Social Media Trends in 2023 to Attract More Patients

Change is the only thing that’s constant in the social media world, which is why you need to update your dental social media plan often.  

This is the key to staying relevant to your target patients, winning them over, and growing your dental practice this 2023.

In this article, we will share with you the top five social media for dentists trends you can use to attract prospects and convert them into life-long patients.

Top 5 Social Media Trends of 2023

1. Short-Form Video is The Way to Go

Ever since the pandemic, people are spending more and more time on social media. However, the time they spend engaging with individual posts has decreased.  

Today, the average person only has an attention span of 8 seconds. And, people who access social content from their phones spend around 1.7 seconds looking at them, while those who do so via desktop spend an average of 2.5 seconds on the same content.  

Given people's declining attention spans, it's no wonder why short-form content is so popular. As a response, social platforms are boosting the visibility of these types of content to reach new followers and encourage creators to produce more of them.  

If you want to get ahead of your competitors and capture new patients this 2023, offering your audience more bite-size content options is the best way to get started.  

If your dental practice is targeting the younger generation, it’s especially important to explore this type of content. We suggest that you experiment with TikTok.  

20% of Generation Z (people between the ages of 10 and 25) is spending more than 5 hours a day on TikTok. Without a doubt, TikTok is the app of choice for younger generations.  

A 2021 survey revealed that TikTok videos are extremely effective in marketing to Gen Z. 40% of Gen Z consumers say that TikTok is their go-to platform if they want to learn about new products and buy them.  

2023 is the year to embrace the likes of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. The impressions and engagement you get are going to be much more substantial than if you just make static posts.

There are already so many dentists using short-form content to educate and entertain their audience. If you don’t know how to get started, you can look at the accounts of some of the most famous TikTok dentists and take note of their best practices.  

Here are some general tips to keep in mind:

• Focus on a specific dental service offering. For example, if you’re an orthodontist, focus on making short-form videos about braces, teeth straightening, and other relevant services.  
• Practice makes perfect. If you haven’t tried making short-form videos, now is the best time to get started. Don’t be afraid to experiment and learn as you go. Take inspiration from other dental practices that are doing incredibly well in the realm of short-form videos like The Bentist!
• Aside from using short-form content as a means to educate and entertain your audience, use it to answer queries and provide prompt customer service. Address issues, questions, and concerns right away.

• Add trending sounds or filters to your videos, and use hashtags to boost their visibility on the platform.  

2. Quickly Respond to Problems on Social Media

Modern consumers are not patient. According to Hubspot, 90% of them want an immediate response to their problems, concerns, and customer service questions.

So, how can your dental practice provide the prompt feedback your patients want?

33% of U.S. consumers say that they use social media to complain about a brand or customer service. A Zendesk report showed that the volume of customer service tickets increased by 20% from 2020 to 2021.  

A recent survey also found that 34% of Instagram users, 59% of Facebook users, and 75% of Twitter users reach out to brands on social platforms, half of which are reaching out about customer service concerns.  

Since consumers are already lobbying their concerns on social, why don't you use social media for customer service? It's the perfect tool to provide your patients with the quick reply they need to boost their experience.  

Responding to complaints quickly on social platforms is an opportunity to boost your brand image and value. It shows that you’re actively listening to your patients and that you truly care about them.  

When your patients feel heard and cared for, they’re more likely to remain loyal and advocate your practice to others.  

According to Statista, nearly 50% of American consumers have a more positive view of brands that respond to customer service concerns via social.  

Now that you know that social media is the best way to provide the immediate response your patients need to keep them happy, the next question is just how fast they expect you to reply on social.

According to a survey conducted by Sprout Social, 22% of consumers want to hear from you within 1-2 hours and another 22% said they expect you to reply within 2-12 hours.  

This 2023, make it a priority to meet your patients’ expectations in terms of response times by responding to their questions or concerns on social within 20 minutes of posting (if possible). This way, you can provide greater customer satisfaction and collect better reviews, which will lead to more referrals!

