Many dentists are initially attracted to social media because they get the impression that it is free. But nothing is really free, and it’s important to remember that there are two forms of currency when it comes to marketing: time and money.
Social media done right requires at least one or the other, and it works best when you devote both on a regular basis. As anyone in a service industry knows (especially when it comes to health care), word of mouth is the best form of marketing that exists. In fact, in a 2014 research study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, 85% of respondents cited word of mouth as an important factor in choosing a health-care provider, beating out provider referrals by a slim margin and provider-ratings websites by a hefty margin.1
Dental practices can benefit from social media because social media is really just online word of mouth. However, word of mouth - whether on or offline - always requires a consistent time investment.
How much time does social media take?
An initial time investment to set everything up, plus an ongoing time investment of up to 10 hours per month, can be expected if you’re truly committed to incorporating social media into your practice.2 This includes content creation, content distribution, monitoring and networking, community building, and analytics and measuring results.2
A hit-or-miss approach in regard to social media posting is a guaranteed way to fail, so having a marketing plan in place is imperative to ensure a solid ROI.
What about money? Do I have to spend?
Your return on investment can be enhanced significantly when given an assist in the form of ad spend. A term formerly devoted to describing dollars set aside for television, radio, newspaper, and magazine ads, ad spend is now relevant to social media too, with thanks to the “pay-to-play” format adopted by many social platforms.
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