Gratitude is a powerful force to bring people together and create goodwill. Giving thoughtful, sincere thanks on social media is one of the best ways to build relationships and grow your practice.
As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving this week, our thoughts turn to everything we have to be grateful for and the people that make it possible. Even the simplest expression of gratitude, like just saying “thanks,” makes the world seem a little brighter and friendlier. And it’s not just in your head — the beneficial effects of gratitude on physical, mental and social well-being are scientifically proven.
Showing gratitude makes us approachable, positive and empathetic — and it can do the same for your practice’s social media presence. Giving thanks on social media to the people that allow your business to thrive will help you connect with them on a personal, emotional level. It’s this kind of connection that leads your patients, team and colleagues to share your practice with family and friends.
But for as simple as it can be, relatively few businesses make a conscious effort to show gratitude on social media. Through gratitude, your team can enhance the patient experience and create advocates for your practice. Here are three important ways giving thanks on social media can build your business and how you can apply them.
Humanize Your Practice
People find it much easier to connect personally with businesses and brands that show their human side. Customers want to know that there are people that care about them on the other side of the keyboard.
Showing gratitude is one of the quickest paths to creating authentic, personal connections. This is particularly important for dentists because building relationships goes a long way in helping patients and potential patients overcome dental anxiety.
Here are a few tips on emphasizing the human element:
- Include team photos in your gratitude posts
- If replying to posts from a practice account, sign your comments
- Leaving a Like or Favorite on a fan’s post is good, but taking the time to write a short personal message of thanks is far better
Create an Amazing Patient Experience
Finding small ways to thank patients and fans can turn a satisfactory patient experience into one they can’t wait to tell friends and family about. Not only that, a grateful mindset can transform your practice culture, making your team happier and more unified.
Dental practices have a unique advantage here because dental teams know their patients much better than the average business knows its customers. Use this familiarity to make your thanks more meaningful! Don’t just say “thanks for coming in today” — tell patients why you appreciate them specifically and what their loyalty means to you and your team.
Always respond promptly to comments, messages and feedback you receive on any of your social media pages. Thanking patients and fans for their input is a great way to show you care about providing exceptional service.
Boost Retention, Reviews and Referrals
It’s human nature to remember those who remember us. Making gratitude a central part of your social media strategy can help you maintain top-of-mind awareness with your patients, leading to better retention, more positive reviews, and valuable referrals.
As you reach social media milestones, such as a certain number of Facebook Likes or Google reviews, thank your patients and fans for their continued support. You might even announce a patient appreciation party or some other small gift to show your gratitude! Check out more patient appreciation ideas in our blog post.
An Attitude of Gratitude
Making gratitude the core of your social media efforts will help you strengthen relationships, improve your patient experience and grow your practice — and being thankful doesn’t cost a penny.
As we enjoy the holiday season this year, let’s remember what we’re grateful for and thank the people who do so much for us. From My Social Practice, we want to thank our valued clients and all of our readers for the opportunity to share what we’ve learned about social media. As we continue to work with dental practices, we hope that our ideas and strategies play a part in getting more people the care they need to live happier, healthier lives.
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About the Author: Blake Hadley is a dental marketing expert and one of the founding members of My Social Practice. My Social Practice is a dental marketing 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 dentists or our dental websites service, learn more here.
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