Dentistry is one of the world’s oldest professions. There’s evidence that the Neanderthals attempted to fix problematic teeth over 130,000 years ago, using rudimentary tools made of bone or stiff grass stems and natural forms of penicillin. Thankfully, dentistry has come a long way since these early attempts! However, there are some aspects of the profession that are still stuck in the past – and social media is one of them!

Social Media for Dentists – Too Important to Ignore

With over three billion people around the world using social media every month, it’s no longer an option to ignore platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram when it comes to marketing for dentists. Social media has become a key part of the lives of modern businesses and, more importantly, their customers. Having an online presence reinforces your brand, establishes trust and shapes the relationships you have with your customers – all factors that dentists in a competitive marketplace can’t afford to miss out on.

Whether you work in a dental practice or run your own, investing in social media, for dentists, is incredibly important for the success of your business.

Go where your customers are

Though traditional marketing methods like flyers and newspaper adverts might have been successful for dentists in a pre-internet age, digital marketing helps businesses to reach customers faster and more efficiently. Whether you’re looking to appeal to everyone or you’d prefer to focus on a specific demographic, social media is the natural place to start with your marketing, with users ranging from 13 to 65+.

Research has shown that we’re all spending over two hours a day on social media (on average), and if you put the effort into building an attractive, engaging brand online, there’s a fantastic chance that your practice will be seen by customers and potential customers on a daily basis. You’ll stay at the forefront of your customers’ minds, and they’ll know exactly where to go when it’s time for their next checkup.

Social networks enable dentists to reach out to a wide number of new customers easily too – all it takes is for one of your followers to like or retweet one of your posts, and your post will automatically reach all of their followers too. If one of their followers interacts with your post, then your reach will keep growing, getting potentially hundreds of eyes on your company in no time at all.

Save time at your practice

One of the most useful aspects of social media for dentists is the amount of time you can save on day-to-day tasks. Rather than calling up each of your customers or sending out letters to remind them to book their next checkup, post regular reminders on social media that will catch your customers’ eyes. An overlay text against the background of a healthy smile will get users thinking about their own teeth, or you could record a quick video of a member of the practice passing on the message for a personal touch.

These posts should be a key part of any marketing for dentists strategy, since they’ll stick in people’s minds and make them more inclined to call up and arrange an appointment.

Whereas a letter might get ignored or shoved in a bag (not to mention the costs involved), digital reminders can ensure your message won’t get lost. You can even make the process simpler by including a link to a booking form, so your customers can arrange an appointment whenever is best for them – and you don’t need to worry about having someone watching the phone constantly. It’s a quick win, and bound to increase the number of people you get through the door.

Boost your registration numbers

In the modern age, reviews matter. Reviews have become the digital word of mouth, and one happy customer can lead to countless more.

One of the best endorsements a dentist can receive is a positive patient review, and having a platform to share that review on is one of the biggest benefits of social media for dentists. According to a recent study, 82% of consumers read reviews before making a buying decision, proving that reviews remain very influential when it comes to new purchases. In fact, the study also suggested that two thirds of customers are willing to pay up to 15% more for a product or a service if they’re assured that they will have a better experience.

Social media enables your practice to get positive reviews in front of more customers, and there’s plenty of opportunity when it comes to presentation. A short, memorable quote (“The friendliest dentist I’ve ever been to!”) makes for the ideal tweet, whereas Facebook has a designated area for reviews on business pages, enabling any prospective patients to see them as soon as they visit your page.

By cultivating a positive, trustworthy reputation online, you’ll not only have more customers registering for your practice, but you can experiment with offering premium prices for procedures customers have been particularly happy with, giving your bottom line a boost.

Create a community presence

Investing in social media is instrumental when it comes to building relationships with the local community.

Customers value local brands for quality work and personalised service – the kind of place you can keep going back to and take your kids to. But one of the biggest assets you can leverage with social media is location. Understand the culture, routines and pain points of your regular customers, and take note of common questions you get asked. You can use this insight to structure your social media for dentists.

To build up your follower base, post dental health advice and tips that are focused on the areas that patients usually slip up on. Do you often see patients using the wrong kind of toothpaste for sensitive teeth, or is there a surprisingly sugary alcoholic drink that people should avoid at all costs? These facts can help to build up a sense of familiarity and trust, which, as a dentist, is exactly what you want with your social media.

Keeping track of common health trends can also help you to stay ahead of the curve, and ensure your social media account stays current. For example, lemon water has become a popular morning drink to help flush out toxins, but many people don’t know that brushing your teeth straight afterwards is even worse for the enamel.

All of this helps you to come across as “one of them” in the local community, immediately giving you the advantage over other practices in the area.

So, what next? How can you put all this into practice?

For dentists, social media can bring a wealth of benefits to your practice, but it is time consuming. You need to decide which demographic you want to target, what kind of brand you want to build (should it be the factual expert, the friendly local business, or a bit of both?) and which platform will work best for you. Then there’s the matter of creating engaging, relevant content and posting regularly to get your business in front of new customers.

Sound exhausting? It doesn’t have to be. Outsourcing your social media to an expert means that you can focus on what you do best for your business. We will help set up and manage your accounts, and ensure your social media brings in all the benefits you’re looking for.

We’ve been working on social media for a long time and know what works, so you can be sure your practice is in good hands.

We have a talented team of creative individuals, who are dedicated to the delivery of high-quality content and marketing support for SMEs across the country. We help businesses to grow and thrive, and have seen first hand the impact a brilliant online presence can have.

Visit our online package builder today for an instant price that’s tailored to your business’s needs and budget.