Tips to Using Social Media for Your Dental Practice

According to the Pew Research Center 72{c91082aefe0e580fe546c40af534787b48cfd474f8c9ab8dac50bf49a7a1c43a} of men, and 76{c91082aefe0e580fe546c40af534787b48cfd474f8c9ab8dac50bf49a7a1c43a} of women use a social media site on a regular basis. And with over 100 social media properties, there is no lack of options for users, with each offering various ways to connect and share.

The biggest benefit to social media is that it doesn’t require much time; it’s inexpensive (often free!) and is an easy way to reach a lot of people quickly. But from a business perspective it can create a real dilemma when deciding which social media sites to utilize for your practice. Here are the most common questions about social media answered.

Which Social Media Sites Should We Use?

There are over 100 social media properties available to potential patients, but there are only four you need to consider.

Facebook. This is the biggest social media platform and by being active here, you can reach a wide array of potential patients from every demographic every day. Neilson reports that American’s spend more time on Facebook than any other social site.

Google+. Setting up a Google+ page for your practice is a wise thing to do. You can cross post updates from Facebook directly to Google+, saving lots of time. The true importance of a Google+ page is that it helps get your address, phone number and website information into other Google properties.

Manta. This is not a traditional social media platform, but it does allow people to find your practice as they search online. Manta profiles do show up in online searches as it is regarded as a trusted source of information.

LinkedIn. This is a social media property for professionals. Not only does it create another search-friendly property, but it can help with recruiting great talent for your practice.

What Should We Post?

Social media is great at reaching a lot of people, but it can also create a lot of noise that people have to sort through. Consider the type of content that will help tell the story of your practice and position you as an expert in oral care. Attention-getting posts that get shared the most have content that is helpful to a potential patient.

Any question asked by a patient in your office is potential content for social media. A simple question about a type of toothpaste can be your next social media update. If a patient asks about clear braces, for example, that general information knowledge makes a great Facebook update. Any new product update is reason to post helpful content on social media.

Encourage patients to post general questions about oral heath to your Facebook wall in-between appointments. You can engage in the patient conversations, demonstrate your expertise and provide helpful content to other patients.

Answer common patient questions via video and share those via Facebook and Google+. A simple iPhone video of the dentist can help potential patients see the dentist and their demeanor.

How Often Should We Post to Social Media?

While most people engage with social media daily, recent research by Buffer, a social media software company, uncovered that reach drops dramatically if a business posts more than twice a day. They also found out that the best time to post on Facebook is between 10AM and 3PM, whereas LinkedIn updates worked best first thing in the morning.

That doesn’t mean you need to post twice a day, but the real key is regularity. Posting on a regular basis is more important and provides regular, consistent exposure to patients and potential patients. For a dental practice, posting once a week is perfectly acceptable, but you must commit to that weekly update with helpful content.

In order to maintain a good social media profile with helpful content can realistically be done with only a few hours of attention per week.