4 Digital Marketing Tips for Dentists

We see many businesses and brands today engaging in social media. Everyone seems to be shifting to these platforms at rates faster than ever but there is still a very big question left unanswered for most people. Is social media for them? Why would a business want to invest valuable resources and time into something that may not bring any benefit at all? Many dentists seem to feel this way, since this is an industry that thrives from traditional methods of marketing. Who would ever think of their dentists being on social media to begin with? The answer is that just like any other business, dentists can in fact benefit from having an online presence in the social media space. Even without social media, dentists can utilize secondary platforms such as Yelp!, Yellow Pages, Google local, and Yahoo! local. These simple resources can increase a dentist’s online presence which could potentially bring in lead generation as more people receive exposure to local businesses in their area. With that said, let’s go over 5 tips that dentists can use to rock social media.

Understand why you’re on social media

Research shows that social media brings great benefit to businesses, but if you don’t know why you’re there or what your intentions are you will be wasting your time. Remember that you need to identify your social media goals before even starting as this will define your strategy. The very first reason why you should be on social media is because that’s where your patients are. The second reason is that your prospects are there too. Whether it be on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, or any other platform, you can rest assured that your patients and prospects are there.

Relationships before profit

In order to grow your business, it’s clear that you will need some sort of lead generation. However, social media is not the place to start new relationships, it’s the place to build on them so that they later mature into leads. Social media helps you connect with current patients that may already have a loyal relationship with your business. When they come in for a checkup, ask if they are on social media and let them know that you’re there too. This is a great way to start expanding your business. Give them a reason to connect with you by offering them advice and complimentary services such as exams, or free checkups. You can even go as far as offering referral incentives. It’s a win-win situation, even for you as your business can almost count on those patients coming back. Pleasing your patients is a great way to receive word of mouth marketing, and that is by far the most trusted source of information today.

Just be human

As a dentist, it is understandable that you need to maintain a professional image. This may limit your social media efforts to focusing on discounts and incentives, but strict sales pitches will scare your audience away instead of inviting them in. You can be a professional while still being personal and humble. Be yourself, and use a voice on social media that you’re comfortable with. Add a personal touch to your efforts and show your patients and prospects that you are family friendly because you’re a person first, and a dentist second. People love personable interactions, but that doesn’t mean you have to post about your personal life. Post a photo of a team building event, or some friendly activities taking place in the office.

Start with an online presence

Social media doesn’t have to be the first place you dive into as a dentist. You can start with the very basic steps I mentioned at the start. Directories like Yelp, yellow pages, Google local, Yahoo local, and Bing local help your business with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Registering on these directories will help your business get found on major search engines like Google and Bing. Since most dentists are generally too busy to do this themselves and the staff might not always be so savvy in technology, we at Boxless offer custom SEO services that eliminate the headache of having to do this work yourself.

With that, how are you using social media to leverage your business? Do you have other tips to help fellow dentists on social or have a specific question we can answer? Leave a comment or tweet us @BoxlessMedia!