Promoting your practice can be as easy as pulling out your smartphone!

How’s your practice’s social media presence? Do you post on a regular schedule, or just when you remember to, or have you lost the password to your Facebook account? No matter your current approach, there’s probably room to improve your patient engagement. Social media might seem frivolous, but it’s become a driving force for small businesses. Many patients actually ask questions and even schedule appointments via Facebook – if they can find your office’s page. But how do you make sure you’re out in front of current and prospective patients?

Don’t get overwhelmed by the social media machine. The practices with the most engaged followings are the ones posting personalized photos and other content that relates to the individuals connected to the office – both staff and patients. While an educational, eye-catching infographic or a goofy comic can go a long way, patients want to feel a connection to your practice’s community. And that means thinking about online content during the workday.

This doesn’t have to be tedious or time-consuming. By putting some steps in place, getting valuable photos, blurbs, testimonials, and other social media (and website) gold will feel second nature.

 Capturing Your Office’s Personality in the Digital Realm

• Make posting simple – First off, you need to make sure that it’s easy to connect with your social platforms. Make sure the staff member responsible for gathering content has the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram apps on their phone. For Facebook, they can be added as a user to your business page, and then post while logged into their own personal account. For Twitter, it’s simple to add multiple users if they already have a private account, and switch between the two – Instagram is the same. This will all make it easy to upload photos and videos, since everything will be ready ahead of time – there’s no reason not to share!
• Take before and after photos – Have a release form on hand that patients can quickly sign after completing cosmetic or restorative work. Snap a picture before they get started, and one after treatment is complete. Then, upload both photos in a single post or tweet so that visitors can see your beautiful work. These are also crucial for your website – after posting, forward them to your website manager and ask that they add to the Smile Gallery page.
• Capture fun moments – Is it a staff member’s birthday? Is there a puppy stopping by the office? Satisfied patient sent flowers or a thank you note? Take a quick photo and share online. Your audience will appreciate seeing the human side of your business, and these types of posts receive far more engagement (likes, shares, and comments) than others.
• List events – If there’s something special coming up, make sure everyone knows. It’s always good to be on a patient’s mind and appearing in their social feeds. Plus, this helps pull in RSVP’s for open houses or sign ups for specials.
• Ask happy patients to be in brief videos – When a patient has loved their experience at your office, they’re usually thrilled to be a voice for your practice. Ask patients if they’re interested in being in a quick video testimonial. Have some questions ready ahead of time so that they have necessary guidance.

If you’re ever looking for help with your social media, we’re here to offer expert tips. Just get in touch!