A Collection of the Most Effective Social Media Posts for Dentists
Content, Content, Content
It’s a challenge to develop fresh and engaging social media posts for dentists, posts that break through all the noise to deliver likes, comments, and shares. Dental offices are busy places, and there is little extra time or creative energy to fill social channels with a balanced variety of high-quality posts. As a result, many dental practices end up in a rut, relying on the same types of quick, simple posts, which yield little engagement and end up negatively affecting future reach.
When it comes to marketing a dental practice on social media, you’ll find that certain types of posts perform better than others. In general, posts that include people, patients and staff, do the best. Also, posts that use images, sound, and movement, like video and animation tend to gain the most traction. Most importantly, the best social media posts are different. Different is the most powerful force in marketing, the ability to stand out long enough to correspond your brand.
Different Dentists Attract New Patients and Build Successful Practices
Why Your Dental Team Must Stand Apart from the Crowd “Different Is Better Than Better” — Sally Hogshead I’ve always believed it is good practice to reduce complex ideas into concentrated, general truths. In this way, it becomes easier to apply grand concepts to everyday scenarios, which are always unpredictable
The Best Posts Highlight Patients
What people talk about the most is what they tend to care about the most. If the majority of your posts advertise dental services, the perceived focus of your practice will be profit. On the other hand, if the majority of your social media includes images of patients, people will see your focus as relationship centered. That said, your practice should certainly feature services, but the predominant, overarching theme of your posts should always be what you value most: happy, healthy patients.
When it comes to featuring your patients online, the ideas are really endless. Some of the most engaging social media posts for dentists are obvious, like photographing a child’s first dental cleaning or her missing tooth (#toothfairy) or the day she has her braces removed, but there are plenty of other opportunities that pop up randomly throughout the day. For example, a patient might come in wearing a Halloween costume and agree to pose with the doctor and staff, or maybe you see a father and son playing cards in the waiting room; this might be a fun moment to share on social media. If a family is celebrating a birth or a marriage, sharing such news (with permission, of course), is a great way to demonstrate your genuine bond with patients and your desire to form relationships. Today, more and more people use some form of social media and feel quite comfortable with others sharing their good news.
Of course, with all patient posts, you should never discuss anything clinical, and you should always obtain a signed permission form.
Staff Highlights and Recognition Add Value to Your Practice
Similar to the patient highlight is a post designed to express appreciation for the most valuable part of every dental practice, the staff. Staff recognition posts do very well. Patients are especially eager to support the people who do so much for them; their enthusiasm usually leads to a fair amount of positive comments, comments that prospective patients read when searching for a dental home.
Spotlighting your dental practice staff on social media has many positive effects:
- Prospective patients witness the team atmosphere in your practice. This camaraderie is very attractive because people understand that such positive energy translates into great patient care.
- By sharing biographical information about your staff, you build a personal connection that strengthens practice loyalty and improves referrals.
- These types of posts add value to your practice by showcasing the extraordinary talent on your team; you are not only praising their contribution to the office, but you are also detailing their education, special skills, awards, etc.
- Publicly recognizing staff members is a great way to build morale. Even more than a pay raise, employees want fulfillment at work. They want their efforts to be a meaningful contribution to the organization—public affirmation is a very effective way to affirm their value.
Community Outreach Reveals the Heart of Your Practice
It’s one thing to say that your practice supports the community but an entirely different thing to actually organize the team and get involved. Today, there are so many noble causes and ways to give back. There are 5K runs that raise money for various diseases, like oral cancer and heart disease. There are charities and foundations. Most towns have beatification committees. There are homeless shelters in need of volunteers and plenty of pro bono dental work at free clinics.
Organizing events and donating your time as a dental team gets a lot of attention online and creates very engaging social media posts for dentists; people are moved by such altruism and respond positively.
Before and After Pictures Connect with People
Showcasing your dentistry online is powerful. Before and after pictures make some of the most engaging social media posts for dentists. Just like extreme weight loss pictures, people are curious to see how a new smile can change a person’s overall appearance. A common reaction might be: “Wow, she looks 10 years younger!” Naturally, people see themselves in those images as well, and they imagine how their own smiles might be improved with high-quality restorative dentistry.
Surprisingly, few dentists consistently build online portfolios. In the bustle of the day, it’s easy to overlook pictures, but such images are marketing and social media gold; a concerted effort should always be made to digitally record your hard work.
Even if you’re going to crop out faces, it’s best to get permission before posting any dental work on the internet. That said, most patients are happy and even flattered to showcase their new dental work.
Some of the best before and after pictures to share:
- Whitening
- Veneers
- Implants
- Orthodontics
