Dental Instagram marketing is not like other social media marketing. But don’t let that scare you—we’re here to help! Even if you’ve been using Instagram in your dental practice for a while, we’re confident the information below will boost your efforts.

Instagram launched as an iPhone app and later moved to Android. It hit 100 million users faster than LinkedIn, Tumblr, Twitter, or Facebook! And now has over 1 billion active users. It’s a place where people express their lives and interests through photos AND peek into the lives of others.

People everywhere seek “real connections” to the businesses they support. In the same way, they look for real connections with friends, family members, and coworkers.

Today’s dental patients are paying more attention to dental social media because traditional advertising does not carry the same trust as before. They associate with people they believe in and trust. A dental Instagram page is a powerful way to connect with your dental patients and potential patients in the same way friends connect with friends. 

We’ve seen dentist influencers on Instagram with thousands of followers because of the raw glimpse their followers get into their dental practices.

Your patients want to see you, but nobody wants their feed overrun. In fact, according to a survey of over 500 Instagram marketers, posting too often was one of the most common reasons for losing followers (33%). Keep in mind that even more problematic was posting too little, or not at all (40%). You need to find a sweet spot that works for both your practice and your followers. 

As a general rule of thumb, you’ll want to post at least 3 times per week, and no more than 3 times per day.

There aren’t rules against using text over your photos, and you’ll see plenty of others doing so. However, according to most market research, good photos without any text outperform those with text included in Instagram feeds. Unless there’s a specific label that’s integral to understanding the picture, save the words for your caption. 

You can get a little more wordy with your Instagram reels for dentists, which often invite comments and opinions from the audience or use labels to amp up the chatty, playful nature of the format. 

If you’re having difficulty coming up with Instagram captions, learn more about what matters and what doesn’t in our guide. (CTA)

Instagram’s filters can be fun. In fact, they were a noticeable trademark during the early days of Instagram. Nowadays, seasoned users can spot a standard stylized filter a mile away, and most of them are over it. 

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t edit your photos to make them the best they can be. Instagram offers custom editing tools that allow you to crop and enhance your photos. If you are serious about making high quality imagery part of your brand, you may want to utilize professional photo editing software. However, for most people on Instagram, fun and quick images with simple but clean quality are the best way to go.

Yes, HIPAA rules DO matter on social media. Despite Instagram’s casual and nature, you’re still sharing information about your patients online. Violating HIPAA guidelines in your marketing could result in steep fines, and loss of your patients’ trust. Luckily, sharing photos with patient permission is easy. Read here to learn more about the guidelines, and download our free HIPAA consent forms to ensure that everything you share online is in line with your patients’ wishes and your practice’s care for the community. 

Download our printable HIPAA consent form for patient photos.

More isn’t always better. While Instagram allows you to use around 30 hashtags per post, few professional Instagram marketers ever get close to that number. Overused hashtags can annoy people, and if you’re repeating yourself and hashtagging just for the sake of more attention, you’re not doing your account any favors. Hashtags have become cliche’d jokes in many circles. On the other hand, when used wisely they can be an excellent way to sort information, participate in fun trends, and expand your reach. 

Never use hashtags as an extended word association exercise. Instead, do your research and use them intentionally.

Instagram for dentists can feel confusing at first. After all, your intention when you get on there is to market your practice. But people don’t follow you to be advertised to. They follow you because they care about your practice and their health. Motivate your strategy with a value-first mentality, always asking yourself whether your content is serving your patients first and you second. 

That doesn’t mean that you can never run promotions, brag about your great team’s accomplishments, or give advice. Informing patients about your range of services and ways to better care for their health is a win-win situation. Just remember to maintain a balance in all things.

Posts aren’t the only way to communicate with your patients on Instagram. In fact, they may not even be the most effective way! Reels and stories serve up your latest news with an (even) more informal style, thanks to their temporary nature. They’ll disappear unless you choose to save them in your highlights. They allow you to film short, fun videos, ask questions of your followers, and invite quick comments and reactions.

Reels are a great way to be creative and regularly wind up at the top of your followers’ feeds. We recommend alternating your posting strategy between static photos and reels. Don’t forget that you can use these videos in numerous places across your social media strategy. You can learn more in with this guide to TikTok and Instagram Reels.

Memes and cartoons are fun. Pretty sunsets and fliers about upcoming events have their place. But at the end of the day, Instagram is about sharing moments from your life. Think of it as an invitation into your daily routine and the small, happy, interesting, or silly moments that make you love what you do. 

In a relationship-based business like your dental practice, pictures of people will almost always perform the best. Feature candid photos of your team, cheesy grins from your dentist, and fun smiles from your patients. Don’t be afraid to get real, and make sure that it always feels authentic.

Your dental patients don’t know what happens outside the operatory, and there’s something gleefully voyeuristic about getting a peek behind the curtain. You might especially look for moments that are visually intriguing or oddly satisfying–such as making a dental impression–and feature them using various video formats. Share photos of you making whitening trays or cleaning instruments. Show them how your CEREC system works. Invite them into an excerpt from your morning huddle. 

Your dental Instagram marketing will thrive if you can make your followers feel like VIP insiders. These are the kinds of things that help patients feel more connected to the work you do and think more deeply about their own dental health. You’ll be surprised how much patients will enjoy it!

