More and more users are turning to Social Media to find out what the different brands offer and to search for information relating to the world of health or for specific ailments, treatments, therapies, healthcare facilities. It is therefore essential for you to take care of the image of your dental structure on the web and on social networks to confirm the trust of the “old” now loyal patients and attract new ones. Maintain a presence on Social Media that provides useful information, updates on your practice and objective and respectful answers to patients’ questions and even thought leadership.
Today, 31% of healthcare professionals have already turned to Social Media for professional networking. Over 40% of patients report that social media influence their choice in a provider and healthcare facility.
Social Media represents a highly performing tool capable of generating high quality contacts (if the right Lead Generation activities are planned), attracting new contacts in the sales funnel of the healthcare facility. Thanks to advanced targeting, Social Media allows you to focus on highly qualified profiles: there is in fact the possibility to get in touch with a very large audience and with a myriad of information, which is voluntarily shared.
List of 4 types of content interesting for social channels that dental facilities
Information
Information content is talked about when your patients follow the dental practice on Social Media to get useful oral health information and to learn more about dental care from an expert source – who is you. A lot of videos and useful information about the importance of oral health are made on the internet: you could share them with your patients or create mini-guides yourself, perhaps explaining how to recognize the first symptoms of a dental discomfort. Do not forget that, if you are good, by posting videos / images on your site and on social networks you will be able to amplify visibility thanks to the approval, comments and sharing of users.
Before posting, be sure to ask yourself if the content is useful and relevant to your audience and make sure that your followers can grasp some tangible value from your image / video. If your image makes people react, they are more likely to share it, exposing your dental office to potential new patients.
Funny
If you want to use social networks effectively, you will have to invest a lot, especially in terms of time. You have to do this job, unless you want to delegate the management to a specialist, who will want to be paid for his work.
We also emphasize an interesting aspect: almost 40% of Facebook users regularly share a funny post. This means that humor is an important aspect when you publish valuable content for your dental practice and you want it to become shareable.
Imperatives (ask your followers to do something)
A call to action (CTA) offers your audience clear directions in the text of your post and asks them to act in a specific way. CTAs can be as simple as ” Share “, ” Book ” or a larger question such as “Publish your favorite photo with the hashtag #HappyTeeth”.
Whatever your CTA is, make sure it’s clear and easy to implement. We suggest you create a link between your image posts and your dental practice website, an easy way that can increase engagement and convince them more to make an appointment at your facility.
Personal photos of the staff or patients
Photos of real people – your staff and the patients themselves – are much more likely to be appreciated and shared than stock images. Sites like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest are by far the most popular social media sharing platforms, and everyone can help make your dental practice known to a large audience. Using your photos can take some work (and a cheap investment), but sharing your images on multiple platforms gives your dental practice a more valuable local exposure and can make you gain more patients not only in the long run.
Satisfied customers are your key resource: that’s why you should ask them for a reference! Many customers love to show friends and acquaintances certain dental treatments (especially if successful): ask them to tell their story and how they found themselves with your dental care on your social pages: they will be enthusiastic and at the same time they will help you to increase the trust and empathy of other patients towards you. Always remember that word of mouth made on the internet and on social media is the best form of promotion and communication for a job like yours!
