Why Dentists Need Social Media Marketing

Everyone in your community needs a dentist. So, how do they find your practice? If new patients do find you, what will make them want to call your practice to schedule an appointment? Since you see most patients just twice a year, how do you maintain strong relationships with your current patients?

Did you know that small businesses, like your dental practice, actually see more benefits from using social media than large businesses with big budgets? That is because social media marketing success depends not on how many followers you have, but instead on the amount of engagement your posts generate. Dental practices tend to be community-focused, which means it is much easier for your dental practice to be authentic and connect with local people online. Many people use social media as a place to ask for advice and recommendations on services and products. If your dental practice has an active voice online, you’ll be a part of those conversations too.

How do dentists advertise? Does social media marketing work?

Dentists across the country are discovering the power of social media, and they are not disappointed in the results. After all, 77% of prospective patients do their research through search engines online, and 44% of patients searching on a mobile device end up scheduling an appointment.

Because of its ever-increasing possibilities, social media is quickly becoming the most useful tool available to dentists. Practices that have a solid social media strategy in place are witnessing increased reach to new patients and improved appointment numbers. Dental social media marketing is ultimately helping practices meet their bottom line. The good news is that it has never been easier to connect with patients and build a reputation online.

As a local dentist, you can easily foster connections with local individuals using social media. Social media is excellent for small businesses like dental practices because social posts get shown to a high number of local users. It’s designed as a platform for self-promotion and gives you the ability to reach and connect with new patients. Not only is social media marketing the absolute best way to reach new patients and improve relationships through communication and engagement, but it is also the most useful tool dentists can use to ease the fear that many people feel when they face the possibility of visiting the dentist.

Your potential patients get a glimpse of your practice culture and the kind of experience they will have in your practice right on your social pages. Dental social media marketing provides a way for you to make your patients feel welcome and comfortable before they take one step into your practice. Through sharing light-hearted, fun, engaging content, you let patients know that they are in good hands.

By posting pictures, you are giving your practice an online personality, which eliminates scary “visiting the dentist” stigma for nervous patients. Remember: you are selling the good experience people will have in your practice, not your clinical care. Your dental social media pages are not a medical journal. Although great clinical care is important, your patients are more interested in finding a trustworthy, compassionate dentist that they feel comfortable with.

Attracting and retaining new dental patients is about trust and relationships. Social media is the place to show your community that you care about people, not just teeth.

What does My Social Practice do to help dental practices?

We know dental social media because, well, we created it. In the early days of social media, My Social Practice saw that every strategy for building a successful business was going to drastically change in the wake of the social media revolution. We became laser-focused on mastering the capabilities of social media marketing for dental, orthodontic, and specialty practices.

We wanted to create a service that would be just as effective as hiring a social media marketing specialist but easy enough for dental professionals to do themselves, right in their practice, without breaking the bank. Why did we choose to focus on dental practices? Because few businesses have the type of personal, intimate relationships that dentists and orthodontists have with their patients. We know that effective social media strategy excels at leveraging those relationships to transform and grow a business.

The dental industry is projected to reach $35.7 billion by 2023. That is a lot of opportunity for your team, practice, and family. If your practice wants a sound portion of that profit, you need a dental-specific social media marketing plan.

It cannot be overstated how significant social media content is to the success of your practice, and the value of social media marketing to dental practices is only growing. The trouble is, not many practices have the time or resources to hire a full-time social media specialist. That’s where we can help.

Over ten years of trial and error, we’ve packaged everything our experts understand about dental social media marketing into a seriously powerful solution for dental practices. My Social Practice won’t stop until your dental practice establishes a dominant presence on social media in your community. By sharing loyalty-building patient experiences, using organic online word-of-mouth marketing, and tailoring our tactics to fit your specific objectives, My Social Practice will help your practice outshine your competitors and reach your goals.

Should you hire a marketing expert or do it yourself?

Our pro-managed package takes social media marketing completely off your already full plate. Everything from posting new photos to engaging with users and responding to comments is handled by your personal social media manager. Your manager is an expert on how dentists are using social media to attract new patients, what to post on a dental Facebook page to get attention, how to make Instagram content for dentists, and more. They will plan, strategize, and report on your social media efforts so you can focus all of your attention on your practice and patients.