At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about, right? You do what you do so that you can serve your patients. Posting a simple photo of you with your patient shows you care. It can communicate without words the power of a relationship to fuel lifelong health. It humanizes you, and keeps the focus of your Instagram channel on the most important part of what you do. It also allows you to share more smiling faces while giving your team an occasional break from the limelight. 

And then, of course, there’s the fact that featuring your patients gives you new opportunities to expand your reach. Your patient will get a notification about the picture, then have the option to like and comment.

 

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A post shared by Webster Orthodontics-Las Vegas (@websterortho)

 

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A post shared by Dr. Suzanne Quigley (@redbankorthodontics)

Your team works hard and each person there is an integral part of what makes your patients love your practice. They deserve to be celebrated! In team spotlights, you might include ways to communicate fun facts about each person that patients probably didn’t know. Share milestones in their lives, insights from their expertise, and random quirks that patients can relate to. This can start new conversations online and in the practice, strengthening the bond between your patients and your team. Remember to tag your team member using their Instagram handle as well. 

Don’t be surprised if team spotlights become your most popular posts… it’s a pattern we’ve seen time and time again!

 

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A post shared by Omaha Orthodontics (@omahaorthodontics)

 

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A post shared by Orenco Orthodontics (@orencoortho)

When people leave comments, always respond. It shows you are listening and that you care. Furthermore, a lively, friendly conversation looks great on your posts. It can encourage more people to join and ensure that your posts are seen more often by your patients. Keep your comments professional, grateful, and courteous. Answer questions when needed. Invite them to get in touch if there’s more to discuss, or the conversation could get volatile, but don’t leave anything unadressed. Remember, social media isn’t a soap box… it’s a conversation. You and your followers are a community.

Instagram contests are often fan favorites. Contests can be one of the best ways to engage your followers and gain new ones. In fact, many Instagram marketers and influencers run regular contests in order to ensure that their content is always prioritized by Instagram’s algorithm in their users’ feeds. It can also generate some great content from your followers, and it’s a great way to integrate unique Instagram dental marketing ideas. 

Contests don’t have to be hugely elaborate or require a major time investment from your team. Just make sure to communicate effectively about the parameters and timeframe of the contest, switch it up with prompts that will get everyone excited, and offer your patients worthwhile incentives now and then. Browse our dental contest ideas to get your creativity flowing.

 

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A post shared by Strathcona Orthodontics (@strathconaortho)

 

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A post shared by Forrest Orthodontics – Katy, Texas (@forrestorthodonticskatytx)

Is something coming up in your practice schedule? Instagram is a great way to spread the word! Whether you’re running a promotion on whitening, celebrating someone’s retirement, or hosting a charitable event, make sure that you use Instagram before, during, and after the event. Share details about the event beforehand–more than once! On the day of your event, record some videos and reels. You might even use Instagram Live for special moments and announcements. Afterwards, share photos from the event and thank everyone who made it great. 

Instagram and other social media platforms are a very personalized way to get news out to the people who really care! Make sure you keep them in the loop.

We warned you above to avoid overusing hashtags, but that doesn’t mean that you should scrap them altogether! In fact, judicious, informed hashtag use may be the difference between an Instagram account that grows and one that does not. Joining in on current trends utilizing hashtags is a great way to increase your reach. 

Always research hashtags before you use them. You may be surprised to learn that the phrase is used for something you didn’t anticipate! You may also learn that there’s much more traffic for one phrase than another. For example, #dentalhealtheducation sees much more traffic than #dentalhealthtips. 

And remember, if you’re using a hashtag for a contest, always sure that it’s unique so that you can effectively sort posts.

Getting tagged in a photo means that someone used your Instagram username in their description. It’s a great way to get people’s attention. Occasionally, people use this technique to get more followers on their account. If you check out their profile and the post in question and know for sure that they have no connection with your practice and they don’t fit your target demographic, you may not choose to engage. However, it’s always a good idea to err on the side of friendliness, gratitude, and courtesy. And most of the time, tags will be from your community of patients, team members, and professional connections. If you get tagged by them, respond!

Instagram isn’t just for still photos. It’s also a great platform for video. There are numerous ways to share videos on Instagram, whether you’re sharing clips as in-feed posts, stories, reels, or you’re streaming using Instagram Live. If you’re not using video in your dental social media marketing, you’re seriously underutilizing your Instagram account. Research shows that video content outperforms images across the board. Feeling a little nervous about dipping your toe into dentist video marketing? We can help. 

It’s easy to get started with social video using our fun ideas and step by step guide.

You’re not an island out there… you’re part of a larger community and conversation. Following other local businesses helps you know about what’s going on around you. It can also give you new ideas for ways to engage in local events. Strengthening these connections and friendships can also open up new cross-promotional opportunities.

Collaboration with local businesses, especially professional businesses who have the same database of clients as you, is a great way to build your presence. Check out the video below to get some ideas on how to collaborate.

Social media is most effective when it easily overlaps with in-person, in-office conversations, habits, and marketing efforts. So try this: occasionally print a few of your Instagram photos and display them in your office. You might put them in a frame on the counter, post them on a bulletin board, or hang them from a miniature clothesline. You could even skip the printing and simply rotate some photos through one of the television screens you have in the waiting room. This is an easy way to promote awareness of your Instagram activity and strike up conversations about your social media platform. It also adds some hominess to your desk and a family feeling amongst your team. 

Remember: if you’re planning to use photos for print advertising, get permission from any patients that could be in the photos.