As I talk to dental professionals from across the country, I often hear the same fears and concerns about becoming active in social media. “We have a Facebook page, but we don’t really know what to post.” “Social media sounds like a great way to market our dental practice, but how do we get started?” “What can social media do for my dental practice?”
While social media can be a very useful tool to drive patients to your practice, it isn’t all about marketing. Social media is exactly what it says, “social.” It is about interacting with your patients, partners and colleagues and building a relationship with them, not just telling them how amazing your dental practice is. I’m willing to bet you wouldn’t go to dinner with your friends and talk about nothing other than your practice. Sure, it may come up from time to time, but it probably wouldn’t dominate the conversation. If your dental practice is all you ever talked about with your friends, how many of those dinners would you likely be invited back to? The same is true in social media. If all you ever do is market your practice, how many of your followers are going to keep following you?
Instead of focusing all your social media posts around marketing your practice, try focusing on simply talking with your patients. Ask them how their recent vacation was. Talk to them about the Super Bowl last night. Congratulate them on the purchase of their new home. Most people prefer to do business with someone they like, rather than someone they dread hearing from. Focusing on your patients on your social media platforms, rather than marketing your practice, can help to increase the “likes” you have on your page.
