Instagram’s popularity has grown steadily since its debut in 2010; the platform now has over 500 million active users worldwide with these numbers continuing to rise daily. And that’s not all; In a recent Forbes article, it suggested that aside from being one of the most widely used social media platforms, Instagram comes out on top in terms of user engagement too.

The article went on to say that though “engagement” is not as quantifiable as we would like to think, being that it relies on several distinct factors such as post visibility, tendency to comment and shareability, in a survey of more than 2,500 micro-influencers, 60% thought Instagram was the best overall platform for engagement.

So with those statistics in mind, let’s have a look at how dentists can leverage Instagram to increase brand recognition and promote the practice’s personality.

Brand recognition

Considering the visual nature of Instagram it goes without saying that its primary concern is aesthetics; not unlike dentistry in this respect. This means good news for your practice as it allows you to promote ongoing campaigns, enhance your virtual presence and communicate a clear, consistent message with all aspects of your brand.

Think of Instagram an extension of your practice and by doing so you can share existing graphics or promotional content across multiple platforms while maintaining a strong and succinct brand identity.

In addition to promotional content, Instagram is an incredibly user-friendly platform that can help facilitate an authentic two-way communication stream between yourself and a potential new patient. By using localised hashtags you can produce content that not only targets patients in your local area but can help create a familiarity that drives them toward your practice – or a direct message.

Practice Personality

In a bid to compete with the ever popular Snapchat, Instagram rolled out its ‘story’ feature in late 2016 – and gained 300 million users in the process. The crux of it is that it enables users to post multiple updates, lasting for 24 hours each, without clogging up their own feed and that of their intended audience.

So, why should your practice use Instagram stories?  Stories are a great way of showcasing your practice personality without hindering your curated photo-feed; you can introduce both new and current team members, post practice tours and provide a more intimate glimpse into who you are as a dentist and a brand.

Instagram’s story feature not only shows a dedication to embracing everything from live video and animation (and here’s why your practice should too) but also private messaging and user engagement.  In Instagram’s dedication to live video and animation lies an opportunity to showcase your patient testimonials and document their dental journey. Considering video is one of the most effective ways to get your message across, promoting your video content across your practice Instagram will help develop a personal connection with your brand that leads to higher patient retention, increased recommendations and trust.

Remember, likes on Instagram won’t automatically mean more patients at your practice, so you need to ensure you’re using your marketing tactics as part of a wider strategy. If you would like to find out more about social media and how it works as part of a wider marketing strategy, please get in touch on  01872 300232 or email us at hello@hivebusiness.co.uk.