From the looks of the local social dental landscape, we’re already past the point of above average dental practices using Facebook as a patient communication tool – and even as an inbound marketing component to their overall digital dental practice marketing plan.
What seems to be the sticking point is the effectiveness of these social dental efforts.
Back in 2010, if a dentist had a Facebook (Business) page, the main goal – however shortsighted it may have been – was to build ‘Likes.’
And that’s exactly where most dentists end their effectiveness.
More importantly, and despite the myriad of changes to the environment, dental practices still depend on the amount of ‘Likes’ to determine their social dental effectiveness.
Some opportunistic dental practices out there have even taken to buying ‘Likes’…something that does not come highly recommended. Here’s the embarrassing reasons NOT to buy Facebook followers!
The amount of ‘Likes’ a dental practice Facebook page has certainly should be used as a metric on which to base their social dental media success, but only as a window to the bigger picture.
Return on Engagement
Social media as it relates to dental practice marketing generally takes on a three phased approach.
1. We build our page, our patients will come.
2. Some patients came, but when we asked them to participate we noticed better results, now what.
3. Facebook is an integral component of our marketing plan; we consistently generate digital word of mouth referrals every month.
Way over simplified and glittering with generality, but what’s important here is the momentum and action beyond the ‘Like.’
Beneficial dental practice to patient communications comes in many forms, and Facebook should be a main conduit for publishing that info to your fans, followers, family, friends, and constituents.
Getting the ‘Like’ is important, but is only an ice-breaking quicker than two shakes of a lamb’s tail virtual meeting. It’s very much like meeting someone at a trade show, handing over a business card, shaking hands, and walking away never to see (or communicate) with that person ever again.
Although it’s beneficial to show up and it makes us feel good to do so, for all intents and digital marketing purposes, it’s a waste of time if the relationship never progresses beyond that initial meeting.
Beyond the Like
Enduring actionable dental practice social media communications begin at the ‘Like’…but never end.
When it comes to dental social media communications, consistency and quality win out over quantity; remaining consistently diligent in using Facebook beyond recruiting ‘Likes’ comes down to sharing, promoting, and publishing.
The dental website and dental practice blog are two primary components of your social media action plan; they both need to be integrated into your Facebook communications in order for your dental practice to go from social zero to local hero.
What Patients Want on Facebook
- Patients are seeking cost-effective ways to improve their smile.
- Patients want to know about improvements in office technology, treatment options, and patient comfort perks.
- Patients want to see, hear, and read about how great you are – from your other patients, not from you!
- Patients need to be hit over the head with these messages ad nauseum!
- Patients want to share their dentist with friends and family…but you need to ask them to do so…or set up a way for them to automatically systematically blast their positive digital word of mouth into the social local dental stratosphere before their even out of the office!
If you think all these social media Facebook twittermajig doohickeys are all balderdash, what correlations could you derive from this piece of social media content?
“What do you really want from your toilet paper?”
(Notice the not so subtle Facebook push in the last frame…no website URL, no 800 #…just Facebook!)
How J&J, Georgia Pacific, or whomever has the toilet paper market on lock-down these days, can engage with their customers beyond the ‘Like’ seems monumentally more challenging than a dental practice effectively enhancing dental patient communications and new patient acquisition through Facebook.
If consumers can ‘Like’ and engage with a Facebook page dedicated to toilet paper, don’t you think your dental practice could put forth a little more effort in your Facebook page?
Who could possibly engage with a page dedicated to selling more toilet paper?
Only 140,180 people…and growing – albeit a relatively small percentage of folks out there reliant on this cutting-edge technology.
But that’s just ‘Likes’…check out this Charmin Facebook page to see how they go above and beyond engaging with their customers beyond the ‘Like’!
No more excuses, the argument of social media or Facebook not being applicable to the average dental practice digital marketing plan no longer holds water…at least not as much as the new and improved…
As always, if you have questions or comments post them below and share on Facebook.
And if your dental practice could use some social media monitoring, or even just a social media concierge, contact us.
(You can ‘Like’ us on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter too!)
In case you missed it, here are your Top 5 Dental Marketing New Year’s Resolutions. Please feel free to substitute this material should your practice run out of the chosen brand…
It’s time to get real about what happens when dentists start doing the right thing on Facebook!
