Is social media marketing really all that important for your dental office?

Absolutely.

No matter how big or how small, you are missing out on crucial opportunities for growth if your dental practice isn’t utilizing the power of strategic social media marketing.

Recent research shows that the role of social media on marketing decisions is startling. Simply put, social media has transformed the way we make purchasing decisions, influencing everything from the stores we shop at to the dentists we frequent for all of our dental needs.

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1. Build Trust And Relationships

One of the most powerful ways to convert new patients into lifelong patients is by cultivating relationships built on trust.

Many people view a visit to the dentist as a scary and expensive experience. But it doesn’t have to be that way! You are committed to over-delivering on high-quality services and improving your patients’ total health and well-being. Now you just need to convey that to your patients, both inside and OUTSIDE of your dental practice.

Join the conversation where it is already happening—on social media. Listen to what your patients have to say, and then add value where you can. Answer questions. Offer fun promotions or freebies. Be a part of the community.

Over time, your genuine interest will establish trust—and you can guarantee that means your patients will continue to choose you over any other dentist in town.

2. The Power Of Word-Of-Mouth Marketing

Word-Of-Mouth-Marketing is one of the most potent types of marketing, especially for the dental industry.

Referrals are critical to the success of your dental practice. After all, we trust our friends and family. Whether it’s about eating out or getting a root canal, we prefer to go where others have been before. It’s why TripAdvisor and Yelp are so popular, and it’s why you absolutely must have a presence on social media.

Social media marketing is, at its core, word-of-mouth marketing on a much larger scale.

For example, if a patient can see that two of their Facebook friends ‘like’ your dental office’s Facebook fan page, then they will be much more inclined to ‘like’ you, too. It’s the power of social influence.

Even if you only have a few hundred followers on social media, your potential reach extends to the friends of your friends, and their friends and so on. Share quality content that gets engagement with your fans, and you’ll soon reap the benefits of word-of-mouth marketing via social media.

There might come a time when your dental office receives a negative review. Though it can be extremely frustrating, especially when such negative reviews seem outside of your control, it is critical to manage your online reputation by responding to the criticism you receive.

Take ownership of your online reviews. If someone leaves negative feedback, use the power of social media to publicly set it right and show that you care about your patient’s experiences. You might be surprised how taking the time to reach out to the person who left the negative review can turn them into your most ardent fan.

4. Build Your Authority

If you want your patients to trust and like you, then you need to take the time to build your authority. One of the best ways to do this is outside of the office and on social media.

What is trending in the dental industry? What new reports or conversations can you provide an opinion on? What relative and informative articles can you link to?

Use your social media networks as a platform to share your expertise, stand out from the crowd, and show that you are an expert in the dental industry. Your patients will be happy to know that they are receiving the most innovative and up-to-date care around.

5. Make Professional Connections

Never underestimate the power of making connections with other notable experts in the dental industry—you never know what opportunities and ideas could result from coming together with other like-minded experts.

Use social media to join communities, make new connections and see what the dental industry is talking about. Whether it’s getting invited to speak on a panel or simply learning about a new technological innovation, you never know what exciting new opportunities could result from a bit of time networking on social media. 

Conclusion:

An effective social media marketing strategy can absolutely transform your dental practice.

Your patients now expect you to be on social media, and if you’re not, then you are missing out on powerful opportunities to grow your practice today.

Social media for dentists can seem overwhelming, but with a bit of time and consistency, you’ll be reaping the benefits in no time.

In our next blog post, we’ll be diving into how you can improve your social media marketing ROI—it’s going to be jam-packed with great tips and tricks that you won’t want to miss!

Action Items

1. Create a Facebook page for your practice in five simple steps

Estimated Time Needed: 10 Minutes

2. Claim your Google + business page

Estimated Time Needed: 5 Minutes