When it comes to social media advertising, most dentists are making some attempt to post content, or they contract with a dental marketing company to post material to their social accounts from time to time; this content is largely generic and gets little engagement, but it’s a start.
Creativity leads to influence
Then there’s a group of dentists who see that social media is important and try hard to be creative and genuinely connect with the community. They post pictures of the team going out to dinner and celebrating birthdays. These posts do well with existing patients who provide positive comments and emojis. These Practices also include some oral health advice and Practice updates too. Occasionally, the Practice will boost a Facebook post and run a simple ad, which usually promotes a special offer like teeth whitening or free Invisalign consultations.
The second group of dentists stand out because they understand that ad hoc use of social media is not the way to use these channels.These dentists work with a media professional who makes sure that the Practice is regularly posting videos and creative, scroll-stopping material. These Practices have large followings and experience plenty of genuine engagement; they may even get a post to go viral from time to time. In these Practices, the dental teams are encouraged to be creative and suggest material for social media. With all this online activity, the algorithms begin to favour this practice and reward it with larger organic reach. This leads to more new patients and more good reviews and more referrals. Collectively, all of this leads to a dental practice that dominates an area. When people think about dentistry in these places, they think of these dental Practices.
Social media is not the goal people sometimes treat it as, but it could be a crucial part of the patient journey in your Practice.
How to distinguish Your dental brand
It’s getting harder and harder to stop people from scrolling long enough to appreciate your dental brand. Posting generic content won’t work because people expect to be wowed with engaging videos. Your job is to grab their attention somehow long enough to remind them that you’re the Practice for them and that if they need a dentist, you’re the one to call.
This year, consider hiring a digital media marketer, at least part-time. There’s too much happening in the surgery to expect the front reception desk to be creative while juggling patient forms and orchestrating the appointment book. The clinical staff are too busy doing dentistry. You need someone who can stand back and focus on creating material that’s unique enough to grab people’s attention and promote your dental practice brand.
Look for a digital marketing specialist who is both creative and technically skilled. This person should be able to come up with great ideas that distinguish your dental brand, generate video content, and understand how to promote it most effectively. Your Practice needs to be making and posting short videos several times a week and keeping an engaging ad circulating in your local area. Social media is the new frontier in marketing, and the dentists who embrace this change will be the ones who see their practice brands growing into the future.
Social media is not the goal people sometimes treat it as, but it could be a crucial part of the patient journey in your Practice.