Remember, no patient wants to engage through slow email communication nor do they want to pick up the phone and talk to someone. What they want is to send you a message and get feedback right away.  

3. Live Videos

Along with short-form videos, live streaming or live videos is another popular type of content.  

People are projected to spend around $17.2 billion on live streams in 2025. In the first quarter of 2022, studies show that users watch nearly 9 billion hours of live streaming content. 80% of the respondents in a survey also said that they’d rather watch a brand’s live video than read their blog.  

If you haven’t tried doing live content to promote your dental products and services, 2023 is the best year to experiment. Below are some live video marketing ideas you should try:

• Do a live Q&A.  
• Run a live contest or giveaway.  

• Share exciting news and new product launches via live video.
• Partner with an influencer and do a live interview. The influencer can also take over the live stream and do a contest or giveaway.  
• If you have any merch, dental whitening kits, and other products, do an online-exclusive promo on your dental products and sell them live.

Live videos are a great way to engage your patients and prospects. You can give them an inside look at what goes on during one of your procedures, answer questions and concerns, and entertain your audience with some games and giveaways.  

4. Tell a Genuine Story and Build Brand Authenticity

People want to have an emotional connection with your dental practice. They want to know that your practice is human too and share their values.  

On social media, tailor your content so that it shows the authentic side of your practice and tells a genuine story of who you are and what you do.  

Authenticity is all about being true to who you are and to your customers.  

When it comes to brand authenticity, there are a couple of trends you want to apply this 2023:

• Encourage your practice’s dentists to have an active presence on social media.  

• Create more content that aims to provide value. Give expert tips and advice.  
• Join trends and challenges on TikTok.

People will reward your practice the moment they see that you’re being authentic and trustworthy. According to Sprout Social reports, when customers feel connected to a brand, 57% are willing to spend more on your product and services, and 76% will choose you over your competitors.  

The same reports also revealed that 38% of consumers say a CEO's transparency would inspire them to be more loyal to a business and 32% say it would inspire them to buy from that business.  

This 2023, encourage your dentists to establish an online presence by publishing content that shows they're an expert in their field and feature happenings from their perspective.  

This is a great way to add a human touch to your social content.  

5. Take Advantage of How Social Media is Slowly Becoming a Shopping Platform

If you're looking for new ways to grow your practice's income, you can take advantage of the fact that social media is becoming a shopping platform.  

Aside from marketing your dental services, try selling merch, dental kits, and other relevant products that are going to make it easy for your patients to maintain their oral health.  

The number of social commerce buyers in the US has reached over 80 million and this number is forecasted to exceed over 100 million by 2023.  

The younger generations are more likely to shop on social media platforms. If they are your target patients, you should consider selling on social this 2023.  

70% of consumers use Instagram to discover a product. 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business page. TikTok is also becoming increasingly popular among consumers.  

20.6% of consumers who buy on social say they do so often on TikTok. 67% of TikTok users also say that being on the platform inspires them to buy even when they originally didn’t have the intention to do so.  

Different social media platforms offer their version of a social commerce space. If you're not sure which platform to sell on, it's best to pick a channel where most of your audience is spending their time.  

It's also important to choose a platform that offers features that make shopping easier for users.  

Given how much people love shopping over social media, it won’t be soon before social shopping and purchasing features will become a part of their daily lives.  

Take Your Dental Practice to The Next Level with These 5 Social Media for Dentists Trends!

To attract patients this 2023 and grow your bottom line, it’s important to produce more short-form video content, respond quickly to customer service concerns on social, do more live videos, tailor your content so that it shows the authentic side of your practice, and explore social commerce.  

At Digital Resource, our social media specialists will work with you to help your dental practice curate social content that engages with your existing patients and inspires prospects to book an appointment with you.  

Contact us today to have a custom social media plan that will help you achieve business goals!

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