Dental Marketing and Social Networks

Why is it so important for any type of business to have a presence on social networks? The answer to that is simple; you have to be where your customer is. For dental marketing, you need to be where your patients are.

To succeed in a very competitive industry, one must employ every means possible just to gain a competitive advantage and today the number one priority is a social media presence.

There are many ways that social media can help you and your dental practice. To name a few:

1. Social networking sites can be a source of quality leads or new patients.

2. By being present on social networking sites like Facebook, you can use it to build a relationship or connect with your current patients or your audience.

3. This is a powerful tool where you can market your dental practice and as a way to share relevant and valuable content.

4. This can also be a platform where you can have good reviews and recommendations for your dental practice or business.

Today, let’s talk about what you need to do to be successful in using social media marketing in your practice. I call it the 3 C’s of Social Media Strategy in Dental Practice.

Consistency

You do not have to create an account on all available platforms. You can start with one or two social networking sites and that might be what most of your patients use. By doing this, you are spending more time having a consistent presence on this one or two platforms that you use.

Use scheduling tools so you can manage multiple accounts in one place. There are many great tools available online, such as Hootsuite and buffer, that can schedule and publish a post, as well as give you information about your followers.

Fascinated

In marketing they would always advise following the 80/20 rule. 80% of your publication is for your audience. The content should be something for your patient and should always be useful to your dental practice. It can be advice on how they can take care of their oral health or it can be part of a live question and answer session. The other 20% of your content is to promote your business, like running a contest, posting about a promotional fee, or it could be a virtual tour to your dental office.

Customer Support

You also need to make sure that all your messages on social media are answered as quickly as possible. You can make use of auto responder and this feature is available on Facebook and makes the patient feel like you are always at their service.

When all else fails, perhaps the best way to manage your social media marketing is to let a professional help you. There are times when this is a great option, especially for dentists who don’t have the luxury of time to deal with the marketing side of things. It is no longer optional to have a social media presence to stay relevant in your practice.

Social sites are an opportunity for your dental practice to shine. It’s not just dental marketing. They are real connections with your patients and future patients. Connecting, locally, on social media helps establish your practice as part of the community. Using your happiest patients as content for your profile is an easy way to start.

Here’s an example, after giving someone veneers, you could offer them a discount (or just ask) in exchange for letting them post before and after photos of their teeth. They can even remain anonymous. Marketing like that allows you to leverage everyday procedures into valuable content geared toward your target market.