3 Quick Tips for a Better Dental Instagram Page

Instagram continues to be one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, and new features are frequently being introduced to make it more useful to businesses. Get your dental practice’s Instagram strategy ready for action with these simple tips.

With well over a billion active users, Instagram is one of the best places to grow your dental practice’s online presence. However, for dental teams still just trying to get a foothold in Facebook, expanding to another platform might sound like too much to take on at once. It’s easier than you think! Top brands and small businesses alike are using Instagram to build relationships and awareness through interesting visual content and fan interaction.

Once you become familiar with the best ways to create and share Instagram content, it becomes a powerful tool in your dental marketing toolkit to help you maintain top-of-mind awareness and introduce your practice to even more potential patients. If you’re ready now to attract and retain ideal patients using Instagram, check out how My Social Practice makes it easy!

Ready for a quick demo of our social media service? Fill out the form below.

 

3 Keys to Using Instagram Effectively in Dental Marketing

While the basic fundamentals of social media marketing and creating good content certainly do apply to Instagram, these tips focus more on what makes Instagram unique. Once you have your business profile filled out and your account linked to your practice’s Facebook page, follow these guidelines to help you use the platform to its fullest potential:

1. Post a Photo of Your Team

Our client practices consistently report that one of the best ways to kickstart social media engagement is by sharing photos of team members. When patients become familiar with your team and are engaged on a personal level in return, you strengthen the relationships that allow your practice to thrive.

2. Proactively Engage With Your Followers and Community

Interacting with patients and members of the dental community on Instagram is an excellent way to grow your following, especially for practices just starting out.

Make sure to follow back patients that follow you, and occasionally Like one of their recent photos. Respond when people comment on your posts or tag your practice. Seek out relevant dental hashtags and take part in the conversation. Follow local businesses, doctors, artists, restaurants, and news outlets.

When you follow someone on Instagram, Like one of their photos, or tag their business location, they’ll receive a notification from your account, increasing the likelihood of them following you back. So don’t be shy!

3. Experiment With Promoting Posts

Much like Facebook, Instagram utilizes an algorithm that displays content to users based on how relevant it thinks it is. Simply put, the more fans interact with your Instagram content, the more likely they are to see more of it in the future. On the flip side, if someone doesn’t interact with your content, they may not ever see it again — even if they follow your page!

Promoting (or boosting) a post allows you to invest some money to increase a post’s reach and get it seen by more people, just like how it works on Facebook. Here are some quick guidelines:

• Start small. Boost your best post of the week for $5 and see how much it increases reach and engagement. You can decide to increase your budget from there.
• Include a call-to-action link. Normal Instagram posts do not allow a link in the caption, but promoted ones do. Link to your homepage, Facebook page, or a special offer. For best results, use the same link that you put in your Instagram bio.
• Boost posts that invite interaction. For example, if you run a giveaway that asks people to Like your page to enter to win, that would be ideal to promote.

Make Instagram Part of Your Social Media Strategy

If your practice is not yet on Instagram, get started today! The easiest way to do it would be check out My Social Practice’s comprehensive social media marketing solution for dentists, which allows you to build a vibrant, attractive Instagram page for your dental practice in a snap. Don’t have time? Let us fully manage it for you! Learn more and request a free demo today!

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Our July Practice of the Month — David Toney DDS!

Congratulations to our July Practice of the Month — David Toney DDS!

Getting over the initial doubts about becoming a social practice is a part of the process nearly all our clients face. Sharing your team culture online, involving your team and patients in social media, and asking for reviews all take you out of your comfort zone. But check out David Toney DDS and you’ll see why it’s worth it!

The team at David Toney DDS maintains a fun and well-rounded online presence: they post valuable and fun content to their social media pages regularly and include their team members whenever they can. They also really impressed us with their patient reviews! With nearly 300 patient reviews and a perfect 5.0 score on both Google and Facebook, the team at David Toney DDS has elevated their profile as the premier dental practice in their community—and potential patients are noticing.

