Dental professionals have a lot to think about every day. Not only do you have patients to care for, but it is necessary to stay up to date with new technologies and procedures, manage productive office staff, and ensure your business is generating a new patient pipeline.
It can be a lot to take on – so adding the need to develop a strategic social media plan may not seem feasible.
Still, online presence and reputation is a critical part of any business these days, and dental practices are no exception.
It’s estimated that 75% of potential new clients will search online reviews for feedback from your patients before contacting your office – and a lack of information can be more detrimental than you think.
Social media is not just for family photos and funny jokes.
Having a robust social media presence is a necessity. This presence will not only boost online engagement but provide positive feedback via reviews. Social media can promote your business, educate consumers, engage the community, create strong morale, and ultimately grow your business.
Creating an Effective Social Media Strategy
Designate a social media manager: While social media may not be a full-time job for a dental practice, it does require some time and attention. However, your online reputation is critical, so your feeds must be monitored.
Comments and questions must be answered, and your pages and accounts must be updated regularly. Although you may have grand aspirations of keeping up with your social media accounts, most professionals find it challenging to do so.
So, designating a marketing-type person to pay daily attention to your online presence is a smart move. Keep in mind that if a prospective patient visits your social media page and sees no activity for several weeks or months, it reflects negatively on your business.
Facebook is a good start: Facebook is not only familiar to the vast majority of the population – and a massive player in the social media world – but it makes a lot of sense demographically for a dental practice.
While you probably have a Facebook page, are you optimizing its usage to drive business? There were 2.3 billion active users on the platform as of 2019. While most of these people are not relevant to your local dental practice, the number indicated the reality that your target audience is likely on Facebook.
This platform specializes in family, friends, and communities interacting personally, meaning that word of mouth recommendations can be seen by broad audiences. Facebook ads are relatively inexpensive and allow you to finely target prospects in your geographic area.
Contests, informational posts, and local employee spotlights are all engaging and exciting ways to establish your brand online. While you will most likely branch out Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, Facebook is a logical first step.
Build your Network: Social media works with connections and is simply “word of mouth” advertising boosted digitally. Be sure to encourage your patients to “like” or “follow” you (depending on the platform.)
Once this happens, you will appear in their timelines, and if they engage with you, their personal sphere of influence will see your posts as well. By offering fun, informative, and engaging content, your following will grow organically, and you will establish yourself as an active member of the community.
Post About Dentistry – and your Kids: A social media presence is about building your business. Therefore it is completely appropriate to create content around your new technologies, best practices, or new office location.
It would be best if you also connected personally – this is “social” media, after all. Don’t be afraid to intersperse professional posts with some personal ones, always mindful of the marketing potential.
For instance, “bring your daughter to work day” can highlight your adorable kids exploring your newly renovated offices. National Puppy Day can be celebrated by posting photos of your staff (in their official office scrubs) and their canine companions.
Posting about community events, volunteer efforts, and even contest and promotional opportunities all can increase engagement and establish you as a positive place for them to choose for their dental care.
Use 1,000 Words: No, we aren’t encouraging verbosity. Rather, we refer to the old adage “a picture is worth 1,000 words” Pictures, videos, and infographics are highly effective at capturing people’s attention and promoting engagement.
Get creative with your postings, and people will come back often – to get the latest video tips, to answer this week’s trivia question, or to see the “employee of the week.”
And let’s face it, everyone wants a beautiful smile – and you can post photos every day of patients exhibiting just that.
Your Dental Practice Needs a Social Strategy
Going into 2021, social media has matured well beyond family photos.
Done right, social media builds brand awareness, grows your prospect base, helps you to connect with current and future patients, and creates goodwill in the community. So it is not a question of if you should become an active participant – it is how.
To be most effective, you should plan on posting 5-6 times per week on each platform and blogging at least twice a week. While this may seem overwhelming, it will be well worth the effort.
If you do not feel that you can commit to that level of posting, add it to the job description of your most “social” employee, or hire a digital marketing firm to help you implement a robust strategy that generates your desired results.
In 2021, the other dental practices in your area will be utilizing social media to build their business and their online presence. Dedicate yourself to a plan for online presence and success, and you’ll see your business grow as well.