You can rest assured that your manager is sharing photos, creating opportunities for engagement, and carrying out a plan for your Facebook and Instagram marketing. You can also rely on your manager to advertise your practice by promoting selected posts and running regular social media giveaways on your page to reach more people. The pro-managed package allows you to build an awesome online presence, whether your busy schedule allows you to stay engaged or not. You can participate as little or as much as you like.

If you are more of a DIY person, My Social Practice’s self-managed social media package equips you with the resources and coaching your dental practice needs to be successful while allowing YOU to choose what you post, when you post, and your level of engagement with your fans online. Fill your dental Facebook and Instagram pages with creative, out-of-the-box posts in just a few clicks. Never again ask “What should I post on my dental Facebook page?” or “How do dentists use Instagram?” Let My Social Practice develop creative post ideas and a solid marketing plan while you stick to what you love: dentistry.

Your personal social media consultant will help you set effective goals, give you marketing strategies and ideas, train you on your social media platform’s best practices, and provide your team with continual direction. With My Social Practice’s self-managed package, we hand YOU the reins while supporting you every step of the way.

To keep the engaging social media ideas flowing, we ship you a box full of props, signs, and instructions to create two months of lively in-practice social media content in a snap. We’ve discussed how patients think more about how comfortable they are with you and your team than they do about anything else. When potential patients check out your practice on Facebook or Instagram, your posts should show your practice is friendly and inviting.

By posting fun and engaging content online, you boost retention and keep top-of-mind awareness. Our clients report increases of up to 30% in their new patient intake since starting to utilize social media. The materials we send you are specifically designed to celebrate your patients, introduce your team, showcase your practice culture, and ultimately bring in new dental patients. Everything that comes in your box is directed toward building trust and relationships with current and potential patients online.

Over ten+ years in the dental marketing industry, My Social Practice has developed the ideal hub for busy dental practices looking to make waves online. As a client, you’ll have your own dental marketing app and website. Our engineers have made it incredibly easy to use and personalize. Your app and member site are packed with example posts of what’s working for other real dental practices, a massive library of dental social media posts, calendars to schedule content and stay organized, and of course endless tips and tricks from our dental marketing experts. Your hub will be regularly updated with trending ideas, content, and instructions.

Why work with My Social Practice?

Dentists have found it so easy to work with My Social Practice because unlike traditional marketing agencies, we concentrate on the dental industry and the dental industry only.

You won’t need to explain the significant importance of HIPAA or why some days you just get too busy to even give a single thought to social media. We get it, we know what dental professionals’ lives look like in a busy practice. We also acknowledge that the purpose of dental social media marketing is more than just a fun addition to the practice. We understand that your marketing efforts need to increase your bottom line, and we’re here to help. Check out what dental practices have to say about us here.

What happens when I request a demo from My Social Practice?

When you fill out a demo request form or contact form on our website, a dental marketing expert will reach out to you on your contact phone number and email within two business days. Our experts will reach out to schedule a time to talk with you about your dental marketing needs. Don’t worry, your private information is kept on a secure server. We never share any of our data with third parties.

The purpose of a demo call with a My Social Practice marketing specialist is to discuss your particular marketing goals and where we can help you achieve those goals. Our experts analyze your practice to identify weak areas that we can help improve, and also to see where we can best leverage your strengths. My Social Practice will tailor a personalized dental marketing strategy based on your practice size, patient needs, personality, staff, and location. We want to know everything we can about your practice to create the best possible course of action.

How much should I pay for dental social media marketing?

On the low-cost end, many patient management services offer “social media” as a bonus or add-on. This type of marketing typically consists of a pre-made image posted automatically once or twice a week to your Facebook page. While this is certainty cheap, we’ve seen dental practices social media pages flounder with this type of impersonal, auto-posted content. Unfortunately, this is how many dentists use Facebook, with no successful results.

These kinds of posts are uninteresting, and they do not allow you to create an online personality for your practice or spark an engaging connection with your patients. Stock images and infographics have a place on social media, but if that type of content clutters your page, it ends up looking like spam. Remember, the purpose of social media is to be social!

On the other end of the marketing scale, you can hire a marketing agency to design and develop custom content and ad campaigns for your practice’s social media pages and website. The problem for small businesses like a dental practice is that the cost of hiring a full-scale advertising agency can easily cross into several thousand dollars every month. For most, this solution is not realistic.

Our exclusive focus on helping dental practices has allowed us to provide smooth, innovative dental marketing services at a low cost. Depending on your practice needs (Do you need a new, modern dental website? Do you need more Google reviews?) and growth goals, the cost of your unique dental marketing package will fall somewhere in the middle of the scale.

