Many dentists, like those in other professions, have already realised how using social media for marketing their dental practice can be very beneficial for business. With practically everyone now on Facebook, Twitter and all those other social media platforms out there, it doesn’t take a marketing genius to figure out the potential boost a social media marketing campaign for dental practices can give any dentist worth his salt.
However, many dentists commit many social media marketing mistakes, which is perfectly understandable because most of them are not experts at it after all. Here are three of those common mistakes dentists make using social media for marketing their dental practice.
1. Too much plugging of the dental care business on status updates
Status updates are an essential part of any social media marketing campaign. They, after all, are pretty much what constitutes the content of any given page. However, many dentists keep on posting nothing but statuses that promote their dental care business. If most people get turned off by too many TV commercials, how do you think the fans of your Facebook page will feel if all they see are statuses plugging your dental care business? Repetitive plugs of your dental care business in status updates could constitute spamming, and that simply isn’t what you’re going for.
While occasional plugs are ok, it would be great to strike a balance between promotions and content that will interest your fans as well. Post links to useful articles, awesome pictures or even funny videos as status updates. The key here is relevance, although it wouldn’t hurt if you post not-so-relevant but unique and interesting content as your status update every now and then.
2. Inconsistency
Status updates are too few and far between. You don’t communicate with your page’s fans. You don’t do anything to grow your networks and maintain whatever relationships you might have forged. Worse, you hardly ever log in to the page at all. This is what constitutes inconsistency as far as social media marketing campaigns for dental practices—or any kind of social media marketing campaign for that matter—are concerned.
Now you don’t really have to treat your Facebook page like a second job in order to be consistent. The best thing you can do is create a weekly schedule for yourself. Dedicating a few hours every week would do wonders for your social media marketing efforts. If you want, you can even automate your status updates using tools like Hootsuite.
3. Straying from the neutral side of things
Remember that your social media page is for your dental care business, not for yourself. Far too many dentists with Facebook pages have alienated many of their fans by posting status updates that might have offended them or are contrary to what they believe in. When doing a social media marketing campaign for dental practices, always keep in mind that you need to steer clear from commenting on trending topics. Stay neutral on any popular but polarising issue, or you risk offending some, if not most, of your fans.
There is no doubt that a social media marketing campaign for dental practices is one of the best and most effective ways of growing a dental care business these days. Just steer clear of the common mistakes dentists make using social media for marketing their dental practice, and you will eventually find yourself with a much bigger patient list for your dental care business in no time.
If you want professional assistance with social marketing for your dental practice, why not contact us today?