As social media continues to have more relevancy in business, healthcare professionals and organizations are having to find ways to connect with their audiences online. This might seem easy for a restaurant or clothing company, but for health care, the struggle to post relevant information on the right platform aimed at the right people is a challenge. Social media is a magical tool that allows dentists and clinics to create relationships with followers they otherwise may not have reached. It fosters conversation, thought leadership and trust. It can also lead to conversion of followers to patients. Before we talk about different platforms, I’ll share with you my overarching social media rules:

• Never post for the sake of posting. Consistency is key, yes. But don’t post something invaluable or off-brand because you need to hit 4 posts this week.
• Your content should be about adding value, not boasting about your business. There’s a loophole here: you can do both at once. For example, if you want to post a photo and caption about the great work you just did on a patient's veneers, add information about veneers that would help someone considering them, then end the post with your client story.
• Use the 80/20 rule - 20% of your content should be about your business, practice, staff and service. And 80% of your content should be about things other than you and your practice. Think lifestyle, health and wellness. Add value to your viewers lives by making them think about themselves rather than talking about yourself.

Facebook

Facebook has loads of tools for dentists and clinics to help drive leads. Patients can book appointments directly on the page or from an ad. They can message the clinic with questions and leave reviews raving about their experience. Facebook is a great platform for direct-sell posts. Talk about why your practice stands out from the rest or remind patients to book their cleaning. Direct-selling works on Facebook because unlike personal profiles, business pages are less likely to show up in the newsfeed. Facebook is a great place to share industry news and research. If your practice has a blog, promoting it on Facebook not only gains views but shows thought leadership.

Instagram

Instagram is a platform that primarily connects you with a female audience - usually millennials. Think about the moms booking the appointments for the family. Instagram is a visual platform, so photos matter. This is where a lot of dentists run into a challenge. Try not to look at Instagram as a direct sell, rather, provide valuable and relatable content to your audience. You don’t need to always talk about your practice when you post. Try talking about things related to overall health and wellness. Foods that are good for your teeth, tips for dental emergencies and family wellness are a few examples. Instagram has also stepped up its direct-selling game with link trees (a list of links in the bio) and the ability to sell in company stories or at the bottom of the page in some cases. The direct-selling allows you to use your blog posts and sell your services more effectively.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional-networking platform. I wouldn’t say this is the first place a dentist or clinic should focus their social media content, but it can offer some benefits. I suggest using LinkedIn if:

• You’re a growing practice with new positions to fill. Use it to promote the company culture and current employees.
• You recently opened a practice in a business district or city centre and are looking for new patients. This is where LinkedIn ads come in handy. Promote your practice to workers looking for a new dentist or to switch to a more convenient location.

We’ve helped clinics gain new clients through digital and social marketing. One client gained a whopping 150+ clients in 2018 through online bookings alone - that’s a value of over $150,000!If social media is something you’re looking for help with, we’d love to chat.