Why is it so important for any type of business to have a social media presence? The answer to that is simple; you have to be where your customer is. For dental marketing you need to be where your patients are.
In order to be successful in a very competitive industry, one must employ all means possible just to have a competitive edge and in this day and age, the number one priority is social media presence.
There are plenty of ways that social media can help you and your dental practice. To name a few:
Social Media sites can be a source of quality leads or new patients.
By being present in social media sites such as Facebook, it can be utilized in a way for you to establish a relationship or connect with your current patients or your audience.
This is a powerful tool where you can market your dental practice and as a way for you to share relevant and valuable content.
This can also be a platform where you can have good reviews and recommendations for your dental practice or business.
Today, let's talk about what you need to do to be successful in using social media marketing in your practice. I call it the 3 C's of social media strategy in dental practice.
Consistency
You don't have to create an account on all available platforms. You can start with one or two social media sites and that could be what most of your patients use. By doing this, you are dedicating more of your time to have a consistent presence in this one or two platforms that you use.
Make use of scheduling tools so you can manage multiple accounts in one place. There are plenty of great tools available online such as Hootsuite and buffer that can schedule and publish a post, as well as provide you with some insights on your followers.
Content
In marketing, they would always advise following the 80/20 rule. The 80% of your post is for your audience. The content should be something useful for your patient and should always be related to your dental practice. It can be tips on how they can take care of their oral health or you can go on a live question and answer session. The other 20% of your content is to promote your business like doing a contest, posting about a promotional rate, or it could be a virtual tour to your dental office.
Customer Care
You also need to ensure that all your social media messages are responded to as quickly as possible. You can make use of autoresponder and this feature is available on Facebook and it makes the patient feel that you are always at their service.
When all else fails, maybe the best way to manage your social media marketing is to let a professional help you. There are times that this is a great option especially for dentists who do not have the luxury of time to take care of the marketing side of things. It is no longer optional to have a social media presence in order to stay relevant in your practice.
Social sites are an opportunity to let your dental practice shine. It's not just dental marketing. It's real connections with your patients and future patients. Connecting, locally, on social media helps establish your practice as part of the community. Using your happiest patients as content for your profile is one easy way to get started.
Here's an example, after giving someone veneers, you could offer them a discount (or just ask) in exchange for letting you post before and after pictures of their teeth. They can even remain anonymous. Marketing like that allows you to leverage everyday procedures into valuable content geared towards your target market.