People are spending more and more time on their smartphones, and social media platforms consume a lot of that time. Consumers of social media also connect frequently with companies they are interested in or are already doing business with. Put simply, your clients and prospects are waiting to hear from you on social media.
Social media is a popular tool and can be very useful when it comes to marketing for dental professionals.
A strong marketing strategy for social media will help to:
- increase patient interaction
- drive new patients
- promote your dental services
- Share updates
- broaden your visibility
- strengthen your reputation as a dental healthcare expert
- develop patient relationships
It is, however, essential to remember that while social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest have their strengths when it comes to social media marketing, using all of them won’t always lead to the results you want.
Here’s some advice on how to pick the best ones for your dental practice.
Identify your target audience.
Who is the target audience? What channels do they spend most of their time on? What problems do they have which need solving?
Remember, your target audience isn’t “Everybody.” Only think of your perfect client. How old are they? What is their annual revenue? What kind of lifestyle do they lead? Are they tech-savvy, arty, outdoor, and so on? Defining your target market will help you find out which sites to look at on social media.
You may want to find out which your competitors have effectively used channels with their audience. Even if your dental practice caters to a niche audience, the full range of users on social media networks will surprise you.
Determine your marketing goals
Once you are aware of your audience, you need to identify expectations for that audience. Your primary aim as a company owner is likely to be to boost revenue by attracting customers – yet there are other purposes for social media.
Here are some more goals that you may want to concentrate on:
- Enhancing your customer support services by having another forum that recent dental patients can reach out to with grievances, questions, and concerns.
- To reach new markets and new groups that may be open to your products or services.
- Increase your brand awareness and promote your company to new people.
- Learning more about your wishes, preferences, and behaviors of your target audience.
Learn about the different channels
You are now in a position to consider the various social media platforms – which is the best match for your dental practice?
Factors such as the type of dental practice you have, your target demographic, the location, the content you make, etc. play a significant role in determining which social media channels are worth the time and effort to reach your customer.
If you’re a local company for example, Facebook is an excellent forum for engaging with your local community and raising awareness about your brand.
Commit only to one or two channels
A common mistake for small dental practices is to move content to every available platform and spread too thin. Just because your business may have an Instagram account does not automatically mean that it has to. Choose one or two sites and concentrate your efforts there.
Review the priorities of your business and determine the right target market. Then, study demographics on social media sites and start where your content can have the most significant impact. Remember, having a lot of followers on Instagram doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t help the business somehow.
It is hard for small businesses to get to grips with social media, but it is still worth it.
Dr. Websites
Just like any marketing strategy, there is no one-size-fits-all approach for being a dental specialist in social media. However, if you understand the value of building a relationship with your audience across social media, we can help you start developing a brand that is more reliable, more trustworthy, and more appealing to today’s patients.