Simple Ways to Use Facebook to Grow Your Dental Practice
Facebook is one of the most effective marketing tools dentists have, yet many dentists are unaware of how to harness its power. Some give up before they start, believing that Facebook costs too much time or money, or other common myths. Others try to use Facebook, but they take a shotgun approach rather than following a cohesive plan.
The key to successfully using Facebook to grow your dental practice is to focus on shareable content. Ideally, you will create both a business page, which allows you to push content to those who have shown interest in your practice, and a group, which allows you to interact more directly with your patients and prospects. You can also boost posts to ensure they are seen, and even create paid ads. However, none of these Facebook avenues will do much good unless your content is shareable. Here are a few simple ways to create shareable content.
What Is Shareable Content?
Shareable content is anything that attracts people to like it, comment on it, and most importantly, share it on their own timelines for their friends and family to see. The more interaction a piece of content gets, the more people Facebook will display it to. If those new viewers like, comment, and share, it will be shown to even more people. Eventually, your content could even go viral.
Tell Your Story
People assume that dentists can fix teeth, so telling them that you can is simply wasting words. Prospects shop for a dentist based on unique selling propositions (USPs), such as better technology, a VIP experience, or even community service.
Focus on what sets your practice apart from all the others. Post photos of your staff working on a charity project or posing with the newest machine you just purchased. Tell the story of why you became a dentist and find a way to connect it to something that makes people feel good.
Emotionally evocative patient stories are also a driver for shareable content. Ask for testimonials on how dental work boosted patients’ self-confidence or helped them land a fabulous new job. Focus on how life-changing proper dental care can be.
Use Contests and Promotions to Boost Engagement
Whether it is a free cleaning or a free smile makeover, people love to compete for a prize. Create a contest that requires entrants to like, comment, on and share a particular post within a relatively short time period. You can even hold nomination promotions, in which people nominate their friends for a cosmetic or other nonessential procedure.
Congratulate and Promote
Pay attention to the things your staff and your patients are doing outside of your office. Maybe your receptionist took third place in a local art show, or a long-time patient closed an important new account for her business. Whatever positive things are happening in their lives, give a shout out on your Facebook page and/or group.
Of course, you need to be careful not to violate anyone’s privacy, but with their consent, many people love to see that their accomplishments are being celebrated. You can even ask your followers to share the post on their personal timelines, furthering the congratulations and ultimately encouraging Facebook to display more of your content to a larger group of people.
Ascent Dental Solutions is a full-service agency dedicated to helping dentists build their practices and map out their careers. It is the brainchild of Dr. Kevin Coughlin, who earned his doctorate at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and currently serves as a faculty member there. While Dr. Coughlin continues to practice dentistry as the principal owner of the 14-location Baystate Dental PC, he has a strong passion for helping fellow dentists maximize their success. If you are interested in learning how to take your dental practice to the next level, please contact Ascent Dental Solutions today at 413-224-2659 to learn how Dr. Coughlin can help.