Chat with us and get set up with what your dental practice needs — no fluff or extras, just a custom marketing plan that fits your practice. My Social Practice offers the most valuable, out-of-the-box dental social media marketing solution on the planet. That’s it. That’s all we do.

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What You Need to Know About Dental Patient Expectations Post-Pandemic

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be a “new normal” for dental practices. New habits have formed. Many businesses have changed their procedures to improve convenience and made it considerably easier for customers to do business with them. Dental practices are no exception to this shift in business, you’ll need a plan to be convenient and consistent.

Your patients will certainly expect increased availability and convenience post-pandemic. So, what does this mean for your dental practice? It means that you will need to adjust to the current business and social climate and be highly accessible for patients.

Set up virtual consultation options for your patients.

Ensure that your practice is available to patients who want to be able to easily communicate with you from the comfort of their home.

The new expectation is that your patients will be able to ask questions and address concerns without first needing to come into your practice. Setting up virtual consultation and engagement options for your patients shows that your practice cares deeply about the comfort and safety of your patients.

The dental practices who are supporting patients by offering extra accommodations experience increased trust and build better relationships. Ensuring that the experience your patients have with your practice is convenient and consistent will make you significantly more attractive to new and returning patients.

Be prepared digitally.

Your dental practice will need to have a strong social media strategy in place in case something like quarantine ever happens again. Have a plan to provide value via social media. Think, “What can I share that will improve my patients’ lives?” “What is the best way for me to effectively communicate with my patients via social media?”

Not everything you post needs to be educational, you can also provide value by sharing something to make your patients smile. By creating a social media strategy you’ll be prepared to support your patients in a time of need, creating relationships, not as a business and it’s customers, but as friends.

Bounce back from COVID quickly and get your dental practice on track to have a successful 2020. As you return to patient care, use the resources from My Social Practice to guide you through your first few days and weeks.

We’ve frequently been asked questions like “How do dental practices reopen post-COVID?” and “What does the post-coronavirus dental office look like?” We understand this is a lot to think about at once! Reopening the right way can seem overwhelming but not to worry, our master marketers provide the content, tools, and one-on-one training to take you through each step. A roadmap for post-COVID help for your dental practice is just a call away.

Regardless of your practice size or location, we can customize a solution that will work for you. Build a powerful social media presence with My Social Practice!

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Why Empathy Helps Dental Practices Grow

Being an exceptional dental office isn’t just about treating patients, it’s about having a practice that uplifts the lives of everyone around you.

We’re proud to work with hundreds of dental teams that show up for their communities and patients. These dental practices actively seek opportunities to serve. Being an empathic and serving practice builds a practice culture that your team and patients are proud to share, recommend, and send referrals to.

2020 has been a difficult year for many. Previously, you may have been opposed to offering discounts on dental treatment because it attracts discount shopper patients. In light of the current situation, most people are now looking for a discount. Now you have the opportunity to show empathy by extending flexible payment plans or reduced service rates.

Not only are many patients financially struggling and they are also anxious about their health and the health of their families. As a dental professional, you have the knowledge and experience to support and comfort worried patients while at the same getting exceptional business for your practice. Your understanding of your patients’ needs during difficult times will go a long way for your reputation and relationships.

In an interview with My Social Practice, dentist Dr. Craig Spodak said, “I do believe that the ultimate purpose of a business is to provide compassion, trust, and love… We’re not in business just to make money — money is the consequence of doing something with love. Everything we do [in our practice] is born from wanting to create a sense of community, whether that community is within our office or the community that we serve.”

Being a compassionate, giving practice is more than just a nice gesture. It builds your practice in real, practical ways. How? Well, first it makes your practice stand out from your competition. You strive to provide excellent clinical treatment and exceptional patient experience however, so does every other dental practice. Seeing your team in action providing help for patients in need and doing good is something that people will remember.

Second, it boosts team unity. A 2018 study reported that employees are happier when they work for generous companies. A happy dental team means a better experience for your patients. Third, being empathetic by proving helpful information and responding to patient’s concerns will raise awareness for your practice through social media. By caring for your patient’s needs, you tell your practice story and show that you are bigger than just dentistry.

As you show empathy, you will gain greater patients loyalty by showing that you are listening and that you care. Creating a compassionate culture evokes trust, makes your practice likable, and demonstrates thought leadership.

