Dental Practice Marketing is Easiest with an Active Facebook Page
When it comes to dental practice marketing, there's no easier way to grow your brand than being active and engaging on Facebook.
Imagine walking into an office where things are out of sorts and no one is around to help you. The place is in disarray, and you're wondering just what the heck is going on!
It's frustrating, right?
Well, that's just what a dormant business Facebook page looks like. When it comes to dental practice marketing, your online persona is equally as important as the inside of your office.
Keeping an active and engaging Facebook page is essential to growing your brand. It's also the first step in ensuring top-notch patient experience.
Your Facebook page acts as an interactive marketing tool and is, by far, the easiest way to grow your business. Follow these tips to take your practice to the next level!
Share Engaging Content
Think of your Facebook page as an extension of your front desk.
Check that.
Your Facebook page is an extension of your front desk!
You would never ignore someone who walked into your office. And you'd never leave your waiting room barren of decoration or entertainment. It's a welcome space to make people feel comfortable.
The same goes for Facebook, where your page is a virtual looking glass into how you run things in the real world.
Create posts that are both informative and interactive. Instead of simply posting a note about a procedure, include a meme or funny photo with it.
Create posts that incorporate elements of a trend or holiday, and be sure to gear them towards your business. Here are some holidays to consider:
- National holidays — New Year's Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, etc.
- Fun holidays — From Sugar Cookie Day (July 9) to Tell a Joke Day (August 16), a list of fun holidays can found here.
- Teeth-related holidays — World Smile Day, National Children's Dental Health Month, and Root Canal Awareness Week.
Always make sure posts relate to your practice in some shape or form. Stay on brand!
Remember to treat patients on Facebook just as you would in person: warm and friendly, but always professional.
Think Visually
Thinking visually means two things: how your feed looks to others, and how often it's viewed.
This is where familiarity of your personal Facebook comes in handy.
Run your business page similar to your own Facebook account, except with that business twist.
You wouldn’t post something every minute on your own page, so don’t feel pressured to do it with your practice's page (this isn't Twitter!).
However, make no mistake, posting regularly on Facebook is essential in growing your social brand. It bolster's your SEO, which means you'll rank higher in Google searches for dental practices in your area.
Use your judgement, and always think from a patient's perspective.
What would you want to see from your dentist on Facebook?
What messages will resonate with your audience?
Again: stay on brand! Keep your patients at top of mind, and always post with a purpose.
Spreading out your posts helps maintain a consistent cadence. If you have five great posts, don't publish them all on Monday. Share them throughout the week to make your feed appear livelier. You can even schedule the posts ahead of time!
The idea is to inform and interact, so don't be too clinical with your Facebook posts.
When posting about a procedure, find a photo to attach to it that will help it stand out. Facebook posts with images get 2.3 times more engagement than those without images.
Keep Your Profile Fresh
This falls in step with thinking visually, but since Facebook is a visual medium it warrants its own section.
You might not put that much thought into your page's header photo, but you should.
Imagine going to a business page that had an out-of-focus header photo, or one completely unrelated to what the business was about. For example, a portrait studio whose blurry header was the owner playing in a beer league softball game.
Would you feel in good hands?
Didn't think so. It gives off the impression that they don’t care.
They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and the same can be said about your header photo. Choosing the right photo is essential in giving the right first impression of your business to a patient.
A crisp, high definition photo will show everyone that you understand presentation matters.
To the patient it says, "If we take choosing a header photo this seriously, imagine the care we put into your oral health!"
Beyond your profile picture is the cover photograph, that banner image spanning your Facebook page.
Regularly switching up your cover photo keeps your Facebook page fresh. Even if you haven't posted in a while, a new photo informs patients that you still keep up with your page.
Have a stock image of your staff or the inside of your practice to use. If it's December, switch it to a nice company photo from the holiday party. If something big in the community happens, toss up a banner image of Main Street.
Periodic updates to your cover photo provide a virtual face lift, and are always a good move whenever you need to freshen things up.
Interact with Patients
Being active on Facebook goes well beyond posting. Sure, you can use the set it and forget it method, but you wouldn't be maximizing the value of your page.
Interacting with patients is a component in both acquisition and retention.
People rarely visit pages and comment for no good reason. They’re reaching out to you, the same way as if they were coming into the office or giving you a phone call. In fact, some may believe they're making life easier on you by sending a Facebook message rather than phoning in.
Interact, answer questions, and laugh at jokes.
Make patients feel valued and show just how much you genuinely care and value their opinions.
A fantastic way to interact with patients is via Facebook Messenger. It's an automatic feature with your page, and offers a direct line to people outside the office.
Encourage patients to message you with questions about procedures and offerings! They'll be blown away at your added level of care, and even more impressed by how fast you respond.
As a result, they're more likely to recommend you to friends and family.
And when it comes to prospective patients, they'll see a page full of informative and engaging conversation. If you're this approachable on social media, just imagine how great you are in person!
And just like that, you’ve continued to grow your practice. All it took was being engaged with patients on Facebook, and treating the social media platform as an active way to communicate.
Learn more about how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients.
