Why Social Media Marketing Is Important for Dentists

Why Social Media Marketing Is Important for Dentists

Gain Both Visibility & New Patients

If your business doesn’t have an online presence in today’s digital world, it might as well not even exist to many people (especially in the rising generation). You wouldn’t want your physical office location to be difficult to find, or to be far away from the places frequented by the average patient in your target market. Similarly, you don’t want your practice’s presence online to be difficult to find, or to be completely separate from the online places frequented by the patients in your area. You should have a user-friendly, optimized practice website. You should establish links between your site and your presence on social media platforms and review outlets. More traffic to and from your website and dental social media profiles means more new patient opportunities. The more people see of your practice both online and in person—and the better it looks to them—the more apt they are to contact your office.

Build Credibility & Manage Your Reputation

People use the internet in a variety of ways while searching for healthcare providers. If someone has dental insurance, they can check their insurance website first for in-network providers. Many patients will then go to the dentists’ websites and also reference Google, Facebook, Yelp, and other online reviews as they weigh their options. When people find your practice online, will they see recent reviews from satisfied patients as well as activity on your dentist Facebook page (the most popular social media platform)? During a patient’s decision-making process about a “dental home,” every bit of reinforcement helps. Your website the photos and videos of your dental office, your online reviews, and your practice’s relevant activity on social media will all work together to build your credibility and enhance your appeal. If you want insured patients to come to you as an out-of-network provider, meaning more out-of-pocket expense for them, then your marketing better make a good case for why they should do that.

Around 30-40% of people don’t have dental benefits and, depending on your practice model, you need a strategy to be a viable option for these patients. We won’t go into all the ways to reach and accommodate uninsured people here, but we want to at least mention that these patients don’t start their search for a dentist with any limitation of an insurance network list. If they’re looking on their own, just between them and the search engines, are they going to find you on the first pages of search results, on the map, and/or in the sponsored listings (paid ads)? If they turn to their social media network on Facebook for a recommendation for a dentist, are you established enough in that network to be easily referred by patients to their friends? People are typically more inclined to trust a referral from a friend than to respond to first-time advertising, so include review and referral solicitation as part of your overall marketing plan. Social media provides a natural, relatively easy outlet for you to gather more patient reviews and for people to help spread the word about you.

Communicate & Strengthen Patient Relationships

When you engage with your patient base on your dental social media, you add another line of communication with them and, consequently, a greater feeling of availability to them. Sure, they can call your office; yes, your website is there for them to visit. But, if they don’t have something specific to motivate them to do these things, such as a dental problem or a semiannual checkup, are they going to do them? Probably not. What they probably are going to do on any given day is check Facebook and/or Instagram, and in many cases they’ll do it often. Be seen there sometimes! Humanize your brand in your dental social media posts, portray your team as both professional and personable, and broadcast interesting and exciting updates about your practice and community. You may be surprised by the strengthened patient loyalty and increased top-of-mind awareness that comes from effective social media. Pay attention to the way your patients react to your social media marketing activity so you can adjust it accordingly to maximize its benefits.