
5 Social Media Ideas You Can Do Today
The hardest part of dental digital marketing is the same as the hardest part of everything else — getting started. Here are 5 easy things you can do today that will help you take that first step and start seeing benefits right away.
With everything that goes into running a successful practice, it’s a wonder that dental team members even have time to breathe. And with so much to do, it’s easy to delay things that you might see as ancillary to patient care, such as blogging and social media. But, although a practice is built on clinical expertise and effective management, a practice thrives with smart marketing strategies and a strong online presence.
Getting started with dental digital marketing is easier than you think, and it doesn’t require a large time investment. In fact, most of our clients using our marketing tools report that they spend less than three hours per week on it.
If you just don’t know where to begin, try these 5 simple things you can do TODAY to build your online presence and help new patients find you. With just a small, consistent effort, you’ll get a taste of the different ways digital marketing can help you grow your practice.
1. Post a team photo on social media
Do you have social media accounts set up for your practice but haven’t posted to them for weeks? Sharing a team photo is a fast, easy way to put something out there that will connect with fans and help build your brand. Snap a shot with your phone and tell fans why you love working with the people in your practice!
Our client practices consistently report that one of the best ways to kickstart social media engagement is by sharing photos of team members. When fans interact with what you post on social media with Likes, comments or shares, it amplifies the reach and effectiveness of your posts.
2. Get a Google review from a patient
Not only are Google reviews trusted, but getting them may be the single most important thing you can do inside your practice to positively affect your search engine rankings. Plus, Google Maps factors number and quality of reviews into search results, helping you stand out to people looking for dentists near them.
Pull up today’s patient schedule and identify one or two patients that love your practice and you suspect would be happy to leave you a review. Assign a team member with a close relationship to the patient to ask them if they would leave a review today. For more valuable tips on getting reviews, check out our free ebook.
3. Verify your Facebook page and Google listing
Verifying your practice’s pages is a quick way to boost your credibility with potential patients, social media services and search engines. It only takes a few minutes!
For instructions on verifying your Google business listing, click here.
For instructions on verifying your Facebook page, click here.
4. Complete your practice’s online profiles
The more practice information you have available on your online profiles, the more useful they are to potential patients.
Go through the About pages of your blog, Facebook page, Yelp profile and any other accounts you have set up and add your address, business hours, phone number and any other information you can.
Add team photos wherever you can. They will help potential patients connect with your practice on a personal level before they even call or visit.
5. Get caught up on current events
Social media is all about “what’s new” — especially in pop culture. Harnessing the power of trending topics and popular current events is one of the best ways to build your practice’s social media presence. You can’t create posts about current events if you don’t know what’s going on!
Take a few minutes to follow a couple sites like Mashable and Buzzfeed on whichever social media platform you use the most. Scan recent headlines and brainstorm any ways you can relate a current event to dentistry or oral health.
Strengthening Your Digital Marketing Muscles
Just like with anything else, dental digital marketing becomes easier the more you do it. The most important part is your decision to begin, then sticking to your plan. As you accomplish these initial goals, raise the bar and set new goals with your team regarding social media, reviews, and patient referrals.
About the Author: Blake Hadley is a dental digital marketing expert and one of the founding members of My Social Practice. My Social Practice is a dental marketing services company located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Blake is passionate about helping dental practices grow. If you’d like to book Blake or one of the other members of My Social Practice’s speaking team, you can do that HERE. Interested in learning more about the benefits of SEO for dental practices or our agile dental website development service, you can learn more here.


