What More Can I Do? Social Media and Your Marketing Plan

Date: December 21, 2020
Category:

• Social Media for Dentists

Author: Cassie Robinson

Marketing Plan, noun: A marketing plan is an operational document that outlines an advertising strategy that an organization will implement to generate leads and reach its target market.

Seems pretty straightforward, right? Not exactly. Did you know that social media is the biggest part of marketing plans that is ignored? Yep… ignored! As you’re gearing up your marketing for 2021, if you find yourself thinking ‘what more can I do?’ first, ask yourself, is my practice present and active on social media? If the answer is no, then I encourage you to put aside some time to change that.

Why is Social Media Important?

It doesn’t matter what size your practice is, you need to be not only present but, more importantly, active on social media. Let’s take a step back and look at some social media usage facts: 

• More than 3.8 billion people use social media.
• In North America, users spend over 2 hours of their time, on average, on social media every day.

As more and more people become active on social media, they are also using social media as a way to look up the brands they are considering supporting. These days, a lot of customers are paying more attention to which businesses they choose to support. Not only do they tend to check your website before visiting, but our surveys show that about 20% of them will also check your social media accounts.

Having a presence on social media will help you:

• Create a positive first impression (before patients even visit your practice!)
• Establish a more personal connection with your patients
• Get recognized and increase brand awareness
• Boost your potential patients and sales

Oh, and one other thing that shouldn’t be ignored… Social media is one of the best forms of affordable (oftentimes free) marketing! So what are you waiting for?

How to Get Started

The thought of getting your practice’s social media accounts started might be intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be! Begin by simply creating accounts on each social platform you wish to use. Keep in mind, not all platforms are necessary/appropriate for all practices. 

One way to find out which platforms might be best for you to use is to see which ones your competitors/similar businesses are using. Start out by looking into the most valuable social media platforms: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Snapchat
• Pinterest

Once you have established accounts on the platforms you feel are best for your practice, the next step is creating content. Content creation is another reason some people find social media to be intimidating. Yes, content creation takes time, but there are a lot of ways to make it more simple! Here is a basic social media content calendar for dentists to help you schedule your content for the upcoming months.

When creating content, keep these tips in mind:

• Less text is more. Users will engage with graphics more than text so use graphics that speak to your audience. (Fun fact: visual information is retained 65% longer than text!)
• Original photos generally perform better than stock photos. If you are able to take photos on your own, in real time, or use photos from your patients, that’s ideal! Although not always possible.
• Testimonials and reviews are your friend! Sharing positive feedback from current patients will help build trust with new and potential patients.

Social Media and Your Marketing Plan: The Conclusion

Our research data shows that patients who engage with your business over social media become more enthusiastic referrers and spend about 80% more per year at the business. It’s a great addition to a strong, internal marketing program. 

Building an audience and creating a community takes time, it won’t happen overnight. Remember, the goal is not to just post for the sake of posting. The goal is to create engagement, increase conversion, and strengthen your brand.

If you are interested in learning more about how Infinity Dental Web can help you, please ask for more details.