How can dentists use social media to promote and develop their clinic? Please read on to discover how even setting up a facebook page can help dentists to attract new patients and encourage existing patients to visit more frequently.

What benefits will I see from a social media campaign?
 

•  Attract new patients – First and foremost you can attract new patients to your clinic by promoting yourself through and advertising on social networks. You can target ads at people by age, location, interests and much more.
• Easy communication – Social media is a very efficient way to communicate with a large proportion of your patients with a few easy keystrokes. Keep patients informed of clinic news and any promotions you want to offer. It works very well in conjunction with your mailing list.
• Engage patients – a patient should visit your clinic every six months but this a free way to stay visible in their lives between visits. Posting some photographs of patients in your clinic is a great way to make them feel involved. You might inadvertently remind them to come in for that check-up.
• Improves search engine rankings – Most people don’t know it but search engines take feedback from social media into account when ranking your site in search results. This is especially true of Google + and local results which should be the cornerstone of your online marketing campaign.

Which social media platforms should I use?

• Facebook is the best social media site to use to connect with patients. Dental Focus estimate that over 50% of your patients now use facebook every day. You will only need to post once or twice a day on facebook so it is not too time consuming.
• Whilst Google + is better for connecting with peers and other professionals, the key with Google + is that it is linked to search. Reviews from patients Google + accounts show up in and help determine your ranking in local search results. It is important to understand how the network operates so as you can encourage patients to go on give reviews to your clinic. Read our post here for more information on Google + local for dentists.
• Some clinics are using Twitter to connect with patients, however I believe it is more useful for connecting with peers. It requires regular updates and I feel it is hard for dentists to maintain a patient’s interest in this very fast moving medium. Some clinics find it useful and others use the search function to find new patients.
• There are many more social networks for connecting with patients (some have reported success with Pinterest), however I am focusing on these as they have the most potential for connecting with patients.

 
Content ideas for facebook
 

• The key is to find a balance between keeping posts dentistry related without boring people. Some other clinics find that followers like funny dental related images, a motivational or wise saying and the holiday of the day etc.

• Use your facebook page to promote your blog to patients. As discussed here in our post on blogging for dentists, you can blog about clinic news such as new staff, promotional offers, any awards or good deeds, any dentistry news that you think may be of general interest and any other achievements.
• Photos of patients when they come into your clinic, particularly before and after photos if the patients are keen. You can also take videos and upload these onto your profile.
• If you can get patients to leave comments about their positive experiences at your clinic on your page this is a great source of social proof with high levels of authenticity.
• Why not host a children’s day? This is a great and fun way to promote your clinic in your local school and area. Take fun pictures on the day and update the facebook page with these pictures. This is facebook gold.

How do we get followers?
 
Ask patients next time they come into your practise if they would mind following you on facebook. Get their email and send them a request through facebook. You can also advertise on facebook and target your campaigns by interests, age and location.