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Oct 8, 2022
4.62 billion. That’s the number of people who currently have social media.
And, guess what? 55% of them use it to discover brands and companies!
Not only that, but 90% of marketers say their social media marketing efforts have increased the exposure of their businesses, and 75% have seen a growth in traffic. And, 71% of consumers who’ve had a good experience with a brand on social are likely to recommend it to others.
We can’t deny that social media sites have since become a major source of news and information in this digital era. However, that’s not the only progress we’re seeing. Social channels are now being used by brands to interact with their audience and keep them posted on the latest happenings, and of course, to promote themselves.
So, if you have yet to formulate a social media marketing strategy for your dental practice, there’s no better time than now to start! For sure, your competitors have already invested in social media for dentists. Better catch up ASAP if you don’t want to lose your existing patients to them!
Think about it – how can you get potential patients to learn about your dental practice and retain existing ones if you’re not on social media? That’s just far from possible in today’s age.
Or, if you do have one but you’re struggling to generate results, then you’ve probably been doing it wrong this entire time.
Either way, you’ll definitely find this post extremely valuable. Since we’d love nothing more than to help your dental practice grow and succeed, we’ve decided to share the most effective ways to use social media as part of your dental marketing strategy.
Not only will these tactics make it possible for you to attract a huge following online, but they’ll also give you the opportunity to build brand awareness, drive organic traffic to your dental website, showcase your leadership, and strengthen your relationship with your new and existing patients. Oh, and there’s a huge chance that you’ll get prospects to book an appointment in no time!
Ready to find out how social media for dentists can take your business to the next level with all these incredible benefits? Let’s dive right in!
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There’s no better way to demonstrate your expertise while keeping your target audience engaged at the same time than by creating content that focuses on oral hygiene.
Whether your goal is to attract new patients, retain current ones, or boost your reputation as a dental practice online, providing dental tips in the form of how-to infographics and tutorial videos on a regular basis can help make it happen. Feel free to link to your dental blog posts too!
It’s not uncommon for social media users to share posts they find informative. The more helpful your content is, the more likely they’ll post it on their feed for all their followers to see. Talk about free advertising!
While it’s important to maintain a professional demeanor online, you’ll also want to use a casual tone to engage your audience. Sounding too clinical will only drive your potential patients away. After all, social media is a platform for businesses to show their human side.
Exhibiting a warm and friendly disposition can no doubt get people to like your dental practice more. Plus, it makes it much easier to earn their trust as they view you as far more relatable, which can eventually turn them into new patients of yours.
We’re not saying that you shouldn’t pitch for your services; rather, just don’t do it all the time. Show what you do and what you offer, but also blend in some fun and quirky stuff whenever you can. The trick is to talk to your audience as if you were friends. That way, they’ll become more comfortable having you as their dentist.
Whichever channel your dental practice is on, see to it that there’s a clear call-to-action (CTA) in the bio – be it to visit your website, sign up to your newsletter, or book an appointment without having to call your dental office.
Bear in mind that social media serves as a medium for discovery for potential patients to learn more about your dental services. That’s why including a compelling CTA is a big must.
Utilizing advocacy is one of the most effective and cost-free ways to grow your followers and patients. It’s a simple concept, really: just get your employees and existing patients to post wonderful things about your dental practice or share your content.
You might also want to consider pairing your advocacy program with a referral program where you reward those who successfully encourage a follower to schedule an appointment with you as a result of posting your content.
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FOMO, otherwise known as the fear of missing out, is a real phenomenon – one that most marketers today have learned to take advantage of. People don’t like the idea of missing whatever it is you’re sharing in real-time because it makes them feel as if they were the only ones who were unable to take part.
This is where we tell you to leverage limited-time content such as Stories and Live videos.
Many dentists have been using Instagram Stories and Facebook Live to connect with their audience on a deeper level. They’d usually livestream procedures like whitening or teeth cleaning, while others would simply post polls or surveys on their Stories to give their followers a voice.
Then there are dental businesses that would host an Ask Me Anything session to allow their prospective and existing clients to know more about their practice or just about anything related to oral care.
Every time someone posts about your dental practice, make it a point to repost on your own channels. This is a common strategy digital marketers call user-generated content (UGC).
By posting UGC, you’ll be able to increase the credibility of your dental practice, establish yourself as an industry leader, and expand your audience. Those who know little or nothing about you and see satisfied patients mentioning you positively will most likely perceive you as a trustworthy dentist
And, like their teeth, your patients can also shine because of you. Featuring their content on your dental social media feed will give them the idea that you appreciate and value them. The same goes when you respond to their comments, which brings us to the next social media for dentists strategy…..
Sprout Social revealed that social media is the number one choice for customer service. What’s more, Statista found that 47% of US consumers have a more favorable view of companies that respond to inquiries or complaints on social media.
For these reasons, one can say that a dental practice that replies ASAP when followers send a message will definitely keep existing patients and win new patients in no time. Be that dental practice!
Feel free to designate the role to someone in your team to handle all the concerns made on social media so you can focus on doing what you do best – taking care of dental patients.
By having a support agent answering questions and providing solutions quickly and clearly, you’ll get your followers to rely on you to solve their problems, increasing their chances of converting.
Freebies? Exclusive deals? Who can say no to these? Not your followers, that’s for sure!
So, here’s another tactic for your dental social media marketing plan: run contests or giveaways to attract new patients and get existing ones to stay loyal! Trust us, it works wonders!
Below are some of the most effective types of social media contests:
Besides engaging your audience and getting them excited to win awesome rewards, these contests aim to boost your dental practice’s popularity online. That’s because participants will need to tag you or interact with your content. The more interaction there is, the higher the odds are that they will appear in everyone’s feed.
As for giveaways, you can host something like a 12 Days of Christmas on your social media platforms where you surprise your audience with fantastic perks during those 12 days, or it could even be during your anniversary month. Another idea is to offer coupons that are only valid for a short time.
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There’s no denying that having a solid dental social media strategy in place can get your dental practice ahead of the competition.
Curating the perfect plan for your social media channels can take a lot of time and effort, so why not leave it to our experts here at Digital Resource to get the job done for you? With their tremendous expertise and years of experience working with other dental practices, you can count on them to bring you dental social media success!
Get in touch with us now for a free consultation!
Think you've got what it takes to hang with the pros at Digital Resource? Check out our Careers page to browse current job openings!
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