What are social media widgets? Most Internet users are familiar with the simple Facebook or Instagram buttons on almost every website, linking to various social media properties. Widgets can also appear as counters tallying the number of times a visitor has shared content. When we at MetaMed Marketing build a website, we tend to insist on both these types of widgets for basic integration, but I’d like to introduce you to another, more functionally advanced style of widget, and how it can drive potential patients to your practice.
This widget can allow visitors a chance to see your Twitter updates in real time, your glowing reviews on Google or Yelp, your top-tier before-and-after pictures and promotions on Instagram, and your growing list of Facebook fans, all in one glance and within a few crucial seconds.
REDUCING BARRIERS
User experience is about reducing user effort, maximizing convenience and access, and generating engagement. With advanced widgets, not only can you make an instant impression, but you can also provide buttons for users to “Like,” “Follow,” and “Subscribe” to your digital marketing content. Then they can see what you post and immediately decide if it connects with them—and if they want to connect with you. Engagement is the ultimate way to push potential patients further down the funnel to “conversion” (i.e. making them interested enough to receive treatment from you).
BUILDING TRUST THROUGH POSITIVE REVIEWS
Advanced widgets can beautifully showcase your positive reviews as they are created on platforms such as RealSelf, Yelp, or Google. With Google in particular, good reviews can boost your rankings, while bad reviews can hurt your SEO efforts. Widgets that encourage patients to leave you positive reviews can work wonders for reputation management, and the convenience of their being able to do this through a click on your homepage is unmatched.
THE VALUE OF LOCALIZATION
Searches for location-specific hashtags on social media often leave users lost. For example, the terms “rhinoplasty Columbus” yield zero results on Instagram. You can easily leverage the investment you are making in regional SEO tactics to gain a localized follower base for your social media properties. A user in Columbus can Google relevant search terms, end up on your home page, be drawn in by your widgets, and sign up for your social media platforms in seconds. With more than half of users now browsing websites from mobile devices (phones and tablets), it’s easier than ever to collect lots of REAL organic followers in your area, who would then be exposed to your digital marketing efforts on a daily basis.
Visitors aren’t always ready to request a consultation, but they perceive little to no commitment in liking your Facebook page through an eye-catching widget. Maybe over the next month, through your quality posts that show up in their daily feed, you can earn enough confidence and trust to result in quality inquiries and consultations.
Lindsay Dworkin
Lindsay Dworkin is an account manager at MetaMed handling creative aspects and administration of web development projects and online marketing campaigns for her clients.