Dental practices are similar to small businesses in that a positive reputation is essential to continued success. And in that once a customer or patient is lost, it’s impossible to regain them. You can manage negative comments on the internet, but there is a lot to be gained through simple social media activity. A proactive internet marketing strategy can help you to gain new customers, while reinforcing your value to existing customers. In this post, we’ll go through a couple of easy strategies your practice can use to grow your following on social media.

 

1. Make Regular Updates About your Practice

This includes obvious details like your hours of operation, address, and other details. This includes special services offered, and brief staff biographies.

In addition to a marketing tool, Facebook can also be a great emergency notification tool. You should post updates about your practice regularly. For example, if your office is closing because of inclement weather, post about it on Facebook or Twitter. Unresponsive or busy phone lines can be disconcerting for customers, and a Facebook page can be updated much more easily than a website. Or, if there is major construction adjacent to your building, let your followers know where they might find parking.

 

2. Engage with Your Followers

Having high-quality posts that drive engagement is just as important as reacting to posts from your followers on Twitter.

In a way, your social media accounts should be a sort of open forum for customers. When a patient follows your practice on Twitter, follow them back (presuming they do not have an account with inappropriate content). Liking, replying to and/or retweeting any content that your followers write is a great way to reinforce your social media presence. However, you should also avoid doing this obsessively.

Similarly, when somebody comments on one of your Facebook posts, either answer the question or address the comment. This further solidifies your social media presence, but also demonstrates the extent to which you care about your patients.

Finally, post quality should be prioritized over the quantity of posts. Your content should be relatable, easily understood, and encourage followers to interact. For example, posts that ask an open-ended question will receive plenty of positive engagement. According to industry experts, this strategy is better than posting numerous times each day.

 

3. Share Industry Updates

Show your patients that you are an authority in your field. As part of our own social media strategy, we regularly post about the market prices of precious metals, and other aspects of our own industry. Posting about industry advancements will demonstrate your passion. It will also show patients that you are well-informed, and make an effort to better your skills and practice.

However, avoid using excessive technical jargon that the average reader will not understand. Your readers will be unable to digest this information, and will likely not even finish reading the post. If you do use technical jargon, then be sure to define these vocabulary words in the beginning of the post.

A strong social media presence will remind your patients why they choose to consistently see you, and not another dentist. Spending at most a half hour per day managing your social media accounts will help you to create and maintain a patient base that appreciates your brand.