Dental professionals have a lot to think about every day. Not only do you have patients to care for, but it is necessary to stay up to date with new technologies and procedures, manage productive office staff, and ensure your business is generating a new patient pipeline.
It can be a lot to take on – so adding the need to develop a strategic social media plan may not seem feasible.
Still, online presence and reputation is a critical part of any business these days, and dental practices are no exception.
It’s estimated that 75% of potential new clients will search online reviews for feedback from your patients before contacting your office – and a lack of information can be more detrimental than you think.
Social media is not just for family photos and funny jokes.
Having a robust social media presence is a necessity. This presence will not only boost online engagement but provide positive feedback via reviews. Social media can promote your business, educate consumers, engage the community, create strong morale, and ultimately grow your business.
Creating an Effective Social Media Strategy
Designate a social media manager: While social media may not be a full-time job for a dental practice, it does require some time and attention. However, your online reputation is critical, so your feeds must be monitored.
Comments and questions must be answered, and your pages and accounts must be updated regularly. Although you may have grand aspirations of keeping up with your social media accounts, most professionals find it challenging to do so.
So, designating a marketing-type person to pay daily attention to your online presence is a smart move. Keep in mind that if a prospective patient visits your social media page and sees no activity for several weeks or months, it reflects negatively on your business.
Facebook is a good start: Facebook is not only familiar to the vast majority of the population – and a massive player in the social media world – but it makes a lot of sense demographically for a dental practice.
While you probably have a Facebook page, are you optimizing its usage to drive business? There were 2.3 billion active users on the platform as of 2019. While most of these people are not relevant to your local dental practice, the number indicated the reality that your target audience is likely on Facebook.
This platform specializes in family, friends, and communities interacting personally, meaning that word of mouth recommendations can be seen by broad audiences. Facebook ads are relatively inexpensive and allow you to finely target prospects in your geographic area.
Contests, informational posts, and local employee spotlights are all engaging and exciting ways to establish your brand online. While you will most likely branch out Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, Facebook is a logical first step.
Build your Network: Social media works with connections and is simply “word of mouth” advertising boosted digitally. Be sure to encourage your patients to “like” or “follow” you (depending on the platform.)
Once this happens, you will appear in their timelines, and if they engage with you, their personal sphere of influence will see your posts as well. By offering fun, informative, and engaging content, your following will grow organically, and you will establish yourself as an active member of the community.
Post About Dentistry – and your Kids: A social media presence is about building your business. Therefore it is completely appropriate to create content around your new technologies, best practices, or new office location.
It would be best if you also connected personally – this is “social” media, after all. Don’t be afraid to intersperse professional posts with some personal ones, always mindful of the marketing potential.
For instance, “bring your daughter to work day” can highlight your adorable kids exploring your newly renovated offices. National Puppy Day can be celebrated by posting photos of your staff (in their official office scrubs) and their canine companions.
Posting about community events, volunteer efforts, and even contest and promotional opportunities all can increase engagement and establish you as a positive place for them to choose for their dental care.
Use 1,000 Words: No, we aren’t encouraging verbosity. Rather, we refer to the old adage “a picture is worth 1,000 words” Pictures, videos, and infographics are highly effective at capturing people’s attention and promoting engagement.
Get creative with your postings, and people will come back often – to get the latest video tips, to answer this week’s trivia question, or to see the “employee of the week.”
And let’s face it, everyone wants a beautiful smile – and you can post photos every day of patients exhibiting just that.
Your Dental Practice Needs a Social Strategy
Going into 2021, social media has matured well beyond family photos.
Done right, social media builds brand awareness, grows your prospect base, helps you to connect with current and future patients, and creates goodwill in the community. So it is not a question of if you should become an active participant – it is how.
To be most effective, you should plan on posting 5-6 times per week on each platform and blogging at least twice a week. While this may seem overwhelming, it will be well worth the effort.
If you do not feel that you can commit to that level of posting, add it to the job description of your most “social” employee, or hire a digital marketing firm to help you implement a robust strategy that generates your desired results.
In 2021, the other dental practices in your area will be utilizing social media to build their business and their online presence. Dedicate yourself to a plan for online presence and success, and you’ll see your business grow as well.
Published on April 12, 2021
About the Author: Ashley Bardonaro
