recommendations almost as much as they do word-of-mouth from their actual friends and family members. Therefore, posting positive patient reactions and/or testimonials is a great way to show people the high-quality work that you’re capable of in a way that will resonate with them.
- At Home Tips. Not everybody can make it into their dermatologist’s office at a moment’s notice, but that’s okay. Because you’re the expert, here, you can offer at home tips to keep their skin healthy and discomfort to a minimum. The benefit here is that it is establishing you and your practice as an authority – a voice to be trusted, especially over that of your competitors. When it comes to potential patients, in particular, this could just make the difference between going with you and going with one of your competitors.
- Before & After Content. Everyone loves a good “Before & After” photo, but it isn’t just for weight loss and fitness experts. Ask if patients are willing to take “Before & After” photos so that you can show off the high-quality work that you’re capable of doing. People will be able to see the relief that you’ve brought to someone or the major amount of improvement that they’ve been able to enjoy. It’s another form of social proof, and it’s a powerful one because it’s visual in nature. You’re showing, not telling, a complete story.
- Educational Information. Posting educational content is something that is effective regardless of the industry that you’re talking about, but it’s especially helpful when it comes to something like dermatology. People may know what you do, but they probably don’t know much beyond that unless it pertains to their specific situation. You could post “Fun Fact” videos or similar content to help people better understand the field in general.
- FAQs. When people walk into your office, they probably have a lot of questions. This is your opportunity to answer them, once again establishing yourself as an authority in the field and as a voice that is more than worth trusting.
Again, it’s important to note that you don’t necessarily have to use all of these content types as they might not be appropriate for your practice. Likewise, this isn’t about picking any one type of content and running with it. You’ll want to consider these and others, pick what works for you, and don’t worry about the rest. That’s how you slowly but surely start to generate the following (and the results) that you’re after.
Hashtags
Hashtags have been a staple of social media for almost as long as social media has been around.
On TikTok, they’re a way for content creators like yourself to categorize what you’re putting out into the world. You might add #dermatology, #dermatologytips, #dermatologytiktok, or #dermatologyskincare to one of your posts, for example, to give people a better idea of what to expect. Then, people can click on it and see other posts with the same hashtag.
Of course, it works in the other direction, too. If there is another dermatologist out there on TikTok who uses the same hashtag and a potential patient clicks on it, it’s likely that they’ll come across some of your videos. It’s a great way to make yourself more visible and expand your brand presence.
Note that you won’t want to use the same hashtag on all posts – you’ll want to mix things up a bit. If there is some type of major dermatology event coming up, for example, you might want to come up with your own hashtag pertaining to that. Also, pay attention to the hashtags that people are regularly using.
Plan a Content Calendar
The importance of planning a content calendar cannot be overstated. Especially on a social networking platform like TikTok, consistency is king. You can’t just post once and forget about it. You need to post on a regular basis, and you’ll need time to create all of those pieces. That’s exactly what a content calendar will help you do.
Sit down and make a list of all the various things you’d like to post throughout the course of the month. Lay everything out on the calendar – “X will be posted on Monday, Y will be posted on Wednesday, Z will be posted on Friday, etc.”
Once you see it all laid out visually, you’ll have a better idea of what you need to create and when it needs to be finished by. That way, it will be easier to fit all of this TikTok marketing in around your existing dermatology responsibilities.
Engage in Comments and on Other People’s Videos
Finally, don’t forget to engage in comments that people leave on your videos. People join social media because they want an active experience, not a passive one. If they go to the trouble of leaving you a comment, you should absolutely respond to show them that you’re paying attention.
Likewise, comment on other people’s videos too whenever it is appropriate for a dermatologist to do so. This is again a great way to expand your online presence and potentially attract a whole new audience.
Request a Demo of Our Business Intelligence Marketing Software
If you’d like to find out more information about how to craft a winning brand presence for your dermatology practice on social media, or if you’d just like to gain more insight into your patients than ever, take a tour of business intelligence marketing software.
Our software’s advanced analytics reporting can help inform what content you create on TikTok and other sites and can help you fully understand exactly what people expect from you.