Although LinkedIn might not have caught on as quickly as other platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, in recent times, it has experienced significant growth, with a broad user demographic. With over 675 million users worldwide, of which 16 million-plus are in Canada, it is a social media platform every dental business within Canada should get on.
So, what’s in it for your dental practice? Cost-efficient marketing opportunities, reaching out to an extensive network of professionals and an all-round platform to meet, retain, and expand the client base of a dental clinic.
However, most often, a lot of people create a LinkedIn account and abandon it almost immediately, because they don’t have a good grasp on how to use it to grow their profile or business. They are not aware of the strengths of LinkedIn marketing opportunities and as a platform with a broader clientele for a small business such as a dental practice. In this article, I will be guiding you on the three ways you can use LinkedIn as a marketing tool for your dental clinic.
1. Maximize the Benefits of LinkedIn Advertising
LinkedIn offers very affordable advertising that is similar to what you have on Facebook. You have the option of traditional ads and sponsored updates; these two forms of advertising can be beneficial for dental offices.
The traditional advert pop-ups are those that appear on your LinkedIn profile or home page. Here, you can advertise your services using images, written content, and images, or video clips, to link to your LinkedIn company page and your website. For the sponsored ads, these are similar to Twitter promoted tweets: simply create a LinkedIn post, and then pay for your post to appear on the feed of users not connected to your LinkedIn profile.
LinkedIn advertising is a great way to focus on those who are most likely to need your services by allowing you to target them based on their interests. So as a dental practitioner, your advertising campaign can target clients based on aspects such as location, gender, and age. For example, your target audience might be older people in the same area as your clinic who have gum problems. Or it could be younger families within your location who may need orthodontic services for their kids.
LinkedIn advertising prices are determined by auction from a pool of other advertisers you’re in competition with and want to reach a similar audience. You can control your advertising expenditure either by a daily budget, a total budget, or maximum bids. You can customize your settings to the maximum price and number of bids you’re willing to pay for impressions and clicks, so it is easy to stay within your budget.
2. Maximize Your LinkedIn Personal Profile
Besides being an asset for Business-to-Business (B2B) organizations, LinkedIn is likewise efficient when it comes to Business-to-Consumer (B2C) services such as your dental practice.
Using your LinkedIn personal profile is a great way to connect with prospective patients by telling them how your qualifications and background has shaped your practice culture and ideals. The tip here is to ensure that your profile has the relevant content and keywords so that you can boost the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your dental clinic. The use of keywords will enable your profile to appear in the top of the search engine results pages of Google, Yahoo, Bing, or any of the top browsers your potential clients are likely to use when looking for dental services.
Other features of your profile that will help to broaden your clientele include endorsements that point to your expertise, recommendations from peers and existing clients, etc.
You can also include a business page to promote your practice. On this page, you can give details of all your different dental services and areas of specialization, staff profiles, images of before and after dental services, post updates on services, etc. Another great thing is that LinkedIn comes in over 24 languages, so it gets easier to reach a broad audience and translate clients’ results in a language they understand. And where LinkedIn does not cover a language you wish to use, you can engage The Word Point for accurate medical translation services.
The LinkedIn company page is very similar to business pages across other social platforms. It is a great way to consolidate your brand, gain new followers, and engage with potential patients via content that is relevant and informative.
3. Maximize the benefits of Discussion Groups
LinkedIn discussion groups can be very beneficial for dental practices. You get a space where you can share ideas with fellow dental professionals, network, get up to speed with novel developments in health and technology. You can also get to showcase your professionalism and expertise as you interact with others on relevant topics in your field.
There are over two million discussion groups on LinkedIn that have an extensive range of topics for discussion so it is easy to get a group that covers your business idea. There is a limit to the number of groups you can join, which is set at 100 groups. You need to make sure you pick the groups that are relevant and add value to your business. Examples of groups you can join include:
- Dental Technology
- Canadian Dentist Network
- Innovations in Health
- Networking for Business Professionals & Doctors.
- Sedation Dentistry
- Marketing and Networking for Dentists
These groups expand your networking pool, allow you to share business ideas, and also give you room to establish yourself as an expert in the industry.
It is also essential to listen to conversations first before engaging in any group discussions. With this, you can post recommendations about other dentists and likewise get endorsements for the clinic. Suggestions are great for building your professional rapport and establishing your services as trustworthy in the eyes of potential clients, especially when these referrals come from your peers.
Remember, if you can’t seem to find a group that suits your brand ideas and goals, you can always take the lead and create your own, invite old and potential clients and other service providers. LinkedIn allows you to setup up to 30 groups at a time.
Conclusion
A dental practice can get quite competitive, so it is essential to stay ahead of the game with innovative marketing strategies that can help you to connect with old and potential clients. Having a LinkedIn presence is a step in the right direction to having a trustworthy reputation and expanding the client base.
About the Author
Frank Hamilton is a blogger and translator from Manchester. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English.
