A recent survey conducted by Futuredontics revealed some interesting insights into the connection between dental practices and social media. Some of these findings are:
Currently, 89% of dental practices utilize social media for dental practice marketing—up from 52% in 2012.
72% of dental practice websites have social media “Follow” buttons.
Facebook is the #1 social media platform used by dental practices, and 25% of practices post at least 4 times per week.
81% of the U.S. has a social media presence—214 million Americans are on Facebook!
The average Facebook user spends 50 minutes per day on the site.
(Futuredontics, 2017)
What these stats show is the majority of dental practices recognize the importance and effectiveness of connecting with patients via social media—and that the majority of U.S. citizens are on social media, so they might as well use it to their advantage. Social media provides a platform to connect with patients in a way that feels softer and more relatable than other traditional marketing methods that typically only give one message: Come to us for Dental Work!
However, if you’re not sharing content on your social media platforms that resonates with current and potential patients it won’t be nearly as effective as it could be. That’s why knowing the best types of content to share on social media and actively working to find or create that content is so important. Sharing the same treatment promotion over and over again simply won’t work.
Switch it up with these 5 effective social media content types to make the most of your social media presence.
- Practice Moments and Stories
Give followers a glimpse into the human side of your practice. Share a shout out for team members on their birthday, document a trip to a CE event with fun Facebook Live videos, or post photos of your annual Halloween costume party. These types of posts remind patients that they’re working with real people who care about their health—not just a dental business looking for profit. - Emotion-evoking posts
Your posts don’t always have to be dental related. Is there another business in your community that just did a wonderful charitable act? Post about it and let your followers know how much you love the community you work in. Find a funny cat video? Share it as a fun Friday post to get everyone pumped for the weekend. What you’re looking for pieces of content that make people feel happy, inspired, grateful, hopeful, educated, included, etc. - Moments your practice makes someone’s life better
The most obvious type of post for this is a patient testimonial. This can be a simple written testimonial, a photo of the patient (taken with permission) along with a description of how you helped them, or even a video of the treatment itself (again with permission!). Plus, social media is a great place to share any charitable work your practice does, perfect for dental team who love to bond by participating in events like a food drive, fun run, etc. - Promotions
Everyone loves a good sale, and more than likely no one’s totally immune to clicking an ad they see online. So why would it be any different for dental practices? Don’t go overboard—social media is meant to be a soft sell—but sharing a “Promotion of the Month” or a “Free Fluoride for Referral” post is a great way to let patients know you understand that their money is precious and you want to help them save where you can. It’s a direct incentive for them to connect. Just don’t go overboard. - Contests
Like promotions, a contest provides the possibility of a direct reward for your patient. They’re great posts to share around the holidays (like a “Holiday Sweepstakes”) and can have a variety of different prizes. Everything from a free whitening kit to a gift card for a local restaurant works great. Set up an easy hurdle to enter—like commenting on the post with their favorite type of floss—to make it fun and easy for followers to get involved.
If you include each of these 5 types of content on social media (remember to use contests and promotions sparingly) you should be able to effectively connect with patients. You’ll be sharing more of the content they enjoy, helping ensure that your social media content is content they want to see—not content they scroll past to get to something better.
