The ABC’s of Dental Social Media Strategies

Most people’s daily routines now include a significant amount of social media use. Thanks to social media platforms, we have many options for interacting with one another, sharing information, and connecting with brands. It is essential for practices to post content on social media. Effective social media marketing can help your dental business succeed by fostering loyal brand supporters, attracting new patients, and increasing production. We have simplified ways to up your social media strategy with content and posting.

A is for Audience – Know Your Followers

Your audience influences your social media strategy and content choices. You can use your time and resources more wisely if you identify your audience before you do anything. You can create messaging that resonates with your target audience when you appeal to a very targeted segment of that group. Knowing your audience makes establishing a connection with them and winning their loyalty simpler.

At Gargle, we help our clients look at their existing following and help them narrow down their common characteristics such as age, location, and interests. Knowing this information can help us decide what social platform(s) you should focus on. And by utilizing critical data and analytics, we can build a plan to help nurture and develop a relationship with your audience. Plus, we also know the importance of competitor research. 

Establishing a brand voice that resonates also requires a clear understanding of the target demographic. Your brand will be strengthened as a result.

B is for Building Your Brand

Branding is essential. Most people are unaware that your brand is not just the public face of your business but also an accurate representation of it. A recent Forbes article on branding claims that “it’s not enough just to have a brand — you also need to capitalize on it. Always be out there actively representing and promoting your brand.”

Today’s problem is too many options or choices; it has turned into a guessing game. As a result, the market is now oversaturated with companies or advertisements that provide the same services. How many dentists are in your area? How many competitors do you face? You must be distinctive! Show your social followers who you are. 

Therefore, when you carefully brand your business, you are letting people know what to anticipate from your services and how you set yourself apart from rivals. The unique quality of Gargle is that we can strategically market your business and assist in focusing on your target audience. With Gargle, we keep your practice in front of potential patients’ minds when they are searching for a service, as opposed to overwhelming them with 50 dental practices to choose from.

“Gargle is a very professional company, showing lot of attention to me as their customer. Very personable and understand company needs. They have been helping me in Social media posts and they bring some humor and to the point. Love working with them. Highly recommend.” – Ace Family Dental (Duluth, GA)

C is for Credibility, NOT Creating Sales Opportunities

The worst mistake any business owner, even a dentist, can make on social media is to forget the platform’s purpose – to connect. While you should share special deals and discounts on services on social media, this should make up only approximately 20% of your postings. The remaining 80% should consist of educational, conversational, and inspirational posts. Just be mindful of the 80/20 rule, and don’t push sales. You’ll start losing followers at that point. 

Instead, we suggest building your brand and showing your personality. And at Gargle, we can help! Our social media experts are highly knowledgeable on cultivating a socially engaged audience, helping your practice break through the social clutter, and promoting your brand. If this is something you are struggling with, reach out to Gargle today. (There’s our 20%…)

D is for Developing Yourself as an Expert

One of the best things you can do is to set yourself up as the dental expert in your community. And part of this is building relationships based on value. We have already established who your audience is and your brand. Based on that, only share content that will pique your audience’s attention and inform them. Don’t just share things for the sake of sharing.

Make use of these platforms as your brand’s voice. Be active in social media groups and forums related to dentistry. Being active in groups will help you to build a reputation as an expert in your community and attract potential patients to your practice. Keep in mind that anything you post or say on social media should align with the principles of your dental practice. Share exciting news from reputable industry leaders or inform your audience about your specialized services. Whatever material you share must be consistent with your brand.

E is for Engagement

As a dentist, you may wonder how to increase social media engagement. After all, social media is an essential tool for growing your practice. It provides a way to connect with potential and current patients, build rapport, and increase brand awareness. It is crucial to focus on increasing engagement to maximize the impact of social media. 

Several ways to increase engagement include:

• Being active in comments and posts.
• Sharing relevant and informative content.
• Sharing pictures and videos of your staff having fun.
• Creating fun contests and giveaways.
• Using social media ads.

By taking steps to increase engagement, you can grow your social media following and extend the reach of your practice. However, this approach goes beyond your remarks, updates, and general brand personas. Because your business is not an auto-reply comment, give your words life. Using a consistent voice and high-quality content to engage your audience is a simple method to accomplish this.

F is for Followers – Organically Gained

Consider your followers to be valued brand ambassadors who deserve special treatment. When someone follows or likes your page, send each person a private message to thank them for the gesture. Write the message as though you were texting your best friend to tell them about your business – you can even include a link to your website. Next, interact on the platform by sharing, commenting, and liking content. Your followers will value a simple comment about someone’s photo without mentioning your product, and they might be more likely to visit your website. Overall advice: Don’t be pushy. Be friendly.

At Gargle, we know how to optimize your social media content and track engagements to see what engages your current following and attracts new followers. We also know how to use geotags to gain a hyperlocal audience base organically. Further, we understand posting with purpose. Our experience surmounts just posting content. We have mastered the proper messaging. And can easily discern the right timing to post based on your audience and analytics. 

G is for Geotargeting

Geotargeting is a social media tool that allows dental practices to target new and existing customers within a specific geographic location. For dental practices, you can use geotargeting to promote specials or events, share educational content, or simply increase brand awareness. Using geotargeting can help your dental practice engage with current followers and attract new ones. 

There are several ways to do this. For example, you can use geo-targeted keywords when creating social media posts or ads. You can also use geo-targeted hashtags to reach users in a specific area. Additionally, many social media platforms allow you to target users within a particular location with your content specifically.

At Gargle, we understand that by taking the time to create relevant and targeted content, we can use geotargeting to reach a wider audience and promote your services more effectively. For dental practices, geotargeting is essential for attracting new patients and growing your business – especially if done correctly. Using an expert like Gargle, who is familiar with SEO, keywords, and keyword research are vital when utilizing geotargeting.

                                Image #1, geographical hashtag (Gargle client 2022)

Start Prioritizing Your Social Media Strategy

With so many social media sites available, it’s essential to make sure you know your audience and what platform they prefer. Once you have that data, the sky’s the limit regarding how you want to brand your dental practice on social media. Remember – be credible, increase engagement, and gain loyal followers by providing content that is valuable to them! These steps may seem daunting, but with Gargle by your side, we can take the weight off your shoulders and get your dental social media presence up to speed in no time. So what are you waiting for? 

” The Gargle team have been extremely helpful!  They are professional and friendly and Jennifer always has great ideas!  We love the help with posting on social media, quick and painless on our side and our patients are loving the regular posts! ” – Wood Orthodontics (Weatherford, TX)