We reached out to Laura Braswell, marketing coordinator at David Toney DDS, for some insight on how social media is growing their practice and what’s been working for them. Take something from what their team has learned to apply in your own social media strategy!

Q&A With Laura Braswell, Marketing Coordinator

(Responses edited for length and clarity.)

What has been the biggest surprise of social media marketing for you?

“Patients love pics of the staff. They like to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries with us. It helps us create relationships with them, and they get to know us better. They even bring up what they see from us online during their next visit.”

What are the most significant ways social media marketing has benefited your practice and patients?

“Patients form trust with our practice and staff. They love our online presence. They feel we are an open book and love seeing our fun side.”

What has been the biggest challenge of social media marketing for you?

“Trying to find content and creative things to post. That’s why I love the ideas and creative graphics we get from My Social Practice. We may not be able to use everything, but it gives us a starting point for our online activity.”

Ready for a quick demo of our social media service? Fill out the form below.

 

What advice would you give to a practice starting to build their online presence?

“Be consistent, original, and always stay positive with your posts.”

Thanks for sharing, Laura! We’re proud to have your awesome team as one of our valued clients!

Social media marketing doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. As social platforms continue to evolve, using them effectively is less about technical know-how and SEO tricks and more about simply creating engaging, shareable content that sparks interaction.

So even if you have little or no social media experience, there’s never been a better time to start building your dental practice’s online presence. Request a free demo of our services and we’d love to show you step-by-step how we’ll make it happen!

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Our May Practice of the Month — Erin McLendon, DDS!

Congratulations to our May Practice of the Month — Erin McLendon, DDS!

We recently asked over 600 dental practices about the biggest roadblock to building their online presence. Can you guess the top answer? It was “it’s too hard to come up with ideas and create posts.”

Perhaps you’re not surprised, because it’s how you feel in your own practice’s social media efforts.

So this month, learn from the team at Erin McLendon, DDS, who went from searching the web for something to post to easily creating their own unique, personalized and engaging social media content!

Why is consistently posting worthwhile content important? Because search engines and social media platforms are giving more and more priority to content that meets people’s needs, connects with them on a personal level, and is relevant to their interests and communities. And when people come across that type of content, they’re more likely to engage with it — meaning more interaction, strengthened patient relationships, and increased visibility for your practice.

Ready for a quick demo of our social media service? Fill out the form below.

 

Q&A With Office Manager Brittany Tadlock

Responses edited for length and clarity.

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve realized about social media marketing?

“Understanding that social media is not just an advertisement you have to actually interact for it to be successful. You can preschedule your posts, but if you are not engaging with comments and replies it is not successful.”

What has been the biggest benefit of your social media efforts for your practice and patients?

“Our patients and community get the opportunity to know our staff and recognize them by name, not just Dr. McLendon. We’ve also seen an increase in follow up visits. If we are constantly in front of a patient on social media, it reminds them to schedule their appointments.”

What sort of feedback have you had from your patients about your social media?

“Patients see us as more personable and not so stiff. We take lots of pictures with patients, pictures of staff with Social Signs, pictures of the office, pictures of patients from the photo booth.”

Thanks for the tips, Brittany!

It’s true that it can be difficult to find the time to post something engaging daily. But our easy-to-use Publisher app makes it simple! My Social Practice clients have access to the world’s largest library of dental-related social media content, with images and pre-written captions you can customize to fit your audience. Plus, you can schedule posts in advance to go out to your accounts when you choose! Get a free demo of the Publisher today!

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How Smart Dental Professionals Handle HIPAA on Social Media

Sharing authentic, engaging social media content that features patients while staying 100% HIPAA-compliant isn’t as complicated as you may think.

HIPAA. Even just reading the word may cause dental professionals to feel a little stressed, and understandably so. Its guidelines are strict, but HIPAA is one of the most important protections patients have in place today.

