What social media do medical professionals use?

As you ramp up your practice marketing efforts, you may start to look for medical practice social media tips. Which platform should you prioritize? And with so many from which to choose, that’s a fair question. The key to choosing the best social platform for your medical practice isn’t to head where your colleagues are — it’s to head where your patients are going.

According to Tebra’s Patient Perspectives report, 75% of respondents would follow their healthcare providers on Facebook. But other platforms included Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. And overall, 1 in 4 patients said they would follow their provider on social media if they posted regularly. 

Depending on your patient demographics, communication style, and budget, certain platforms may lead to better connections with patients and prospects than others. Before making a decision, it helps to put each platform in context. 

Generally, most social networks skew male and are dominated by Millennials and Gen Z. Notable exceptions include TikTok, which skews female, and YouTube, which has a fairly equal gender distribution. Recent studies have not yet included data for non-binary, fluid, or genderqueer users. Both cater to a wider age range. Facebook is popular among older generations. 

All of these factors can play a role in which platform would work best for your practice. 

But engagement rates and content types matter, too. If you hate recording videos and can’t outsource the work, TikTok or YouTube may not be the best place for your practice to try to build a following. Likewise, if you prefer short writing and a more conversational atmosphere, Twitter might be ideal. 

Facebook has been around since 2004, and it’s only natural that this legacy social media platform garners a lot of traffic. As of 2022, 70% of US adults still used the platform regularly.  

Businesses benefit from having a Facebook business page, even if they don’t use it very often. For example, since Facebook is considered a “high-quality” website by Google, having a Facebook page that links to your website can boost your overall SEO. A business page also opens the door to using other tools, like Facebook Ads and Groups. 

This platform also integrates well with Instagram and the messaging tool WhatsApp, which are owned by Facebook’s parent company, Meta. 

Facebook pros:

Facebook cons:

Instagram is the most popular social platform for both Millennials and Gen Z, making it ideal for catching the attention of adults and young adults looking for a primary care doctor, therapist, or other healthcare providers. 

As a predecessor to platforms like TikTok, Instagram allows healthcare providers to be flexible with their content, as you can post photos as well as videos. Another advantage to Instagram is that it links directly with your Facebook business page and you can leverage ads for both platforms from the same dashboard. 

Instagram pros:

Instagram cons:

LinkedIn is a career-based platform, so it’s easy to see why many Millennials, Gen Xers, and younger Baby Boomers are active on it. Unlike other social platforms, users head to LinkedIn to post about their expertise and network with other professionals. 

Users are also very active, as LinkedIn has an average engagement rate of  3.16% — far higher than Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Furthermore, it’s possible to gain traction not only with a medical practice page but also with your personal LinkedIn account. This means that no matter where you go or what you do with your practice, your reputation is linked to your name. 

If you want to do more than attract patients, such as publish thought leadership pieces and connect with colleagues, this is the place to do it. 

LinkedIn pros:

LinkedIn cons:

Despite the controversy over TikTok, the platform continues to grow and attract a wide audience. More popular among Gen Z users than any other demographic, TikTok is an intuitive video app with a high organic engagement rate. In other words, more users are commenting, liking, and sharing content without a company investing advertising dollars. 

How does that compare? TikTok’s engagement rate is 4.25% versus Facebook’s 0.15%. While “free” or organic reach is declining across social media platforms, TikTok provides the highest rate. It is also replacing Google as a search engine among Gen Z. For that reason alone, this social network is worth considering. 

TikTok pros:

TikTok cons:

Twitter is another social media network with an uncertain future. After Elon Musk purchased the platform in 2022 and implemented significant changes, many staff and users fled the platform. But some decided to stay. 

In particular, you’re likely to see more users between the ages of 25-35 and many in their 40s. This is in part because Gen Z users prefer Instagram and TikTok. Boomers tend to stick to Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

If you prefer short-form writing and interacting with other users over videos and images, Twitter might be the place for you. All you need to get started creating content on this platform are words and your expertise, making it attractive for someone just getting started with social media. 

Twitter pros:

Twitter cons:

YouTube is one of the largest social media platforms in the US, second only to Facebook, and serves a whopping 74% of the population. In fact, the same study shows that usage is generally the same across gender and age. The only significant difference is that YouTube use drops significantly after the age of 54.

In other words, YouTube is an opportunity to reach a vast audience. For medical practices that serve patients from all walks of life — such as chiropractors and therapists — it can be a prime tool to highlight your expertise. 

YouTube pros:

YouTube cons:

Looking for more inspiration? Check out these 15 best medical practice Facebook pages.