A fertility center’s Return on Investment in social media can be traced back to the activism of its community. The value of social media is not that we have a free broadcast mechanism to reach people with any time we like. None of that is true—it’s neither free, nor a broadcast mechanism, nor will people see our message whenever we please.
The value of social media is your community. Fertility centers acquire new patients through social media when they have a passionate, connected, community of people that zealously advocates for them. This is "word of mouth". Communities will gladly rise up for their fertility centers—providing better advertising than we could ever hope to buy—but only if they are engaged. To engage your community:
• Respond to all direct messages as quickly as possible
• Reply to all comments and posts
• Thank those who leave reviews and compliments
• Crowdsource: Ask for input on various practice initiatives
Responding to comments and reviews is a critical part of community management for infertility clinics.
The most direct way to use social media to attract new IVF patients is to empower current and former patients with a "word of mouth" referral network. When you interact with your community of supporters, the number of people who are they are able to refer to your practice increases dramatically. If you look at the Facebook pages of the vast majority of fertility centers in North America you will find that patient communities are largely ignored. If you are unable to dedicate the time it takes to respond to, thank, and inspire your community, your ROI on social will be very limited.