However, in the age of the connected, savvy consumer brought about by the internet and social media, potential patients want a transparent look into what really goes on inside your practice before they make a decision about whether or not to give you a call. They want to see the experiences that real patients are having with you, and how you treat them.

Because of HIPAA, many dental professionals are scared away from sharing anything at all that involves patients, and they miss valuable opportunities to build reach and relationships with patients and ideal potential patients.

HIPAA doesn’t have to be a stumbling block for your dental practice on social media. Remember that the rules are there to protect patients, not create barriers. By adhering to a few common-sense safeguards and making sure your entire team is trained, you can confidently and comfortably share photos, videos, and other posts involving patients as part of your social media efforts.

HIPAA Guidelines for Dental Professionals on Social Media

1. Don’t post protected patient information or circumstantial details. This may seem obvious, but it can happen if team members aren’t thinking about it. Even if you don’t include a patient’s name, assume that a patient’s information can still be traced if you post about the circumstances.

2. Don’t assume information is private. If something is online, chances are that it will stay online in one form or another. Deleting a tweet or removing a Facebook post doesn’t guarantee that information is gone, so it’s essential that dental professionals catch HIPAA violations before they ever make it to social media.

3. Create a practice social media policy. Having a written policy and training your team on it ensures that everyone in the practice is on the same page and familiar with your approach to social media.

4. Make your practice’s “social media champion” someone that understands HIPAA. The fewer people that post to social media on behalf of your office, the better. It’s generally a good idea to only have one or two people in charge of social media for your dental practice. Choose team members that understand HIPAA’s rules and have dedicated time to check social media activity on your pages.

5. Get signed consent from patients first. There may be times where you want to share a
patient testimonial or answer a question sent to you on social media. It’s important to have the patient’s signed consent before posting, and even after receiving consent, keep as much personal information private as possible.

Download our Printable HIPAA Authorization Form

Every time your practice shares any post that includes or refers to a patient, it’s necessary to obtain their signed consent. A good HIPAA release form will cover a few simple items:

1. What the patient is authorizing: permission for your practice to share a photo or video on your social media accounts.
2. The purpose of the authorization: social media and/or advertising.
3. The patient’s power to revoke the authorization and the expiration date of this power.
4. The option for the patient to receive a copy of the form.
5. Who the patient is authorizing: your practice name.
6. Space for the patient, or parent/guardian of a minor, to sign and date.

If you have questions regarding how to create a HIPAA release form for your specific circumstances, consult with your practice attorney.

Or Let Our Dental HIPAA App Handle Everything

With My Social Practice, posting HIPAA-compliant patient photos is as easy as snap, send, share. Our state-of-the-art HIPAA mobile app features the easiest way to share photos that include patients—simply, securely, and in 100% compliance with regulations.

We know that in everything you do in your practice, patient safety and comfort come first. Here at My Social Practice, we believe that same level of responsibility and patient care is vital in social media marketing as well.

Snap a pic with our iOS/Android Publisher app, and you’ll be prompted to text a link to the patient included in the photo to ask for their approval to share it. Your patient will be guided through a few intuitive, easy-to-understand steps to give you permission to share the photo to your practice’s social media accounts.

People like to do business with people they know, and the My Social Practice provides the best way to share content that showcases the people and culture of your practice, all in 100% compliance with HIPAA. Discover how easy it is to start growing your practice with social media by requesting a free demo!

The post How Smart Dental Professionals Handle HIPAA on Social Media appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing for Dental & Dental Specialty Practices.

5 Things Your Practice Website MUST Have for Dental Marketing Success

Your dental practice website is an integral part of your online presence and dental marketing efforts. Here’s how you can ensure it makes the right impression.

For businesses today, including your dental practice, a homepage is just as important (if not more so) than an actual physical storefront. With just a momentary glance, today’s consumers assume volumes about your practice, your team, and even the quality of your treatment.

If your website is outdated, difficult to navigate, or has poor design direction (or no direction at all), potential patients will also see your practice as outdated and inconvenient.

