Dentists can use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and LinkedIn to promote their independent practices. Dental clinics may utilize these platforms to broaden their marketing efforts by connecting with potential patients who are already active on social networks. The fascinating aspect is that the trend isn’t limited to the young any longer. Even those over 50 are flocking to social networking in remarkable numbers.
Compelling Numbers
Dental practitioners must understand that Facebook has more than one billion active users around the world, since ignoring it would be a mistake. According to A.C. Nielsen, over 80% of all American adults use an online social network. Americans spend far more time on Facebook than any other website.
On average, a user spends 23% of his or her online time on social networking. These figures have sparked interest among a growing number of small businesses and professionals, including dentists, to use the tremendous power of social media to their marketing benefit.
Advantage for dentists
Dental practitioners have a distinct edge in shifting their marketing efforts to social media, as do most other small businesses. Zoomerang, a prominent online survey firm, conducted a study of 1,180 small and medium enterprises (SMBs) and 500 consumers to determine what motivates SMBs and independently practicing specialists to use social media for marketing. It concluded that three key factors were responsible: The results suggest that independent dental practitioners are more likely than larger corporations to leverage the power of social media marketing towards acquiring new customers.
- Increased exposure to a large audience of people
- Personalized access with potential clients
- Personal self-promotion and image enhancement
Dental practitioners who have not yet recognized the power of social media must realize that it is more than simply a means of developing connections.
Crowdspring, a leading crowd sourcing marketplace, reveals these findings:
According to a recent survey, more than 50% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and professionals have acquired new clients through social media sites, particularly Facebook.
According to a study by the University of Maryland, 51 percent of Facebook and Twitter users are more inclined to buy the items or services from the companies they follow on social media.
Without spending a lot of money on social media, you may still get good results. Only about 60% of small businesses spend less than $100 on social media, and just over half (54%) have no one to manage their marketing efforts.
SEO and social media
A good dentistry website requires a high-targeted presence on search engines. Google and other leading search engines are placing a higher value on websites that are linked to active social networking. Search engines have found social media activities to be one of the most dependable sources of information regarding the validity of a website from the perspective of online visitors.
It’s also useful for dentists to explore how competitors are leveraging social media. For example, when someone shares helpful content from your dental website on Facebook or Twitter, it is a signal to help search engines determine the value and relevance of your website. Search engines see every link or mention of your website on social networks as a vote or an endorsement of your material by the general internet users. As a result, page rankings rise when more people “vote” for your website on social media.
Dentists may improve their social media networking by providing their audiences with unique, relevant, and extremely helpful nuggets of information on a regular basis. Interesting blog items, news stories that pique one’s interest, patient testimonies, and even case studies can all be shared on a dentist’s social media account to increase the number of “likes” from one’s followers.
Online Reputation Management
On the one hand, active social media networking can help a dental practice dominate search engine page results (SERPs). It can also assist dentists in maintaining a positive online reputation. The Internet is essentially a free platform, making it extremely tough to manage or control an individual’s online image or reputation.
Third-party reviewers on the Internet, for example, can tear down or build up a professional’s reputation and there is little the professional can do about it. However, with greater personal control over social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Flickr, a dental practitioner may manage his or her online reputation in a far more effective manner.
Importance of User Generated Content
Perhaps the most telling testimony for a dentist is from their patients. Nothing, whether it’s paid advertising or marketing, can compare to the power of a good review on a new patient. From a dentist’s standpoint, user-generated content on social media is all about this.
According to eMarketer, 65% of all Internet users between the ages of 18 and 24 consult online content on social networking sites before making a purchasing decision for any goods or services. If a dentist invests enough time and effort in developing a strong social media presence, the results could be spectacular.
Wider Reach to Your Target Audience
Dental clinics may reach out to a larger number of new patients at the lowest possible marketing cost per patient through social media. In comparison to any other form of advertising and marketing, social networking is the one that takes the least amount of time, effort, and money and has the ability to produce the greatest results.
The incredible power of social networking stems from the fact that each of your followers and fans has his or her own followers and fans. In other words, if just one of your followers on Twitter shares one interesting tweet on dentistry that you posted online, it will automatically reach 100 followers, assuming an average active Twitter user has 100 followers. Out of those 100 followers, if one other follower retweets your tweet, you can expect your reach to grow exponentially.
Gaining Professional Clout
The professional clout of dental practitioners may be improved through social media networking, according to some experts. Apart from contacting prospective patients in the area where the clinic is located, the dentist may also develop connections with other members of the field.
Dentists from across the world, potential business partners, media professionals, marketing and public relations specialists, dentistry thought leaders, dentistry conference and event organizers, and other industry influencers are some of the individuals that might be invited.
A dentist may discover additional connections that might assist him or her promote his or her business by engaging in active social media networking. It’s possible you’ll be asked to speak at a conference, get an invitation to a party, meet with potential sponsors for neighborhood events, and last but not least, stay up to date on the most recent advancements in dentistry across the world.
Partnering with experts
Dentists may collaborate with professional social networking experts or firms that have experience in social media marketing to improve the business prospects of their businesses through social media marketing. Dentists might find that internet marketing companies with an exclusive focus on promoting medical practices are the greatest partners for them to develop and manage highly successful social networking campaigns.
Conclusion
The role of social media in dentistry can no longer be ignored. It’s an important marketing tool that may be used to reach new patients, connect with other dental professionals, and stay up to date on the latest advancements in the field.
When it comes to online reputation management, user-generated content is king. And when it comes to getting new patients, wider reach and professional clout, social networking is the way to go.
Dentists who partner with experienced social media marketing firms are more likely to see success in their social media campaigns. If you’re a dentist looking to improve your business prospects through social media marketing, consider partnering with an internet marketing company that specializes in promoting medical practices.
