The one true basis of every good marketing campaign is to be where your clients are. To be heard and noticed, you have to be present. Social media plays a vital role in the communication between brands and their customers. That is why crafting an effective social media marketing strategy is important for every business – including the dental industry.
From this article, you will learn about the importance of social media dental marketing for dentists, social media management, and the best ways to build your social media presence with the help of social media strategy.
Why Should Dentists Post on Social Media?
The answer to that question is relatively simple, as we already mentioned at the beginning of this article. A study from 2012 revealed that 51% of dental practices were already using social media for their marketing, so it would be unwise not to consider this type of advertising in 2022, with the steady rise in social media for marketing purposes.¹ For one thing, social media platforms are a great place to tell your brand’s story.
People connect through stories, and allowing your potential patients to get to know you, your staff, the way you work, and what is valuable to you creates trust and engagement. Additionally, dentists can use social media to share their knowledge, presenting themselves as experts in their field.
As a dental practice, you want to make sure that you always have someone to perform your services for. Social media are great to connect with your current patients, but these platforms also allow you to attract new patients with the usage of dental marketing.
By investing in ad campaigns, you can reach people from a particular demographic or based on behavioral characteristics, which means you can spread the word about your services to your “ideal” patients. The more eyes are on you, the bigger chance you have to gain more new patients.
The way you interact with existing patients and people who visit your social media platform also shows prospective patients how engaged you are within your patients’ community and how much you care about good customer service. Sharing, liking, and commenting can help you widen your reach and allow you to present yourself as an approachable professional.
How to Make Dental Social Media Marketing Easy
Engaging in social media can be really beneficial, but a good social media strategy might take time and effort. It’s essential to look for and choose tools that will make the whole process easier and more efficient. You don’t want to spread yourself too thin when you already run a business, so finding ways to manage your social media without too much sweat is very valuable.
One tool that can make managing your reviews so much easier is Weave Reviews. As you may already know, reviews have an immense impact on customers’ decisions. Everybody wants to feel like they’re making the right choice when it comes to services and products that they spend their money on. And they trust reviews in the decision-making process – which in marketing is called social proof.
Testimonies from your previous and current patients can be a big part of your social media advertising campaign. With Weave Reviews, you can collect and monitor reviews on Google and Facebook. You also can collect reviews right after your patients’ appointments. You can text them a link to leave a review before they even step out of your dental office and forget about it.
You also will be notified every time someone writes you a review. When you receive a bad review, you can contact the patient immediately and try to solve the problem. With the support of tools like Weave Reviews, you can operate quicker and with less effort on your part.
6 Creative Dental Posts Ideas
Social media marketing for dentists is about making your patient informed, engaged, and encouraged to return to your dental clinic. It is also about attracting new patients and building your brand awareness.
To achieve these goals, you’ll need a dental social media strategy that includes some interesting and mostly free dental social media posts. Capturing people’s attention in the modern social media world is not an easy task. Implementing ideas and tactics that we prepared in this article may make this challenge a little easier.
Our social media marketing ideas for dentists will make your social media channel (and your clinic) a place people want to visit!
1. Fall marketing ideas for dental offices
Fall is a perfect season for dental marketing efforts. There are plenty of opportunities to tie your brand with something positive and with strong associations. The perfect example of that is Halloween.
You can organize a trick-or-treat event at your dental office and invite your patients and prospective patients via social media to have fun with you and your staff. Decorate your office, prepare little treats like sweets and toothbrushes and encourage your younger patients to experience the magic of Halloween.
Don’t forget to take some photographs and post them on your social media profile. You can make this an annual event and spend this time having fun with your patients.
October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is an important time for many communities, and it’s a great chance to be proactive and supportive. Apart from spreading awareness about breast cancer and the importance of preventive examinations, you can also engage in many activities, like participating in your local Making Strides Walk or raising funds.
It can be a good idea to choose a donation goal and post about your progress on social media. This type of marketing is incredibly beneficial to everyone, so it’s a great way to engage with your audience and promote important causes at the same time.
2. Spring marketing ideas for dental offices
Because May is Family Wellness Month and National Family Month is in June, your dental social media marketing strategy should focus on families and dental checkups. It is a great time to remind parents about dental hygiene and regular dental exams and encourage them to visit your office with their kids before the rush of family vacations starts for good.
You can read more about spring targeted marketing in our article Spring Marketing Ideas for Dental Offices.