If it’s cleanly designed, content-rich and mobile-friendly, your practice website can begin to build relationships of trust with potential patients before they even give you a call. It’s a central part of your online presence and dental marketing efforts, and can be one of your best tools to attract, educate, and retain the people who will most help your practice thrive.

Here are five essential things you need in your practice website to make it a truly effective dental marketing tool:

5 Dental Marketing Essentials for Your Practice Website

1. Intuitive, Mobile-Friendly Design

People will find your website using a variety of devices, from phones and tablets to laptops and widescreen desktops. With over half of all internet searches coming from mobile devices, you need to make sure that however potential patients interact with your site, it’s easy to navigate and allows them to quickly find what they need.

Of all of the elements mentioned in this post, this is where it’s most worth hiring some professional help. Unless you’re both a dentist AND a web design expert, don’t waste your time trying to hammer a free website template into something you can use, and don’t trust this essential part of your online presence to your nephew who “knows some code.”

Make the investment in a custom-designed practice website that showcases what makes you special and enhances your dental marketing efforts.

2. Emphasis on the Human Side of Your Practice

Think nobody’s going to look at your “About Us” page? Think again! The About page is typically one of the most-visited parts of a dental website. Take advantage of this valuable dental marketing opportunity to build trust and share your practice’s story.

Your About page is a great way to introduce potential patients to your team and practice culture. Having an individual photo and short bio for each team member creates connections with potential patients — before they ever call or visit your practice! Update these bios periodically or as team members join and leave.

The bottom line is people like to do business with people they know. And in dentistry, where relationships are especially important, a strategically personal online presence offers doctors and their teams unprecedented opportunities to connect with patients and prospective patients on a meaningful level.

3. Consistent New Content

What do we mean by “consistency” in your online presence? Primarily, it’s making regular attempts to connect authentically with your audience by posting high-quality content, such as blog posts, and responding to readers’ interaction.

There’s a degree of transference that takes place in patients’ minds with practices that are consistently provide new content in their dental marketing efforts. The assumption is that if you’re consistent and reliable in providing relevant, educational, honest human content through your online presence, then you also likely provide the same consistency and leading-edge standards in everything you do — including the dental materials and procedures you use, the patient benefit-driven technologies you ascribe to, the way you respond and treat people, the CE you attend, etc.

My Social Practice makes it easy by providing subscribers a new, professionally written dental blog post every week.

4. Highly Visible Social Proof

What others are saying online about your practice has an enormous influence on the level of trust you inspire in existing patients and prospective new patients. In the case of your dental practice, building this “social proof” is one of the best things you can do attract new patients and retain the ones of you have.

One of the easiest ways to provide social proof in a highly visible way is to feature patient reviews on your website from popular reviews platforms such as Facebook and Google.

With a website from My Social Practice, it’s simple to feature positive patient reviews where people will see them, and negative reviews are immediately passed on to you so you can follow up with the patient.

5. Calls to Action

Ask yourself what you want people to do when they visit each page of your website, and then give them a clear path to do it that is immediately visible. For example, upon reaching your homepage, do you want people to make an appointment? Then make sure there is a button in the top section of your homepage that says “Request an Appointment.”

Or if one of your pages is explaining how you do smile makeovers, place a button that says “Schedule Free Consultation” perhaps in the middle and at the end.

The more quickly and easily you can allow someone to progress from learning to taking action, the more effective your dental marketing will be.

Get a Gorgeous, Blazing-Fast Website for Your Dental Practice

Whether you don’t yet have a website or you’re looking to upgrade, My Social Practice provides a turnkey dental website solution that will make your practice look fantastic. Learn more and request a demo to see how a gorgeous, blazing-fast dental website will help turn your online presence into your best tool for attracting and retaining ideal patients.

The post 5 Things Your Practice Website MUST Have for Dental Marketing Success appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing for Dental & Dental Specialty Practices.

