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Sep 5, 2022
Social media for dentists, particularly TikTok, can be a powerful marketing tool. You can use it to educate the public about oral health, boost brand awareness, and attract new patients.
However, given the number of TikTok dentist accounts on the platform, you need to do more than "simply" posting a video to cut through the noise and increase your chances of going viral.
Take things to the next level by creating a strong profile and developing a content strategy to help your dental practice gain visibility across the platform and beyond.
The first step to creating videos that appear on the For You Page (FYP) is to understand how the TikTok algorithm works.
According to InVideo, the data you should monitor is your video length and the average watch time on that video. Your average watch time, compared to the length of your video, will determine how much the TikTok algorithm will push your content on people’s FYPs.
The higher your average watch time, the more your videos appear in front of people's FYP, and the better their chances of going viral!
So, how exactly can you increase your average video watch time? It all depends on how you structure your videos.
Structure your video in a way that compels viewers to listen to your story. This helps keep them engaged and increases your average watch time for better chances of going viral.
Here are some tips on how to structure your TikTok dental videos for virality.
Hook Your Audience
You only have one to four seconds to capture viewer attention and convince them to continue watching your video. Hook them right away by arousing curiosity, promising to provide a solution for a problem, intriguing them, and giving helpful hacks and tips.
Here are some formats to use when brainstorming your dental social media posts:
Use Trending Music Clips or Voice Overs
TikTok’s algorithm is more likely to show videos that use viral music clips because it knows people like them. By incorporating trending audio or voice-overs, your content has a better chance of appearing on more users’ For You Page.
To find out what voiceovers or music are trending, spend some time on the FYP. You can also go to some of the most popular content creators on the platform and see what audio tracks they’re using.
You can also go to the discover page and select the sounds option to see a list of trending audio on the platform.
Trending music or voiceovers can put your videos in front of a wider audience.
You can also use the voiceover feature to narrate what’s going on in the video and tell your story. What's great about narration is that it feels more personal and it makes viewers feel like you're talking to them directly.
Create a Playlist
It’s best to keep your videos short to avoid boring your viewers and to keep them intrigued. Plus, the longer your videos are, the less likely people are going to finish watching them and the less likely they’re going to go viral.
So, instead of creating one long video to post on all your dental social media pages, break it up into parts. This way, you’ll see a lot of content creators say, “Like for part 2.” Cliffhangers also build anticipation and excitement.
Certain dental topics and procedures need a thorough explanation to help potential patients better understand their value and why they need them.
If you choose to make video series, playlists are a great tool for organizing your videos. They save viewers the trouble of scrolling through your account to search for certain videos.
You can create playlists for specific procedures, tutorials, dental tips, and hacks, before and after results, debunking dental myths, and many more.
To create a playlist, here’s what you need to do:
Use Compelling CTAs
Always include a call to action at the end of your videos. You can ask viewers to share your video, hit the follow button, or click the link in your description to book an appointment or access discounts and special promos in your clinic.
CTAs give you the power to direct potential patients to what to do next once they’ve seen your content.
You can also say something like “Hit the follow button for Part 2 or comment down below if you want Part 2” to incentivize viewers to engage with your content.
Add Text to Your TikTok Thumbnail
Adding text to your thumbnails helps you better explain the content of your videos. You can also use it to pique interest, set expectations, and convince users to watch till the end. In fact, you can use it as a hook!
Jump on the latest trend on the platform to get the views you need to gain traction on TikTok!
Some of these trends might be unrelated to dental stuff but you can always give your content a dental twist to make it more relevant to your target viewers.
It’s also important to hop on social media for dentists’ trends specific to your industry. The question now is, how do you stay on top of trends and hop on them quickly?
You check out influencers in your industry to see what they're up to, follow the top trending creators to see what trends they're doing, and research to determine trends on the platform.
Remember that trends only have a shelf life of about 5-7 days. Be quick to identify a trend that works for your dental practice and keep using it.
Studies show that 40% of Gen Zs prefer to search online via TikTok and Instagram over Google. Take advantage of this by making your profile and content highly searchable.
By adding your main keyword in your username, using hashtags, and adding keywords in your descriptions and closed captions, you can boost your visibility on the platform.
To widen your reach, consider collaborating with content creators from your local area who are on the platform.
This is a great way to drive traffic to your profile and your clinic. When choosing who to work with, make sure you’re targeting someone who shares the same values as your dental practice.
You also want to partner with someone whose target audience is similar to yours. This way, your brand remains consistent and is more likely to resonate with its audience.
Now that you know what you need to do to help your dental practice go viral on TikTok, all that’s left to do is apply the tips we shared above and post consistently!
At Digital Resource, our dental social media specialists will work with you to create a custom content plan that will help you boost brand awareness and attract new patients!
Contact us today to put your dental practice ahead of your competitors!
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