In recent years you may have noticed social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter being regularly updated to make each platform more suitable and more attractive to businesses for advertising and marketing purposes.

If you are still wondering why you should use social media for your dental business. In short: it can be a fantastically cheap and efficient way of pushing out your message to a specific audience. However, this is one of those scenarios where preparation is key to success. You’ve heard it before, but take note: Fail to prepare and prepare to fail.

Here are a handful of top tips to help you along your social media journey.

There’s no point posting and hoping for the best
If you’re just posting on social media in the hope that someone will see it, you are already doing something wrong. Yes, it’s important to have a presence on social media, however, if you put a bit of budget behind your social media plan your reach will grow dramatically and you’re more likely to get enquiries. You may be under the impression that paid for social media advertising may be annoying for the user, but in reality, we’re all so tuned into advertising everywhere we look that we’re generally OK with it.

Know your audience
Let’s say you’re looking at pushing a promotion for half price teeth whitening. It’s important to be specific with your audience, simply stating females under 50 is not enough to make a small budget work. On Facebook you can now choose the age, interests, location, gender, social media activity and preferences of the person you want your message to be shown to. It may sound like you’re stereotyping the audience but it’s necessary. Think about what they like doing and whether there’s a particular location near you that has the money and desire for this particular treatment. Then amend your target accordingly.

Use timing to your advantage
Social media may seem like a cheap form of advertising, but if set up incorrectly a budget can fly out the window in a matter of hours. A trained marketer should be able to analyse your audience’s movements after a small-budget test run and plan your social media campaign accordingly. Chances are, they’ll also have some insight into your audience’s activity times already. The scary, but brilliant, thing is, you can check what time of day your target audience like to scroll through Facebook, and ONLY show your message then, so you save money.

A picture speaks a thousand words
One study showed that the amount of ‘likes’ a post got increased by 53% when it included a photo. When choosing your image, take a moment to think ‘is this relevant?’ For example, a photo of a really beautiful 25-year-old with a perfect smile probably isn’t going to engage with those who may consider dental implants to replace their dentures – Yes, this audience does use Facebook, we have proof!

People buy from people
It’s an old saying but it’s true, people do buy from people. Add some personality to your adverts and make sure you’re not another brick in the social media wall. If you’ve got an authentic photo, it will often perform better than a stock image for social media (providing it’s relevant). It’s also worth adopting a copywriting style that fits with your brand but is also similar to that of your target audience. Be friendly, have a clear message, adhere to GDC guidelines and above all, be honest.

Be consistent
Great, so your social media advertising is working a treat and people are liking your page. Don’t let all your hard work go to waste. Ask your marketing team to create a content calendar and schedule a month’s worth of exciting and varied content. People will click ‘unlike’ as soon as they feel they aren’t getting anything from your page, so it’s crucial that you keep posting engaging content and photos. Posts could include what’s happening in the practice, top-tips for your patients and if possible, a few offers here and there (but that’s a blog for another day).

It can be difficult to find the time to keep your social media account engaging, but trust us when we say if you haven’t got a social media presence you’re missing a trick. If you’re struggling with finding the time to be active on social media, we can help. Call 01872 300232 or email us at hello@hivebusiness.co.uk.