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Let Your Dental Patients Build Trust For You

Scott Cook, the Co-Founder of Intuit, once said, “A brand is no longer what we tell the customer it is. It’s what customers tell each other it is.” Your practice grows when your patients participate.

One of the best ways to create advocates for your practice is to make it easy and fun for patients to be involved in what you share on your social media pages. Engaging with your patients on social media creates powerful word-of-mouth recommendations by allowing your patient’s friends and family members to see what a great experience and relationship they have with you.

A study found that 71% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals. What you say on social media matters, but what your patients are saying on social media matters more!

But how do dental practice get patients involved? We have found that to get patients to participate in your dental practice’s social media, it has to be easy and fun.

Make It Easy

It’s no secret that sticking to the schedule is critical when working in a dental practice. Make sure that your in-practice social media activities take two minutes or less. Both you and your patients have busy schedules and most of the time, patients want to get back to their day as soon as they can.

Some patients may not use social media often or aren’t familiar with how to use apps. To these patients, sharing something on Facebook or writing a Google review can seem like a daunting task.

Train your dental team on how to explain the simplest way to share on social media. (My Social Practice has an app to help!) Your patients will be willing to advocate for you if you make it easy and quick.

Another important point to keep in mind is “What is the patient getting for participating?” Small incentives go a long way. Whether your patient is liking your page to get the doctor to perform a fun challenge, snapping a photo to support a good cause, or writing a review for a chance to win a prize, keep it fun by making sure there’s something in it for them.

Getting your patients involved with your social media efforts will undoubtedly benefit your online reputation. Regardless of how someone first hears about your practice, learning more about your practice becomes digital and social. If someone recommends your practice over lunch or receives your direct mail postcard, the first thing they will do is take out their smartphone to look you up. When a potential patient sees the friendly faces of your office and patient photos on your pages, they will begin to like and trust you before they step into your office.

You’ll build trust and find new patients when you use social media as a platform for communicating your own unique practice story. Through people, and through relationships, your practice will shine online and be a reminder to your community that dentistry isn’t a commodity. The way you practice dentistry each day makes a difference which in turn strengthens relationships, increases reach and, builds a strong reputation.

Effective dental social media marketing belongs to dentists who care about people, who are conscious of the opportunity dental social media marketing provides, and who believe that genuine relationships matter.

The world looks a little different now. Social media is stronger and more important for businesses than it was pre-pandemic. Embrace what this shift in social media marketing can do for your dental practice.

My Social Practice has spent over 10 years building tools to make sharing your practice’s story online easy and intuitive. Find out how your practice can see success in 2020, chat with us!

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Quick Guide: Show Your Patients You Know What You’re Doing Amid COVID-19

As a health expert in your community, patients expect a lot from you in regards to keeping them safe and healthy. Potential patients are looking for a safe and reliable practice to trust with their dental care. You’ll need to have an active presence on social media to show your patients that you are taking every precaution. 

One of the main benefits of using social media is that it makes dental practices much more visible. Social media creates an audience for your dental practice on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. These platforms allow you to establish authority and build your practice reputation. 

Additionally, having an active social media presence makes it easy to answer your patient’s questions and concerns. Show your patients that your office is prepared, organized, and ready to treat patients.

Use social media to demonstrate the steps you’re taking to ensure your patients have a great experience. Go the extra mile to show how you are preparing to put your patient’s worries and anxieties at ease.

Remember, your dental Facebook page gives patients an idea of what it’s like in your office. Your potential patients can see your office, and meet your team before they ever walk through your door. Let your professionalism and competence show through your posts.

Typically, a lack of competence in a dental practice leads to negative online reviews. Although almost no business gets away without a few negative reviews, poor reviews hurt your online presence and your practice reputation. Show your competency by updating your patients consistently and providing valuable information.

Here are a few dental post ideas to demonstrate competence in your practice:

1. Share photos of your friendly and happy team members in their face shields and personal protective equipment.
2. Post photos and take a couple of short videos showing what your team has done to prepare your practice for patients.
3. Share information about your office hours on your social media pages. Explain that you are being flexible regarding scheduling appointments in order to accommodate patients.
4. Your team members are working overtime for the benefit of your patients. Show your followers that their dental cares by giving a shout out to your hard-working team.

Dental social media marketing moves quickly. Getting attention for your dental practice requires a different approach than even just a couple of years ago. Old dental social media post ideas and marketing techniques aren’t effective anymore.