3. Blog Post
Creating and sharing original content with your patients is incredibly important. This is how you can find your voice. A blog on your dental website is a place where your patient will look for some additional information, tips from the dental professional and all the content they find relevant, so use this platform to showcase your expertise.
Some interesting blog posts might concern dental awareness, answers to most common questions, your story and introductions, interesting cases you’ve encountered during your profession, tips for dental hygiene, and procedures you perform (including cosmetics procedures).
It’s good to add some seasonal content, too, for example, about your fall or spring events at the office and various initiatives that you are a part of. You can share links to these posts on your social media account and get more traffic to your blog.
Of course, you don’t have to write all the content yourself, although it would be better not to leave the posts about dental matters to somebody without the necessary expertise. The worst thing to do is publish content with false or misleading information.
You want to present yourself as trustworthy and knowledgeable, so always check what kind of information is included in your blog posts.
It’s worth remembering that not every blog reader will be able-bodied. That is why you should create a vision impaired profile and website so that people with tunnel vision, degrading eyesight, and blind users with tools like keyboard navigation can access your blog posts.
4. Ad Campaigns
Not everybody has a time in the day or desire, for that matter, to read lengthier content, like blog posts. With ads, you can reach your target audience on different social media platforms and in different ways, for example, through video content.
A good way to advertise your services within a particular area is with a Local Awareness Facebook ad. This type of ad allows you to target chosen demographics in your area, so you don’t pay for ads that reach people who would never visit your office.
You can also use this ad to share relevant information like your address, hours of operation, and a “Get Directions” link. There can even be an option for patients to make appointments through the prompt in the ad.
A handy tool in your dental social media arsenal is Instagram. Instagram marketing for dentists is very impactful. This platform is perfect for posting interesting ads that don’t have to feel like ads. Instagram is a visually driven social network site. Hence, the best way to approach it is to post photographs and video content showcasing extraordinary cases you’re treated as well as trivia and fun facts.
Dental Instagram post ideas include posting ads, like information about promotions on your Instagram story. These actions are very effective because they don’t require much effort from your audience. You can educate, entertain and share some insights and it all can be a part of a successful social media marketing strategy!
5. Facebook live dental content ideas
A step further would be to do regular Facebook lives. In digital marketing, the big role plays authenticity and personal connection. Your patient expects excellent medical care, customer service, and positive interactions. Similar thing can be said about your audience online.
People on your social media want to know you better and connect with you on a human level by seeing your face and hearing your voice. This is how you can build a relationship with your audience that is mutually beneficial. And it’s also why doing Facebook lives can be a great marketing move.
You can do lives on the subjects regarding dental care skills. This is a nice way to remind viewers about some dental ABCs in a short and digestible form. Lives don’t have to be long. Most of the time, you can stick with five to ten minutes formats.
Another solid idea is to do a live in which you answer your followers’ questions. It’s very simple in its design, but it increases audience engagement and creates an opportunity to share your knowledge, which builds your authority.
6. Search Engine Optimization content
Keeping your content optimized for search engines is incredibly important. But what does it mean? Search engine optimization helps your content to be more visible to the searcher.
SEO is a broad topic, and it includes such things as technical tune-ups, targeted optimization and regular adjustments. Here are some tips on how to optimize your content.
Choosing the right keywords and creating content around them is one of the essential elements of optimized written content. Keywords are often queries that people type in the search engines. Your content should be answering people’s questions because the most relevant content is higher in the searcher.
It’s not the most efficient to play a guessing game when it comes to choosing the right keywords. In this case, the best way is to use tools like Ahrefs or Google Keyword Planner.
Another way to boost your position in a searcher is to post regularly. Updating your content and posting according to the schedule signalizes that you are relevant. You’re also adding new keywords to your website, which is beneficial.
FAQs
How do I market my dental practice on social media?
By posting relevant, high-quality content that is engaging and optimized. You can use various ways to place ads, engage with the audience via comments, shares and likes, as well as do regular lives and other activities to connect with your audience.
What do dentists post on social media?
Because of the nature of this profession, many dentists share visual content, like photographs, videos, tutorials and lives. Dentists often choose to engage with their audiences on platforms like Youtube, Facebook and Instagram.
Do dentists need social media?
Social media are instrumental in implementing dental digital marketing strategies, so using at least one social platform is recommended when you’re thinking about growing your business.
Conclusion
Social media are one of the best ways dentists can expand their customer base. A social media marketing strategy effectively establishes brand awareness and increases interest in your business. There are many different ways to engage with the audience, so anyone can find the best way to promote their services. In our eyes, social media marketing for dentists is worth it!
Sources:
