Social media is a powerful marketing tool that can help your business establish trust with your local audience. But building a strong social media marketing plan is easier said than done, especially for busy dentists. We put together this guide on social media dental marketing to help you get the most out of your content creation.
Get More Out of Your Posts: Six Social Media Marketing Tips for Dentists
1: Be Consistent
Ideally, you should be posting once a day, or at least a few times each week on Facebook and Instagram. But no matter how often you post, the most important thing is to stay consistent with the timing.
If you suddenly stop posting for a while, or if you only post irregularly, your posts can easily fall behind in their algorithm rankings. Consistently sharing posts and responding to comments helps you stay at the top of your followers’ feeds, and in the front of their minds.
Staying consistent with your timing can help boost your visibility, too. Your local social media users are probably most active at certain times of the day. If you schedule your posts for those times, you can maximize engagement.
It’s also important to stay consistent with your branding, because it makes your business easily recognizable. Make sure to use the same profile picture, cover photos, biography, and brand colors across all social media platforms.
2: Target Your Local Audience
For a dental practice, having a million followers isn’t that beneficial if they live all across the country. Here are a few ways you can work on reaching your local audience:
- Use hashtags and location tags in your posts that are targeted for your area.
- Encourage your patients to check out your profiles—include social media links or QR codes on your website and in follow-up emails. This makes it easier for them to share your information when recommending your practice to friends and family.
- Interact with other local businesses and events on social media platforms.
3: Educate Your Followers
You can make your social media profile worth following by sharing educational content. Showcasing your expertise in dentistry makes your business appear more trustworthy to both existing and potential patients. It also helps ease the nerves of patients with dental anxiety who aren’t sure what to expect from their next dental visit.
For instance, you can create infographics that break down what happens during common dental procedures, or that warn about dental issues like gum disease. You can also share interesting dental facts, or share links to informative articles and studies. You should also use social media to inform your patients about any upcoming changes, like adjusted holiday hours, to keep them in the loop.
4: Post Before and After Photos
Another good way to illustrate your expertise is by posting before and after photos of successful procedures. Seeing real results will make potential patients more confident in choosing your services. Just make sure to get your model’s written consent before taking and posting any pictures.
5: Highlight Your Team
You can also use social media to introduce potential patients to your staff. Seeing photos of real people proves your authenticity and makes social media users feel more comfortable with scheduling an appointment at your practice.
Dedicate a social media post to each staff member with a picture of their smiling face and a brief biography detailing their skills. Highlighting your team builds trust with your followers, and makes your practice more inviting.
6: Share Positive Patient Reviews
It’s a good idea to highlight your patients’ opinions as well. When responding to positive reviews of your dental practice, ask the reviewer if you can share their feedback on social media.
People want to hear from their peers before they choose a business, and seeing a positive review can sometimes be enough for them to select yours over the competition. Including a link to your Google Business Profile in the post can help other patients leave positive feedback, too.
Digital Marketing Services for Dentists
From social media to SEO, there are many components to a successful online marketing strategy, and we know them all. Let the experts at New Wine Digital market your dental practice so you can focus on your patients. Give us a call at 480-516-1819 today to learn more about our professional digital marketing services.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (12/16/2022). Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels