Social media has become a huge part of everyday life. Brands and businesses across all industries use various social media platforms to promote their products and services and engage with audiences around the world. To give you a more in-depth look at the significance of social media, there are roughly 3.78 billion individuals on social media. This represents nearly half of the total global population, and this figure has increased by five per cent from the previous year.
With so many dental practices popping up in the market, using every dental marketing tool available to you is important to gain a competitive edge. Social media marketing is one crucial means to gaining new customers and establishing trust with your clients.
Here, you will learn about why social media marketing should be a crucial part of your dental marketing efforts, how to use social media to your dental practice’s advantage, and the best practices you can implement for effective dental marketing.
What is social media marketing?
Social media marketing entails using various social media platforms to promote your brand and engage with your desired audiences. In the case of dental marketing, this includes posting content about your dental practice, reaching out to potential customers using your social media platforms, running advertisements, and analyzing the results of your social media campaigns to continuously improve upon them.
There is a wide variety of social media tools developed to help marketers manage and optimize their social media marketing strategies across different platforms. Naturally, businesses have different objectives for using social media marketing to strengthen their brands. Dental practices, however, will benefit from ways to expand their customer base and gain new customers. Social media is an effective, modern way to achieve that.
The benefits of using social media marketing in expanding your dental practice’s customer base
1. Social media helps build brand awareness
Being on social media helps makes your dental practice more visible. The more you promote and post content on social media, the higher chance you have of interacting and engaging with people likely to visit your practice.
Even if the person that your content reaches isn’t looking for dental services at the moment, having a solid social media marketing strategy allows people to learn more about your brand. Eventually, your practice will be at the top of their minds when they do need to look for dental services.
2. You can reach a fresh, new audience
One of the best things about social media is that it helps people find you. Social media platforms are equipped with advertising tools you can program to target audiences that are genuinely interested in the products and services that you have to offer. This means they will be more likely to convert and visit your dental practice.
3. You can establish your dental practice’s credibility
The goal of any business is to earn their customers’ trust. When it comes to securing new customers for your dental practice, you need to be able to assure them that you will be giving them the best possible service in every visit.
You can do this by posting testimonials and positive reviews of your services on social media platforms and third-party review sites that highlight your expertise in the field of dentistry. Additionally, people are more likely to trust and be comfortable with businesses that have a strong online presence, so having a solid social media marketing strategy also cements your dental practice’s credibility. Check out the sample testimonial below!
4. Social media is a cost-effective way to get word out
Your dental practice won’t need to rely on more costly traditional dental marketing methods like print, radio, and television ads to gain new customers. Social media’s massive reach can take care of that for you, and allow you to connect with a bigger number of audiences at a lesser cost. By determining your target audience and tapping the right demographics and location base, your advertising efforts will reach those with the highest chances of converting into a paying customer.
Source: https://www.slideshare.net/ethos3/your-business-needsvisualcontentinfographicbyethos3-30810350
The best practices for using social media marketing tactics for your dental marketing
1. Make the most out of local SEO
Because you want your social media marketing tactics to drive more customers to your dental practice, focus on local SEO tactics to boost your social media presence. This means targeting potential customers who are from nearby areas, as they’re also more likely to visit your practice. Encourage your customers to tag your dental practice in their posts, list your dental practice in directory services, and make use of a content plan for your social media marketing.
2. Post timely and relevant content about your dental practice
Don’t be afraid to mix up the types of content you post. Consider using videos, pictures, and infographics to create more well-rounded social media content. You can also use a content calendar to better schedule and time your posts. Remember, when it comes to social media, consistency is key. Posting well-planned and highly relevant content is more likely to garner positive engagement from your audience and is more likely to lead to conversions.
3. Monitor your performance online
Potential patients rely on social media reviews whenever they’re looking for a dental practice to visit. Manage your online reputation by encouraging your customers to post honest reviews about your service and preparing appropriate responses for both positive and negative comments. Additionally, track your social media metrics to see how well your content is performing and build upon what you did for well-performing content.
