Did you know storytelling is considered an important part of branding? The ability to weave a story that connects with people and makes them identify with you is very crucial to having a successful marketing campaign. And social media offers a huge stage to tell your story.
So in this modern age having a strong social media presence for your dental practice is very necessary to attract and retain patients in your vicinity. Social media gives you an opportunity to tell the story of your dental practice.
But very often most dentists fail to see social media as an opportunity and have never harnessed its power to further their dental practice. In this article, we discuss the common mistakes most dentists make in Dental Social media Management that derails their social media presence.
The top mistakes in Dental Social Media Management
Your goal should be to fully utilize social media. To help you with that we have discussed the top mistakes that can be avoided
Mistake #1: Underestimating the marketing potential of social media
If you look at it objectively, many social media channels are free. From Instagram to Twitter you don’t have to pay anything to use their platform and all these platforms have great reach. You can easily generate publicity for your dental practice on these platforms at no cost. Yet many dentists fail to realize this.
Having a strong social media presence, building a positive reputation online helps to increase the awareness of your practice which in turn translates into tangible benefits for the practice.
Mistake #2: Spreading yourself too thin
There is no dearth of social media channels and many medical marketers think it is a great strategy to open accounts on all of them. Creating accounts on all social media platforms makes it difficult to manage and the quality of content you post on them will get affected.
It is unnecessary to create accounts on so many special media platforms and smart digital marketers only focus on platforms that target their audience. They then devote themselves to making sensible and creative content that works on these platforms.
There is a lot of demographic data available for each social media channel. Additionally, you also need to consider which social media channel is best suited for your dental office.
Mistake #3: Lack of engaging content
Another mistake most dental professionals make is not creating engaging content on their social media channels. It is for a reason that Content is King. Original content drives traffic to your website and social media channels.
Written content doesn’t have to be long or technical and should align with your dental practice goals and the needs of your target audience. By providing insights and valuable information for your patients you can create awareness of your dental practice on social networking sites.
Mistake #4: Not interacting with patients online
Social media channels have changed the way practices communicate with their patients. Posting relevant content on a regular basis allows you to stay connected to past patients, retain existing patients and attract potential ones.
By building and nurturing your social network online you gain better access to potential and current patients and it will also increase the exposure to your targeted messages. Make your interactions meaningful so that it initiates conversations with your audience.
Mistake #5: Not having a social media marketing plan
Many dentists approach social media blindly without a marketing plan. This is a rookie mistake. Randomly posting things on social media accounts, sharing content here and there will not attract any followers and is a sheer waste of time.
Social media marketing should have planning and goals. You must approach it like any other marketing campaign. You must have a concrete plan of action that outlines your goals, the means to accomplish those goals, a way to measure the outcome, and resources you need to achieve those goals.
Social media marketing yielding instant results is a myth. Instead, it is all about building relationships and establishing your brand. So, don’t continually change gears, and switch campaigns just because they do not yield instant gratification.
Mistake #6: Lack of consistency on social media platforms
It is very necessary to have a cohesive social media strategy that sends out a uniform message across all social media platforms. Use background, colors, fonts, logos, images, and videos that are consistent with the objectives of your dental practice and are consistent across all social media platforms.
Unified branding helps in sending out a clear message and doesn’t leave room for confusion. If you announce any special offers make sure they are done consistently across all social networks.
Mistake #7: Targeting the wrong demographics
Identifying the right audience and engaging that segment is very necessary to make an impact with your social media channels. Most marketers overlook this and aim to get maximum coverage without paying attention to the demographic profile.
For instance, you own a dental practice in Chicago. You would have very little to gain by extending your social media engagement with other cities or countries. You should have a localized social media marketing strategy.
Mistake #8: Lack of personal touch and authenticity
Around 80% of dental practices make this mistake. They add generic photos and videos of the services they are providing on their social media channels and quite frankly this defeats the purpose of having a social media channel.
Stock or generic photos aren’t only boring, but they also lack authenticity. Instead of posting generic photos that your viewers can easily get on Google or Getty images, why not post actual photos or videos of your patients receiving the dental treatment with their consent.
This is an original and authentic way of displaying your skills and expertise as a dentist. When such videos are posted your audience would want to connect with you and your social media influence and reach grows organically.
The Final Take away
Social media has great reach and influence and is also very cost effective. Overlooking this platform for your dental marketing efforts can prove to be fatal as anyone and everyone has a social media presence. Devising a strategy and successfully executing it will lead to the growth of your dental practice.
But if you are new to this and you don’t have the time to devote to this then you get in touch with us. We are Helenzys Dent, an exclusive dental digital marketing company that helps dentists grow their practice by strategizing effective marketing plans that engage the right audience with the right content.
So, if you want to have a stellar online social media presence and grow your practice then contact us at the earliest.