Marketing your dental practice to younger audiences can open new avenues to expand your brand. With social media’s rising popularity, especially among the younger ages of 18 to 25, broadening your online reach can help people in this demographic find the dental care they need, which may turn into leads for your business. To emphasize the importance of catering to this age group, here are some reasons and ways to market your dental practice to younger audiences.
Why Do Dental Practices Need to Market to Younger Audiences?
For many young adults, life transitions include aging out of their pediatric dentists and moving away to new cities for college, a new job, or a change in life. These people may be searching for a new dentist in all of these cases. Finding one may be overwhelming, especially if this is their first time looking on their own. In some instances, they may have had terrible experiences at dental clinics as kids, which could put them off their search. On top of that, dental health may not be a priority amid big moves, new jobs and other life changes. Regardless, you can reach this audience in a fun and friendly way to make dentistry more accessible and show them the importance of maintaining good oral health.
Using Social Media to Market to Younger Audiences
It is no secret that young people gravitate toward social media for sharing ideas, having a laugh, or connecting with others. Therefore, to market your dental practice to this audience, creating content in spaces where they are likely to be would be most helpful. Finding your voice in these areas brings more visibility to your practice, especially because social media can spread information like wildfire once content is shared.
Instagram
According to recent data, 53% of Instagram users are between 18 and 34, making the platform an effective place to connect with younger audiences. Instagram provides a space for a wealth of information on various topics, which can reach many different users. You can contribute to this circulation of information by creating content that relates to young people and aligns with your dental practice.
Setting up a well-polished Instagram page with an informative bio, visual appeal, and different types of content that educate, inform, and entertain is an excellent way to gain visibility. Young people will often search for businesses they are interested in on the platform, so making your page stand out is critical.
Since Instagram is all about visuals and engagement, you can use features like posts, stories, reels, and live to grasp the attention of your target audience, interact with them, build trust and, ultimately, create leads for your dental practice.
Some good ways to use this social media platform to your advantage are to show new services or products, give recommendations, provide tips for oral health or even use Instagram Live for real-time, personal interactions. When you create posts with captions, try to use language that your target audience will find relatable. When it comes to younger audiences, this can mean removing complicated jargon, sounding friendly and approachable, and using appropriate emojis to give your practice more personality.
TikTok
About 43% of TikTok users in Canada are young adults between 18 and 29. TikTok attracts younger audiences because the platform is entertaining. If you can create fun content while still aligning with the values of your dental practice, younger demographics may find it easy to relate to you and support your business.
The platform’s unique algorithm shows users videos on their For You page based on past interactions. Suppose a user is interested in oral hygiene tips or wishes for a better smile. They probably liked or saved videos of this nature in the past, so the algorithm will tailor their videos to fit this niche, which means that your content can reach them too.
It is vital to post both informative and entertaining content. Try to think of ways that your practice stands out from others, as this can give you more appeal. Also, being genuine, helpful and fun can bring a human element to your practice, building trust and relatability while also creating potential leads.
Some types of content that can help your TikTok take off include:
- Before and after or reaction videos: These videos can be a more powerful version of testimony because viewers can see live patient results.
- Product Reviews: Young audiences often research online to find the best products to suit their needs. For oral health and dental hygiene niches, you can review trending products or provide recommendations to add to the circulation information and establish your dental practice as a credible source.
- FAQs: Answering some frequently asked questions can build your credibility, spark engagement and, ultimately, bring more visibility to your practice.
- Dentist reaction videos: Using the stitch or duet function, you can feature dentists from your practice reacting to other dentistry-related videos. You can debunk or applaud what other people are doing or add to a discussion. Interactions like this show your audience that the dentists see you and are willing to relate, connect and help.
As it aligns with your dental practice’s values, taking the initiative to teach, educate and entertain young audiences may help them prioritize their oral health. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are great tools for reaching these age groups and creating strong connections through interaction and engagement. By dedicating your time to social media marketing, your practice can reap the benefits of gaining fresh leads that could turn into lifelong patients.
About the Author
Dr. Shahrooz Yazdani, CEO and Director of Yazdani Family Dentistry and Costello Family Dentistry. Dr. Yazdani earned his DDS degree with Honours from the University of Toronto in 1998, then completed a 2-year residency in North Carolina. Residencies like this are optional; in fact, less than 1% of general dentists choose to pursue this sort of residency, but that just shows Dr. Yazdani’s commitment to being the best he can be in this field. Yazdani Family Dentistry, and Costello Family Dentistry are revolutionizing the dental experience by providing the ultimate experience in patient care to all of their clientele.
