How can dietitians choose the best social media platforms?

Social media platforms are an important digital marketing strategy to grow your business, but with so many out there, how do you know which one is best? Here’s how dietitians can decide between Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Over the past few years, social media has become vital to any digital marketing strategy. Since most people are on at least one social media platform, it stands to reason that by being on social media, you can grow your business, stand out from the crowd, and increase revenue. But with so many social media platforms on the market, it can feel overwhelming to decide which one will work best for you.

Every social media site has its own strengths and weaknesses, and when it comes to digital marketing, it’s important to know the difference between the most popular platforms to determine what’s best for you.

Here’s how to find the best social media platforms that fit your professional needs and the goals of your nutrition business.

Why do you need social media?

While social media began as a means for communication with friends and family, it has quickly become an integral part of a business’s marketing strategy and has transformed the digital world as we know it today.

As of 2022, there are 4.7 billion people now using social media, which accounts for more than half of the world’s entire population. It’s also estimated that people spend an average of 2 ½ hours a day on social media, so from a business perspective, it makes sense to utilize this low-cost marketing tool as much as possible. 

The different types of social media platforms

Social media platforms are everywhere, and it seems that there is always a new one to try out. However, they aren’t all created equal. Here’s what you need to know about the different types of social media platforms, and what they are best used for. 

• Media sharing networks such as Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, or TikTok are great for posting videos.
  
  
• Discussion forums are filled with answers to questions, and then readers decide whether to move the responses up or down. These sites include Reddit, Quora, and Digg.
  
  
• Bookmarking and content curation networks like Pinterest allows users to create groups of images and articles within a specific interest.
  
  
• Consumer review networks are a place where people review and share information about businesses and products. Some of the most popular are Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Zomato.
  
  
• Blogging and publishing networks include WordPress, Tumblr, and Medium.

Following nutrition professionals on Instagram can be a great way to motivate you and give you ideas for your own business. Find out the top 20 dietitians you should follow on Instagram.

Which are the most used social media platforms?

When deciding what platform to use, you may want to start with the most popular ones. Here are some of the most popular social media platforms to consider for your brand in 2022: 

• Facebook: 2.9 billion monthly active users (MAUs).
• YouTube: 2.2 billion MAUs
• Instagram: 2 billion MAUs
• TikTok: 1 billion MAUs. This was the fastest growing app in 2021, and is expected to grow more in the coming year. 
  
  

How to use social media in your dietitian career

If you’re on the fence about using social media, just think of it as low-cost online marketing for your products or services.  

Dietitians are using digital marketing through social media to communicate food and nutrition information and promote their businesses. When used effectively, social media can boost website traffic, increase brand awareness, and establish credibility as a nutrition professional. Furthermore, a solid marketing strategy will help attract the ideal clientele, especially if you’re providing valuable content on a consistent basis.

While tempting, using every social media site available will likely not be cost-efficient for you or your business. This is why it’s crucial to find one or two platforms that meet your needs and will benefit your success. Keep reading to learn more about how to use social media in your dietitian career.

Tip: Learn more about how you can build trust with your future clients using social media.

Make a realistic plan

Even though it’s easy to create a social media account, you shouldn’t make an account just to have one. Determining the success of your marketing strategy will ultimately depend on what type of content you want to create and what is realistic for you to keep up with. 

To be successful on social media, you should choose a platform that fits best with your business model, enhances your digital marketing plan, and is realistic for your schedule. Social media is also all about consistency, so when you post on a regular basis, you help the algorithm and increase the chances of reaching other potential clients. 

Choose the right marketing channels 

Determining which social media site to use mostly comes down to your target audience. You need to understand who your potential clients are and what digital channels they use the most. Once you understand that, you can make a more informed decision on which social media platform works best for your business. 

However, not all channels will be best suited for your business. The optimal platform for dietitians depends on the current trends, your target audience, and your goals and priorities. For instance: 

• Instagram is a visual platform for images, carousels, IG stories, short-form videos (reels), long-form videos (IGTV), live streaming, and IG guides. You can also link content in your bio for people to access. However, this is quickly turning into a video-sharing platform, so your success on Instagram will be largely dependent on reels and IGTVs.
  
  
• Facebook has a large user database worldwide, and it includes people of all ages - so there is a chance that your potential clients have an account there. It allows you to share links, which will direct people back to your site. But keep in mind: even though you can create static posts on Facebook, this platform is starting to become more video focused. Learn more about how you can promote your nutrition business on Facebook.
  
  
• TikTok is a video-sharing platform that focuses on short-form videos. To be successful on TikTok, you need to jump on current trends, think outside the box, consistently post videos, and do hashtag research. This platform differs from Instagram in the fact that it’s only meant for videos. TikTok is great for increasing your audience reach, consumer engagement, and creativity, but if you don’t plan to make short videos, it is probably not the fit for you.
  
  
• YouTube is similar to TikTok in the fact that it is a video-sharing platform. However, this focuses more on long-form videos which can be more time-consuming to create. It also takes a while to get monetized on this platform, so if you don’t have the time to dedicate here, this may not be the best option for you.
  
  

Build relationships with your followers

Social media can seem impersonal, but it is an opportunity to meet new people, see new perspectives, and reach future clients. By asking questions in the form of a poll or question box, it allows people to engage with your content and helps build trust and respect with your audience. 

You can also build relationships with your followers by sharing some personal information every now and then. Even though the focus of your social media platforms should be on how your nutrition services can help any future or current clients, it’s also important to be relatable. You can do this by sharing a few life updates, anecdotal stories, or relevant quotes to help people get to know you more. 

Exhibit professionalism

If you want to build a trust factor with potential clients, you should allow people to engage and have conversations on your social media platforms. This could include having your comment section open, likes available, allowing shares, and opening up your direct messages. This helps your followers feel like you value their input and want to build a relationship with them. 

But just because you’re on social media doesn’t mean that you can act in an unprofessional manner. If people leave hateful comments, start an unproductive thread, or act hostile on your page, you have every right to respectfully disengage and block them if things get out of hand. If you lash out, it can be unprofessional and leave a bad impression on other people. 

Tip: If you’re wondering how to create memorable nutrition content for your clients, we’ve got you covered. Discover how you can provide accurate, up-to-date nutrition information for your clients.

Summary 

Social media platforms may change and evolve, but they are not going away anytime soon. As dietitians, you can use an online platform to formulate a digital marketing strategy that fits within your professional goals. When you find a social media platform that allows you to stay consistent and further your business model, you can increase revenue, gain more clients, market your services, and build trust within the online community.

We are always working toward bringing you the best nutrition content, so we welcome any suggestions or comments you might have! Feel free to write to us at info@nutrium.com.

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References:

Global Social Media Statistics Research Summary. Retrieved September 11, 2022 from ​​https://www.smartinsights.com

The Importance of Social Media Marketing. Retrieved September 12, 2022 from https://www.digitalmarketing.org

20 Top Social Media Sites to Use for Your Brand in 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022 from https://buffer.com