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online marketing

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6 Reasons You Need a Social Media Calendar for Your Practice

by Naomi Cooper October 23, 2012

6 Reasons You Need a Social Media Calendar for Your PracticeTaking part in social media is becoming an increasingly vital aspect of dental practice marketing. However, engaging in social media can be overwhelming, especially if you are just getting started. There are numerous sites for dentists to choose from (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest to name just a few), and I often hear from my clients that they don’t know on which sites they should engage, and what they should be doing on each of the sites. Not to mention, finding the time to consistently log on and interact can be difficult to fit in an already busy schedule.

To help streamline your social media activity, I recommend implementing a social media calendar. It is a strategic tool that will help you in the following 6 ways:

  1. Plan your communication – For most dentists, engaging in social media is a new habit you need to form. If you don’t take the time to develop a plan for your social media posts, it will most likely fall to the bottom of your to-do list.
  2. Keep you organized – If your social media is organized, it will be easier for you to implement on a consistent basis.
  3. Personalize your content – Planning your social media ahead of time allows you to personalize your posts, instead of relying on generic content you may randomly come across.
  4. Simplify social media – Social media shouldn’t take a lot of your time, so the easier it is to implement, the more likely you will continue to use it.
  5. Create accountability – When you have a plan down on paper, the likelihood of getting it done increases exponentially. Having the calendar is a great way to hold yourself, and your team, accountable.
  6. Build momentum – This is one of the most important results of the social media calendar. When you have a plan to post relevant information to your audience on an ongoing basis, you will increase your audience and reach more and more people.

Creating and using a social media calendar will help you to build a strong online presence for your practice. Remember – marketing is a process, not an event! Take the time to develop a strategy for your social media and integrate it into your existing marketing plan.

If you would like more in-depth information on creating your social media calendar, click here for my free webinar to learn step-by-step on how to implement one in your practice.

Do you currently plan your social media strategy? How do you believe a social media calendar would impact your practice? Please share your thoughts below.

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Dental Practice Websites and ADA Compliance: What You Need to Know Now!

by Naomi Cooper October 5, 2012

Dental Practice Websites and ADA Compliance: What You Need to Know Now!Having a website for your practice is an essential business and marketing tool in today’s internet-savvy world. Dentists understand the need for a professional website in order to reach new patients and market their practices. However, be aware: since your website is a marketing tool, it should abide by the ADA’s guidelines for marketing and advertising regulations.

Whether or not you have generally thought of your site as “marketing the practice”, it is vitally important that you are aware of these possible pitfalls.

Check out this informative article from Modern Dental Practice Marketing on this very subject. In it, they caution readers that less reputable SEO (search engine optimization) companies can bury unethical text within your website for the purpose of increasing your online visibility by essentially tricking the search engines’ algorithms into thinking your site is an authority on a given topic or for a particular geography.

Why should this matter to you?

  • Any dentist found in violation of the ADA guidelines may face significant fines and possible suspension of their dental licenses.
  • Not only do these so-called “black hat methods” violate ADA guidelines, they also violate Google’s terms of use, which can result in a suspension of your site’s ranking, or even a complete blackout of your website in terms of search engine visibility.

What should you do?

  • If you are currently building or redesigning your practice’s website, be sure to speak frankly with vendors you are working with and make them aware of the ADA’s guidelines and ethics.
  • Read through your existing website with your online marketing vendors (such as SEO and online marketing companies, marketing consultants, web designers, etc) to be sure there are no unethical statements, hidden or visible.
  • Only work with vendors you feel are professional, competent and trustworthy, are familiar with these guidelines and who have extensive experience working with dental practices.

Of course, most online marketing vendors do not employ these types of underhanded practices, and few dental practices would do so knowingly. However, this is a critically important issue to be aware of, since you would never want to compromise your dental license, nor your reputation.

Be proactive in your online marketing, choose your vendors wisely, and continue to use your website as a strategic tool for growing your practice. Most importantly, remember that the ultimate goal of your marketing efforts, including the ongoing development of your website, is to be not only well-known but also well thought of.

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