Essential Guidelines For Dental Social Media Posts
Doing good is its own reward — but that doesn’t mean you should be silent about it. Sharing about your practice’s charitable efforts is one of the best things you can do for your online presence!
Today’s consumers, especially millennials, are the most socially-conscious ever. They don’t just care about high-quality products — it also matters to them that the companies they support are eco-friendly, follow ethical labor practices, and treat people with respect.
In fact, according to a 2015 Nielsen study, 66 percent of consumers are willing to spend more on a product if it comes from a sustainable brand. 81 percent of millennials even expect their favorite companies to make public declarations of their corporate citizenship.
What does this mean for you as a dentist? It means that your patients and ideal potential patients want to know what you’re doing to make your community a better place. They want to know about your commitment to treating team members and patients fairly. They want to be assured that you put human relationships before “selling dentistry.”
And one of the best ways to demonstrate all these things is to share about your practice’s charitable efforts on social media. If potential patients see that you have an involved, community-focused culture, then in their minds, you must also have the same level of care about your tech, CE and customer service, you probably don’t overcharge, etc. The process of creating these connections is called transference, and it’s a powerful way to increase your practice’s perceived value.
3 Tips for Sharing About Your Giving Efforts on Social Media
For some, it may feel uncomfortable to publicize charitable efforts so much. But the truth is that social media content about giving can be one of your most powerful marketing tools. Posting about how much you care for patients, team members and your community conveys everything that will catch the attention of someone searching for a new dentist.
Keep these three guidelines in mind to maximize effectiveness and avoid misunderstandings as you post about your practice’s giving efforts:
1. Be transparent
As always, transparency is critical. People online can tell when charitable efforts are sincere, and when they are being used to just promote sales. Avoid trying to “sell dentistry” in your posts about your practice culture and giving. For example, you would not want to end a post inviting people to donate to your food drive with “and make sure to schedule your next cleaning!”
2. Post consistently
Simply put, every time your practice is involved in giving of any sort, you should be sharing at least one social media post about it. Posting frequently and boosting your posts on Facebook can lead to greatly increased reach and many more people participating in your practice’s charitable campaigns.
For example, if today your team is giving by expressing gratitude, create a Facebook post with a photo of your team and a caption expressing how much you love to see your patients and how dedicated you are to their lifelong health. If you are preparing to run a holiday food drive, create a post each day about how you are setting up the campaign, spotlighting someone who has donated, showing the food collection’s progress, and inviting fans to participate.
3. Vary your content.
Get creative with the different types of posts you use. Don’t just share the same style of text or photo update every day during a practice campaign. Explore the different content options of each platform, such as:
- Facebook Live
- Instagram Stories
- “Like” Challenges
- Short video interviews
- Team and patient photos
- Links to charity websites and blog posts
- Infographics
The Easiest Way To Start Giving
Not sure where to start your dental practice’s charitable efforts? My Social Practice clients receive a box every other month with everything they need to run a fun and easy practice campaign! Request a free demo and see how My Social Practice campaigns get your team and patients involved in supporting great causes and giving to your community!
Adrian Lefler is the CEO and Co-Founder of My Social Practice and a recognized dental marketing expert with nearly two decades of experience. He is a trusted voice in dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and emerging technology, and he hosts BYTE SIZED, a podcast focused on dental AI, innovation, and technology.
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