Our March Practice of the Month — Wheeler Orthodontics!

Congratulations to our March Practice of the Month — Wheeler Orthodontics!

It’s called social media marketing for a reason — the more people you involve, the more fun and effective it becomes! Practices that understand this and participate in social media as a team consistently see the best results in online visibility, reach and engagement.

Wheeler Orthodontics is a great example of how combining smart post ideas with a strong practice culture creates a compelling social media presence that patients want to be a part of. It allows them to build relationships and maintain top-of-mind awareness, making it more likely for patients to introduce the practice to family and friends.

We reached out to Jacquelin Wheeler, social media marketing coordinator for the practice, for some insight into what makes their social media strategy so effective. Take something to apply in your own practice!

Ready for a quick demo of our social media service? Fill out the form below.

 

Q&A With Marketing Coordinator Jacquelin Wheeler

(Responses edited for length and clarity.)

Since you started using social media marketing, what has been the biggest benefit to your practice?

“The number one benefit to our practice due to our social media marketing efforts is that search engines find us and provide our name when potential patients and current patients search for an orthodontist. We have had wonderful reviews, and I think the parents really like when we post pictures of their kids with braces just on or just off.”

“We were told that the more personal the post, the more engagement we would see. That really hit me with the first Christmas Lunch post that we did. It was just a picture of us all out to lunch together. We couldn’t believe how many people took the time to engage with that post!”

What’s the HARDEST part of social media marketing for you?

“The hardest thing for our office is to come up with creative ideas! But the content that My Social Practice provides is creative and usable, and we use the Monthly Content Calendar as a starting point for planning and it keeps us on task all month. The Share Your Visit campaign definitely increased our page likes and got us moving on our Instagram account.”

What do you and your team do in the office to advance your social media efforts?

“We announce the content plans for the month at staff meetings and ask for input. This gets everyone thinking in advance of preparing the post. We have more celebratory birthdays and bring in lunches to make more opportunities to share team posts. We also try to be sure and capture any special events that we are doing.”

What advice would you give to a practice just starting out on social media?

“I would say that as a practice gets started using social media, they need to look around at what other practices are doing. My Social Practice features client examples on their dashboard and looking at those features is a good place to start. Also, plan out your posts.”

Thanks for your comments, Jacquelin!

Showcasing your practice culture on social media regularly helps you build relationships, and our all-in-one Engagement Boxes make it a snap! Get a free demo today!

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Hundreds of Dental Practices Whiten Smiles for Charity

For the past several years, My Social Practice has been honored to partner with the Crown Council in promoting Smiles For Life — raising money for kids in need in communities all around the world. Now it’s easier than ever for your practice to get involved!

Every March through June, hundreds of dental practices throughout the U.S. and Canada professionally whiten teeth to raise money for seriously ill, disabled, and underprivileged children in their local communities and around the world. This program, called Smiles For Life, is the children’s charity initiative of the Crown Council, an alliance of leading-edge dental practices committed to promoting oral health, fighting oral cancer and serving their communities. Since 1998, Smiles For Life has raised over $42 million, benefiting hundreds of children’s charities throughout the world.

How does it work? March through June, Ultradent donates all the whitening materials, your practice donates the time, and 100 percent of the patient’s contribution goes directly to kids in need — half to a local children’s charity of your choice, and half to a Smiles-For-Life-approved children’s charity. It’s that simple. Whiten a smile and help a child.

The Smiles For Life Foundation has made it easier than ever to participate by providing a turnkey program to launch the campaign in your practice, including a big box of materials designed by My Social Practice to help you promote Smiles For Life and generate excitement in your practice and community. My Social Practice also provides all the digital assets and marketing support you need to spread the word online.

Participating in Smiles For Life is the perfect opportunity to do good in the world, create incredible unity among your team members and patients, and boost top-of-mind awareness for your practice through social media. Click the link below to learn how your practice can become a Smiles For Life practice today!

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