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marketing best practices

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Social Media 101: Best Practice Tips for Your Facebook Dental Practice Page

by Naomi Cooper January 28, 2013

Social Media 101: Best Practice Tips for Your Facebook Dental Practice PageIn our previous post, we talked about the reach of Facebook, and how to set up a page for your dental practice. Social media is all about engagement, so simply having a page is not enough. Updating your page with consistent posts and a variety of relevant information is what will help you get the most out of your social media experience.

Here are 3 Best Practice Tips for your Facebook page:

  1. Importing your business contacts to Facebook will help to spread the word to your associates of your new page, and will encourage everyone to “Like” your page. Once a user “Likes” your page, your posts should appear in their News Feed, prompting more interactions.
  2. Take the time to “Like” your friends’, family’s and colleagues’ pages as well. This will foster goodwill among your business contacts, and will help to expand the reach of your own page.
  3. Keep the information on your page fresh and current. Ideally, aim to post content a maximum of 3 times per week to your page. Each day, try to log on for just 15 minutes and interact with your “Friends” by liking, sharing and/or commenting on their posts. The more interactive you are, the better!

For more information on how to maximize the reach of your dental practice Facebook page, click here to read a brief post on Facebook Insights.

If you feel like updating your Facebook page is too time consuming, check out my previous post on creating a social media calendar for your dental practice. It is a great tool to use to keep your Facebook, and all social media profiles, updated without taking up too much of your valuable time.

In our next post, we will dive into Google+ and how this social media site impacts your dental practice website’s SEO.

Have you set up a Facebook page for your practice? Please feel free to share any comments, questions or experiences below.

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Crafting Your Dental Practice Marketing Budget

by Naomi Cooper December 20, 2012

Crafting Your Dental Practice Marketing BudgetThe beginning of a new year is the optimal time to take stock of your dental practice marketing plan. Finding the time to give your marketing some serious thought and consideration can pay off hugely n the long run. It helps in staying on top of deadlines. Carving out a schedule ahead of time ensures you are promoting your dental practice consistently and efficiently, and does not leave you vulnerable to knee-jerk marketing tactics every time a sales person calls.

However, it is difficult to finish a marketing plan without determining a budget. Setting a marketing budget may seem like a daunting task. Several factors should be weighed when considering how much money should be allocated, and where your money will be best spent.

  • Consider how well known your practice is within your local community. If you have not done much marketing in the past, you should probably expect to spend more, particularly in a building year (when you are creating your infrastructure).
  • In the building year, best practices indicate approximately 5-8% of production should be put towards your marketing. It’s imperative to track your return on investment, and plan to dedicate 3-5% for the second year and going forward.
  • Always keep your target patient profile in mind. For example, if your target customers are Moms, engaging in social media marketing will be more effective than paying for phone book advertising.
  • Business is cyclical, and dental practices are no different. Think about what times of the year your practice gets busier – these are generally the times when your patients are looking for dental services. Marketing during these times can help to reach new patients when they are searching for you.
  • Do not forget that your marketing budget should be fluid. Set a time frame within which you will dedicate time and money towards a series of marketing activities, and take the time to track and review the results. Make changes where you see there is room for improvement.

Creating a marketing budget does not have to be a difficult process. Simply taking the time to sit down and giving careful consideration to the money allocated to promoting your process is a smart step in reaching new patients and keeping your dental practice running most efficiently.

What questions have you encountered in creating your practice’s marketing budget? Do you have any advice for beginners?