Top 5 Mistakes Healthcare Practitioners Make On Twitter

1) Not Tweeting Often Enough
Did you know that the majority of Twitter users post less than 1 update per day? It’s hard to gather a following when you have nothing to say. Also, think about how it comes off to your existing clients… has a bit of a lazy feel to it doesn’t it? You are an expert in your field, don’t be afraid to tweet or be a little bit controversial at times… people pay attention to that!

2) Tweeting Too Much
It can be quite annoying for your clients to log in to twitter and see their timeline dominated by your tweets. For your practice, 3-5 tweets per day is a good tweeting goal to have. You’ll be posting often enough to show up in the clients’ timeline a few times a day, but not be overwhelming.

3) Only Tweeting About Yourself
The tendency for new Twitter users is to tweet about themselves and promotions offered by their clinic. While these tweets do have their place, you want to avoid all of your tweets being about you. Limit self-promotion to only a couple of times a week. Instead, monitor what your clients and people in the industry are talking about and answer their questions and offer your expert commentary. It’s also really helpful to share health tips like stretching exercises for the time between appointments.

4) Following Back Everyone That Follows You
It may seem like the nice thing to do, but you will end up with a timeline that is filled with noise, making it difficult to find and comment on relevant topics. Instead, take a moment to review the profile of a new follower and see if they are tweeting relevant content.

5) Using One Twitter Account For Both Personal and Business
While it is important to let your personality show through your tweets, you likely want to keep business and personal separate. Your family and friends might want to know when you’re out walking the dog or brushing your teeth, but these tweets are not very relevant to your clients. So if you’re using Twitter for personal reasons, create a separate account for your clinic. That’s not to say that the occasional personal tweet from the clinic account won’t help clients relate to you on a more personal level… just don’t overdo it.

Also, remember that your clients that are following you on Twitter are more on the tech savvy side... let them know you book appointments online through your website, they’ll love it!