Fear, uncertainty, and doubt are strong human emotions. Strong enough to keep many dental practices from realizing the monumental shift underway with regards to consumer habits, dental health education, and digital dental marketing opportunity.
Generally speaking, most dentists out there go through the day to day practice happenings with minimal blowback – so why would the practice all of sudden experience a barrage of online negativity by joining the digital conversation?
In our experience social media, as it relates to the dental practice to patient communications, generally takes on a 3 phased approach. We’ll look to identify these phases and arm the DIY social media dentists out there with some actionable info to keep progressing toward social dental success.
Phase 1
We’ve gone social!
This first albeit mandatory step is certainly the most important – joining the conversation.
As we’re hearing from all over the place nowadays, social media isn’t going anywhere – but only the effective application of the tool will result in a cost-effective and sustainable way for the dental practice to communicate with existing patients, and recruit more new patients through amplification of their digital word of mouth.
It’s not a fad, something just for the kids, or relegated to only the tech-savvy – grandmas are on Facebook.
Dentists need to be on Facebook, but they also need to be active. And not slap the social media badges on your newsletters and appointment reminders active, more like how can you educate me and enhance my patient experience active.
But where some dental practices experience further fear uncertainty and doubt is in this first takeoff phase, thereby limiting engaging dental social media activity before you’re even wheels up; a recipe for disaster.
The Facebook Dental Timeline is up and running, the docs are all on LinkedIn, and even Twitter got some play – but where are the results?
And what are check-ins?
How about Google+
Instagram or Pinterest – who the hell wants to see pictures from their dentist?
Don’t be so shortsighted and be sure not to get too far ahead, this crucial first phase needs a solid foundation from which to grow your social sphere of dental health influence.
The most important ingredient to progressing out of this first phase is sticktoitiveness.
Because dental social media communications represent a cost-effective and sustainable digital dental marketing tool, once a practice embarks on their maiden social sojourn – keep going!
If the wind dies and the rudder breaks, get the oars out and start paddling.
Sure, it may seem like you’re talking to nobody…for a while. Sometimes even a long while, but at the very least by the time the practice is active on Facebook, every single one of your existing patients should be made aware of that fact.
Methods of how to do this should vary and jibe with the specific practice culture, but whether it’s a bulk upload mailing list to Facebook or a simple in-office display ad; conversation is a two way street.
Existing patients are the first people you’ll be talking WITH (not to) using Facebook and Twitter…and Pinterest, LinkedIn, Foursquare, or the next hot social network that falls out of the sky and lands in our collective laps.
The key to progressing past this initial step for dental social media success is keeping the conversation going.
No matter what, keep posting practice news, dental health info, local happenings, practice civic efforts, new patient specials, continuing education advancement, new staff, new products, tech advancements…etc.
If you are having trouble figuring out what to post and share, take a step back and ask yourself – “If I were a patient, would this information be beneficial to me.”
Then keep going!
So, to recap this first post in a three post series outlining the 3 phases of social media for the dental practice, here are the top three action steps to take to avoid getting stuck in the circular do-nothing-then-something-then-back-to-nothing phase one.
1. Be there or be square – and we’re not talking geo-specific location based dental marketing services – if your dental practice is not represented in the environment where this digital conversation is taking place, you have no hope of succeeding let alone taking part in meaningful beneficial communication between doctor and patient.
Like Mega Millions or Powerball…you need to be in it to win it.
2. Post & share beneficial info – sometimes you may need to check yourself and what you’re sharing.
Is it something that will help people take better care of their teeth?
Will the info you post and share facilitate communication between patients and practice?
What is in it for fans, friends, and followers?
Best practice is to continually audit the types of info you are sharing, maybe even venture such a crazy thing as a patient survey or informal practice poll.
It’s social media; you won’t be made fun of or chastised, and having fun is part of being functional.
3. Keep going!
There is no let’s try it out and see what happens, that is a fatalistic approach to any digital dental marketing campaign. Construct a simple plan, take your position as leader of the local dental health team, and execute ad nauseam. At least consistently.
There is no such thing as failure.
Progress?
Continue to post updates, share photos (get creative, we’re not talking mouth splint bloody images here), and engage your audience…even if you think nobody is listening. Fact is, nobody will really be listening at first, you need to make your communications so socially engaging that people can’t help but listen.
Social media as it applies to dental marketing is just another tool, a tool for the local dental practice to circle the wagons by increasing patient retention, amplifying their digital word of mouth, and acquiring more new patients as a result.
The most important factor to getting the most return from effectively applying the tool is unwavering commitment to keep going.
Besides, do you really need another tick in the losing column of previously undertaken dental marketing tricks and trends?
If you’re not willing to go all the way, that paralyzing fear, uncertainty, and doubt will only pop up the next time a colleague mentions how great social media has been for the health of their dental practice.
In the next installment, we will identify the second phase of dental social media success – results; how to define, how to track, and how to get more of them.
We will outline how to transition the digital dental health conversation from, “Hey we’re here” beginnings, to tangible profit producing Bartles & James results of…“We thank you for your support.”
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Is the key ingredient to progressing through dental social media phase one plainly obvious, or is it still an enigma wrapped in a paradox rolled up in a mystery?
Aside from consistency & commitment, anyone out there have any other fascinatingly social dental media insights on getting past this most difficult first phase?
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