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social media marketing

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Social Media 101: 7 Tips for Setting Up a Facebook Page for Your Dental Practice

by Naomi Cooper January 22, 2013

Social Media 101: 7 Tips for Setting Up a Facebook Page for Your Dental PracticeUnless you’ve been living under a rock, you are probably aware of Facebook and the effect this social network has had on our culture. According to Mashable.com, as of October 2012, Facebook has approximately 1 billion active users who access the site each month!

While you may already be comfortable using Facebook on a personal level, it’s important from a business owner’s perspective to know that having a Facebook business page for your dental practice is a great way to increase the reach of your online profile – and to connect with patients and your community. If you do not yet have a Facebook page for your practice, now is as good a time as any to start.

Here are 7 simple ways to build a page for your dental practice:

  1. Go to www.Facebook.com and set up a personal profile (if you do not already have one). Establishing a personal profile is essential before building your business page.
  2. Set up a business page (in the name of the practice): https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
  3. Add a cover photo by clicking “Upload Cover Photo” where prompted. This image should be representative of the practice: the logo, photo of the exterior/interior of the office, staff photo.
    **Per Facebook policy, the cover photo cannot be used to promote discounts or include a call-to-action.**
  4. Upload a profile photo by clicking “Upload Profile Photo” where prompted. Again this would be a great spot for a photo of the dentist or possibly the logo.
    **Be aware that the cover (aka background) photo and the profile (aka thumbnail) photo should not be the same.**
  5. In the “About” section, include a brief description of the practice and pertinent information, such as address, website, phone number, etc. This would also be a great place to include the practice philosophy and/or practice mission statement.
  6. If you have pictures available, uploading photos of the practice (interior and exterior) and pictures of the dentist(s), hygienist(s) and staff members are great ways to personalize your fan page.
    **Be sure to hold off from uploading any photos of patients until you have received in writing from each patient a Photo Release Form (link to form with disclaimer to check with an attorney to ensure it’s sufficient).**
  7. Preview the page several times to be sure that all typos and errors are corrected. Once it looks exactly like you want it, hit “Publish” to make the Page public.

Now that you have set up your dental practice business page, it’s up to you to keep it updated. Posting often and consistently will help to build your Facebook following. For more ideas, be sure to check back here for our next Social Media 101 posting on the 3 Best Practice Tips for Your Facebook Business Page.

Do you use Facebook for your dental practice? Why or why not? Start a conversation below.

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Facebook’s Promoted Posts: Useful Tool or Just Another Gimmick?

by Naomi Cooper August 20, 2012

Facebook’s Promoted Posts: Useful Tool or Just Another Gimmick?Having a Facebook page for your business is becoming increasingly important. However, simply setting up a page isn’t enough. It takes time and effort to create a page that is engaging for your audience, not to mention building the number of Likes for your page.

Many users may not be aware of the fact that Facebook has an algorithm for who sees your posts based upon engagement, and so it is not guaranteed that all of your friends will always see 100% of all of your posts.

The organic way to maximize the reach of your Facebook posts is to continuously post meaningful, relevant and interesting content which causes your audience to Like, Share and Comment on. The more people engage with each post, the better the chance of more people seeing the post in their news feed.

Rolled out in May, Facebook now offers Promoted Posts. For a small fee, you can pay to have your posts appear in more of your fans’ news feeds.

There has been controversy over these new Promoted Posts.

  • Some feel that it is a great tool for small businesses to utilize when promoting special offers and discounts.
  • Others feel that Facebook is forcing users to pay in order to reach their fan base.
  • Facebook views these Promoted Posts as “small doses of advertising”. It is their way of getting small businesses to engage in advertising on their site.

What do you think? Would you pay to have your posts seen by more people? Please share your thoughts and opinions below.

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Connecting with Seniors Online and Through Social Media

by Naomi Cooper August 2, 2012

Connecting with Seniors Online and Through Social MediaDoes your practice target seniors? Traditionally, tactics such as internal marketing and phone book advertising have been successful ways to reach your patients in the 65 years and older demographic. But as the reach of the internet continues to expand, more and more seniors are using the internet and engaging in social media, providing yet another way to reach patients and connect with customers.

