Social Media and Your Dental Practice
These days, social media platforms are THE place to connect, discover trends, and for your patients (as well as potential patients) to gather information about your practice. Social media provides dental professionals with a great opportunity to grow your brand, nurture existing relationships, and yes… have fun!
Facebook, as we all know, is still a big part of your social media outreach. Facebook Fan pages are all about the experience you create for your “fans”. To really do social media right in dentistry you’ll need a strategy that balances content, images, video, and testimonials. Dentists and their teams must strive to create an experience that delivers value and reflects your brand in a positive light. FYI…cutesy stuff isn’t value!
Here are 7 ways you can ROCK your Facebook Fan Page and remain authentic, inclusive, and informative while still having some fun:
Why not make your cover photo a shot of your practice – outside of the building, inside looking at the reception area, a team photo, or your logo? You should also change the photo occasionally. Maybe outside your practice you have a tree whose leaves are gorgeous in the fall, or a holiday scene set up in your reception area…go ahead and be creative. But remember, you are a business and you are in the health care profession, so save the vacation landscape pictures for your personal page.
Get rid of the stock photos of the beautiful people with Hollywood smiles. Don’t misrepresent yourself or your practice. Take a nice photo of the doctor or a staff group shot. Make it real! You should also update this photo every few months…keep it fresh!
Every day one post should be informative. Sounds boring, but this is where you can really show your passion for the dentistry you perform in your practice. Maybe it’s dental implants, lasers, treating gum disease, or prevention. Maybe it’s even doing botox treatments! Whatever it is, here’s your opportunity to let the world know.
Please, STOP with the cat photos or memes that may be an inside joke with your team. Focus more on posting pictures of dental-related humor, team accomplishments, your staff at CE events, or new technology in your office. The value is the connection people see with your team – not your connection to pop culture.
Post video links to inform or celebrate. There are plenty of videos available showing dental parodies or “How to” clips with oral health advice. Some practices choose to create their own videos, but this is time consuming and it takes some practice. If you want your own content, but don’t have the time to invest, consider hiring a dental video blogger or dental video host.
P.S. Behind the scenes: check out the images above of us shooting some of our videos at Safco!
Customer testimonials are great – either written or video. I prefer a very quick video of a satisfied patient. Your patient is happy with your work, feels better, looks great, and their smile on video speaks WAY more than any written “thank you”. Plus, you are in the business of smiles…so SHOW them!
Hashtags are used to drive traffic to your page. Universal hashtags not only portray a message, but when someone clicks on or searches the hashtag, all of those uses can pop up in the results. Universal hashtags to consider are: #mondaymotivation, #tuesdaytip, #fridayfunny, or special ones prevalent in your community (ex. #buffalove).
Remember, you want to get your message out to your current patient base and your community on a consistent basis. These 7 points WILL get your practice noticed and add value to your current patient base and potential patients. The experience you create on social media is an extension of what patients can expect to receive from you. Be real, add value, and have fun!
Anastasia L. Turchetta, RDH
America’s Dental Hygienist
www.AnastasiaTurchetta.com