Why does social media matter for a dentist’s office?
In the USA alone the dental industry is worth around $37 billion, and for many dentists, the challenge is growing a thriving and healthy business. Word of mouth and local reputation have been long relied upon by many businesses, but in the new digital age, a social media presence is a must have. Most busy dentistry services have invested in a website and use at least one social account to promote to their potential clients, and if this is something you are considering for your own dentistry services, there are many reasons why you should start right away.
Here are a few of the ways that your dentistry service can use social media to its best advantage.
1. Connect with clients
More and more dental businesses are actively using platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to find and connect with their clientele. Some of the challenges around dental promotion are unique; unlike other brands, most dentists don’t need to convince their audience that their product has value. Their challenge lies in getting people to book and attend their appointments, and with many people having a deep-seated fear of dentists, this can prove difficult. Social media is a powerful medium which allows dentists to connect with potential clients and alleviate some of the fear and anxiety connected with dental treatments.
2. Share before and after treatment results
Most dentists offer a range of services and one of the strongest ways to demonstrate success is by sharing posts that display images of teeth from before and after treatment. This is especially effective for things like teeth straightening or whitening where the results show a dramatic change. This showcases your dentistry business in a highly positive way and allows your social media followers to view typical results. If you are attempting to grow your business, posts of this type can be hashtagged and targeted to your local area, expanding your customer base and raising awareness of your dental company.
3. Offer health alerts
Dentists know that oral health is not only important for teeth and gums but that it can also prevent other issues. Cautionary posts that bring informative information might seem a bit like scaremongering at first but will actually bring large benefits for people who are less than aware of things like abscesses or gum disease. Dentists who post regularly on social accounts often build a loyal following of users looking for information which in turn raises your authority and position you as an expert or the go-to person in the dental field. When it comes time to have a new filling or schedule teeth cleaning, clients are more likely to book with a dentistry service that they recognize and trust. So keeping a social media presence is more than just making people aware of your service, it can translate into real revenue-generating business.
4. Make how-to guides
Help your followers understand the right way to do things like clean teeth properly or floss correctly. Many simple tasks are misunderstood by the public at large so sharing posts that are educational can inspire more people to follow your accounts. Instructional posts can be done as a one-off or a series, and tools like video content mean that guides can be made which really engage your audience. Talk directly to them using reels, and professional video posts that they can bookmark and share, or review later. Offering your help and advice frequently spawns questions and comments which gives you the opportunity to connect with your audience on a much more personal level.
5. Promote available services
Advertise all of your available service offerings, and repeat with consistency. You may offer the standard range of dentistry services, or you may specialize in specific areas. If you provide treatments or use unique methods for dental care and repair, you will want to share these on your social media platforms. Explaining the different types of treatment helps your followers understand what it is they can expect from your services and determine whether to schedule an appointment.
6. Share the latest news and updates
Is your surgery expanding? Added a state-of-the-art piece of equipment recently? These are all things that should be shared with your audience. People follow your accounts for a reason, so keep them up-to-date with any new developments or purchases that enhance your dentistry services. No one wants to visit a dentist that is outdated or archaic so new training, techniques, or capabilities are all great posts to compile. It showcases your business as cutting edge and demonstrates your commitment to your clients.
7. Present staff bios
For those people who have a fear of attending the dentist’s office, staff bios show exactly who they will be dealing with. This helps to remove some of the fear and uncertainty around going to the dentist and builds better patient trust. With the knowledge that they will see Jane or Mark when visiting your office, or will be attended to by Sarah the hygienists can provide some reassurance and relief for nervous clients and increase the chances that they will actually show up for their appointment, improving attendance and retention numbers for your dental service. Knowing who your staff are can help your clients to feel more looked after and secure and by the time they arrive at your office, should feel like they know everyone inside the building.
8. Answer customer questions
Engaging directly with your followers can be a fantastic opportunity to answer questions or deal with patient concerns. Those users who reach out with legitimate issues can be communicated with directly and have a high potential of being converted into a client. Answering questions can even be made more engaging by making the process interactive. Use a poll to present options to your audience or allow them to choose the topic you will talk about. Live video means that viewers are able to tap in questions and you can respond in real time, giving them an immediate answer to their query. This is a powerful way to build real connections with your audience and demonstrate authority in your profession.
9. Use booking tools
It’s not just posts and videos that can generate business on social media, there are a host of booking tools and software that can be integrated with your social accounts. These handy applications are useful for appointment-taking and are used heavily by client-based services like dentists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners. Simply link the booking tool to your social accounts, pair it with your calendar and allow your followers to book an appointment without ever leaving the social platform. This ease of use can result in a much higher instance of booking as clients do not need to go to the effort of making a call and speaking to a staff member to book, it can all be done in just a few clicks.
10. Build better client relationships
Businesses like a dentist’s surgery are highly dependent on the relationships it makes with their clients. Positive relationships mean better attendance and more repeat business so using social media to connect with people can bring a real level of personal connection and make clients feel that they are truly working with someone that has their health interests at heart. Good relationships frequently lead to higher customer value, higher average spending, and can result in future business from referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations. Happy customers who are satisfied with the service they received can be great news for your business and effectively assist with expanding your client base.
11. Collect reviews and testimonials
Customer reviews, testimonials and glowing references are all good for business. People trust what other people have to say and will pay far more attention to their peers than to any advert or promotion. For this reason it is a good idea to collect reviews of feedback from clients and then share their glowing reposts to your social media channels. If your company uses rating services such as those on Trust Pilot or Google My Business, then it can be a good idea to share the 5-star reviews that you receive. Not only with this increase customer confidence, but it also builds trust and authority too, positioning your service as a reputable dentistry provider.
What about the time factor?
Social media channels are a highly effective tool for promotion and business growth, but what about the time factor? If you are a dentist who is managing a busy surgery it is almost impossible to break away to make a few engaging social media posts, let alone craft an entire 90 days’ worth of content. For this reason, many services choose to outsource their social content generation to an outside service. Making posts, creating videos, or crafting graphically-rich content all takes time and if you’re not familiar with things like image size requirements for specific platforms or how to use hashtags, you may actually be wasting your valuable time. Using an external management service means that you can focus your efforts on your business while your promotional social media content is managed for you. Most social media companies employ staff who are well versed in social media and graphic creation tools so your posts can be created and edited professionally. When you need to run a campaign or manage posts at volume, a social media service can easily flex to meet your needs, taking all the pressure out of your promotional needs.
What about the cost factor?
Many agencies specialise in dental content only, but they can be costly, leaving a large dent in profitability. A more affordable alternative is to use a social media management company like Smarcomms which can create fantastic-looking posts and promote your business at a fraction of the price charged by other agencies. We know that your time is important, so we make the process as smooth and seamless as possible so you can keep your social accounts filled with attractive and professional content. As your business grows, your social media content can be increased and scaled as needed with zero interruption.
Final words
Showing clients the kind of value your dentistry service can offer will be important for those companies who are looking to grow. But with an active social presence that is bolstered with the right kind of content, many services have expanded their customer base rapidly with an engaged and active following. With an impact that directly hits the bottom line, social media is one form of marketing that dentistry services cannot overlook if they hope to attract future business and retain their current clientele.
Get started today and view our available social media packages at the Smarcomms website.