Despite everything you may hear in 2019, your business will not disintegrate if you’re not on social media. That’s not to say you aren’t missing out on a large younger audience, but there are some successful alternatives.
• Focus on your website. Your website should host all of the information patients are looking for when they Google you: team photos, offered services and contact information. Make sure you have strong SEO, a stunning website design to match your practice, control over online reviews and your Google business page. Don’t know what any of this means? Then keep reading.
• Hire a digital/marketing manager. If you’ve realized the digital space is out of your comfort zone or you just can’t commit the right amount of time to it, then find someone who can. Outsourcing your marketing and digital presence is a great way to know you’re searchable.
• Just say “who cares.” Not willing to invest extra money or time into any of this? Then don’t! It’s better for your practice and your brand to not be online rather than be there without care and maintenance.
If you are going to be on social media you cannot hope to be successful unless you do these things:
• Commit time to actually posting. It’s not enough to have an Instagram account or a Facebook page. You have to be active, or you’re wasting your own time. Post useful resources, engaging content and office update to keep your patients wanting more from you and keeping you in mind to call for their next appointment.
• Choose your platforms. It’s obnoxious to be on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, YouTube, TikTok… Do you even know that last one? Find out where your demographic of patients are and be there.
• Hire a social media manager (or consultant). Again, social media can be a lot of work if you want it done properly, so consider finding a consultant to start you on the right path and ensure you’re doing what makes sense for your practice, or hire someone to manage it for you. It’s still under your control, just not your responsibility.
• Promote yourself. Help your patients find you! Post your handles in your practice, add the accounts to your appointment cards and toss up your chosen platform logos and links to your email signature. All of these are easy, successful ways to let your patients know you’re there and they should follow you.
Social media isn’t where you’re going to acquire new patients, but it is where you’re going to engage and remind them about you on a consistent basis. Give yourself a hashtag, post some office selfies and get your patients to tag you when they’re in for an appointment. Or don’t. When it comes to the success of your practice it doesn’t matter, but when it comes to your patient engagement it could change everything.
*Between February and March 2018, RKI, a third party independent research house, conducted a 10-minute online survey of active, practicing non-hospital affiliated dentists and dental specialists on behalf of Oral Health. Using Oral Health’s subscription list, a total of 398 dentists participated in the study (with 219 completing the survey to the end). Assuming a total of 20,000 dentists in Canada (and 398 total completes) the margin of error for the survey is +/- 4.86, 95% CI.
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