According to a recent Pew Study, more than half – 53% – of all American adults over the age of 65 use the internet, and 34% of them use sites such as Facebook and Twitter. This age group is still in the minority when it comes to social media engagement, however their usage is growing at a rapid pace, and as our population continues to age, it stands to reason that these statistics will continue to increase.

This blog from My Social Practice offers further proof of the growing internet usage rates among seniors. So what does this mean for you? Social media is a growing influence that you can no longer afford to ignore. If seniors are a part of your target patient profile, beginning to engage online and building your practice’s presence on sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be yet another way to connect with your current patients, and reach new patients.

Have you noticed an increase in online engagement from seniors? What are some of the ways you currently reach the senior demographic? Please share your thoughts and experiences below.

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Getting Your Practice Online and Engaged in Social Media

by Naomi Cooper July 31, 2012

Getting Your Practice Online and Engaged in Social MediaHave you been thinking of increasing your practice’s online presence, but not sure how to get started? An increasing number of dentists have become familiar with using social media in their personal lives, but may not be comfortable or know where to begin incorporating social media into the practice’s marketing plan.

Here are a few ideas to consider when beginning your social media campaign:

– What sites are you already familiar with? This will help ease you into social media if you are using a site that you are comfortable with.

– What sites do your patients use? If you do not know, have your staff begin asking patients each day and keep track of the responses. Particularly pay attention to the sites used by patients who are most similar your “target patient”.

There are endless ways to participate in social media online. The most popular sites include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. It’s important to remember that, with social media, quality is more important than quantity. So if you feel you only have time to engage on one of these sites, it is better to actively participate in just one site and build your audience with thoughtful and timely posts. Once you have mastered one site, you can then think about expanding into more.

Social media is the biggest buzzword to hit the dental profession in decades. Having a presence on social media sites serves to increase the traffic to your practice website and helps new customers to find your information when searching online for a dentist.

Is your practice online? What sites have you found to be most useful for your practice? Did you have any hesitations while getting started? Please share your thoughts below.

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Instagram: An App Worth Integrating into Your Practice Marketing Plan

by Naomi Cooper July 16, 2012

Instagram: An App Worth Integrating into Your Practice Marketing PlanAre you familiar with Instagram? Instagram is a photo-sharing app available on iPhones and Android phones. By applying a series of filters, users are able to snap a photo on their phone and create beautiful and customized pictures which they can instantly upload to their favorite social media sites (such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and more). While this app is fun to use, it can also be a great marketing tool for your practice.

If you think that Instagram is just another app, check out these impressive statistics:

  • Launched in October 2010, it boasts over 30 million users to date
  • Instagram was named “App of the Year” by Apple last year
  • Facebook purchased Instagram in April 2012 for a reported $1 billion

This app is obviously a popular way to engage online, and can be a very effective way to connect with your patients. Check out this blog by My Social Practice to get a great turn key implementation of Instagram into your practice marketing plan.

Do you currently use Instagram in your practice? How has it worked for you? Please share your experiences!

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Maximize the Reach of Your Facebook Business Page

by Naomi Cooper July 12, 2012

Maximize the Reach of Your Facebook Business PageDo you know the days/times when your fans are engaging on Facebook? This is an important question to ask yourself when considering the timing of your Facebook posts. With social media marketing, as any other marketing effort, you want to reach the most amount of people at one time.

Facebook has analytics tools built into each business page. After your page accumulates 30 fans, the “Insights” tab will activate. This tool allows page admins to learn what posts get the most activity, which you can then use to populate similar content and keep your fans engaged with your page, and with your business.

Click here for a blog from Mashable that speaks to the topic of maximizing your Facebook business page in order to stay relevant and connected with your fans. Having a page for your business, and posting content are terrific ways to engage online. Tapping into the analytics and understanding the behavior of your fans will take your social media marketing to the next level.

Have you worked with Facebook Insights? Do you track the levels of activity of your Facebook page? Has it been an easy, useful process for you? Join the conversation and leave your comments below!

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