Acquiring new dental patients entails using social media to create personal connections, show authenticity, and build a trustworthy reputation. Prove that you are a likable, professional, and trustworthy practice by sharing meaningful posts on your pages. Especially now, dentist office reopening procedures and protocols are an important part of what makes patients trust dental teams.

Having a strong social media presence supports your practice by giving potential patients a look into your practice. Posting current and welcoming content to your pages creates trust and makes potential patients more likely to give you a call.

Make sure to follow My Social Practice on Facebook and Instagram for some dental COVID humor to lighten up your day!

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The Best Way For Dentists To Address Health & Safety Concerns

As your patients ease back into the regular swing of life post-quarantine, they may have a few anxieties about visiting public places and healthcare facilities like their dentist.

Calm your patient’s apprehensions and concerns regarding their dental care by informing them of steps you are taking to keep them safe. The absolute best place to provide timely, educational, and interesting information is on social media!

Dental professionals are trained on how to keep their practices and operatories extremely sanitary and safe. Your social media is the means by which you can communicate your high standards of cleanliness to your patients before they even step foot in your office.

Show your dental patients that you take their health, the health of your team, and your community seriously. Use your social media pages to outline the measures you and your dental team are taking to guarantee they are well-cared for when they come into your practice. Illustrate the precautions you are taking before, during, and after appointments.

Encourage interaction with your patients by using your dental social media pages to explain your new safety procedures and take questions from your followers on what to expect while visiting your office.

If you find that a patient does not feel ready to come back into the office, validate their concerns, and schedule an appointment for a later date. Express your gratitude and appreciation for them and assure them that their safety is your top priority.

Ways to address safety concerns on social media:

1. Make a virtual office walkthrough video and describe the patient experience with the changes you have made

2. Show behind the scenes of sanitization at your practice. Take photos or videos of you sanitizing your dental tools, instruments, door handles, chairs, etc.

3. Create a post explaining what PPE is and how it works to protect your patients.

4. Explain measures you are taking like staggering appointments or the removal of non-essential items in the practice.

5. Explain wait times for retainers, crowns, dentures, etc.

Being active on Facebook and Instagram is one of the best ways to keep in touch and strengthen relationships with patients during times of uncertainty and confusion. Communicate your thoughts and feelings, as well as your plan of action and safety procedures to your patients to build trust.

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How Dentists Should Communicate Their Scheduling Game Plan Post COVID-19

Dental professionals are preparing for a new normal as they begin to open their practices again. Naturally, dentists feel the necessity to start seeing patients again considering the role dental health plays in overall public health.

While every dental practice will be abiding by their individual state regulations and their own personal judgment, there are things every practice should implement to secure a stable reopening. Keeping patients and followers in the loop on social media is one of them.

If you’re like many dental practices across the country, you have been forced to cancel routine dental appointments. As a consequence of the guesswork surrounding the current pandemic, most of these canceled dental appointments have had to wait to reschedule.

As soon as your practice has a reopening date, even a “soft” reopening, reach out to the patients who had to cancel their appointments. To build trust and strengthen your relationships, we recommend that dental practices reach out to every patient with a canceled appointment individually.

Dental practices can instill confidence in their patients and provide direction by keeping in touch online. Encourage interaction and communication with your patients by using your dental social media pages as a place to update patients about your practice’s re-opening. Post details regarding your rescheduling plan on your dental social media pages. The more clarity and information you can give to your patients, the better. Having a social media marketing plan for re-opening after COVID-19 is vital to your practice success.

Thanks to the amazing people in the dental community, there has been significant support and information to help dental practices navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. On the contrary, there has not been much information given to the patients of dental practices regarding what is going on and what their experience will look like moving forward. Use your voice as a healthcare professional to reassure and comfort your dental patients.

Address common questions and concerns on your social media pages

• Will you reschedule canceled appointments first?
• What treatments are being prioritized?
• How long should patients expect to wait before being contacted by your practice?
• Can patients expect a different reception or operatory experience?
• Validate concerns and address unnecessary anxiety and stress.

Create a sense of urgency

• Communicate the importance to schedule an appointment. Stress that appointments are filling up fast and to schedule soon!
• Express the importance of taking care of tooth damages that may have occurred during the quarantine.
• Explain the significance of good oral health and its impact on overall health. 

Utilize this time to sharpen your dental practice’s social media pages. Social media provides a way to maintain strong relationships with current patients and reach new ones online.

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