Instagram Practices of Successful Plastic Surgeon Accounts: Is There a Magic Formula?

Area of Science:

• Medical marketing
• Social media analytics
• Plastic surgery practice management

Background:

• Social media platforms, particularly Instagram, are increasingly utilized by plastic surgeons for advertising and practice promotion.
• A large follower count on Instagram can enhance a plastic surgeon's perceived validity and broaden their reach to potential patients.
• Understanding Instagram practices is crucial for effective online marketing in the plastic surgery field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the Instagram posting practices of the top 10 plastic surgeon accounts with those of accounts having 1,000 to 100,000 followers.
• To analyze differences in content volume and media type (photos vs. videos) between high-profile and mid-tier plastic surgeon Instagram accounts.

Main Methods:

• Selection of the top 10 plastic surgeon Instagram accounts via Google and Instagram searches.
• Selection of additional plastic surgeon accounts within the 1,000 to 100,000 follower range using Instagram's search feature.
• Evaluation of average daily posts, media type (videos vs. photos), and posting frequency between November 1, 2022, and February 20, 2023.
• Statistical comparison using a double-tailed unpaired Student's t-test.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed in the average number of posts between the top 10 accounts and the 1,000-10,000 or 10,000-100,000 follower groups.
• Similarly, no significant differences were found in the number of picture posts, number of video posts, or the percentage of video posts across these groups.
• This suggests that posting behavior on Instagram may be consistent across plastic surgeons with varying levels of online following.

Conclusions:

• Despite the lack of significant differences in posting practices, the study offers valuable insights into how plastic surgeons utilize Instagram.
• The findings provide a benchmark for understanding content strategies employed by plastic surgeons on the platform.
• Further research could explore engagement metrics and patient acquisition strategies in relation to Instagram presence.