A solid social media marketing strategy is a great way to grow your dental or clinical practice and is something you should be implementing. I’ll start with the biggest reason why: it’s free. There is no cost to create a profile for the top social media platforms, but since there is no such thing as a free lunch, you will have to dedicate time to your social media marketing campaigns if you’re a franchise or a business. The investment will be worth it; you will grow your business and create a better connection with your clients. I’ll cover what you’ll need to get started and give you some tips that will help your social media marketing be successful.
The Big Networks
There are five big social media networks that your strategy needs to include: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+. You are probably already a part of some if not all of these social networks; however, you need to make sure you’re using them effectively. How you approach each social network should be different, since each platform was developed by different people for different reasons. Facebook and Google+ may seem like the same thing but they’re not. You should also separate your personal and professional accounts. Even though in many ways you are your business, you probably don’t want to share all your vacation pictures with your clients, especially that one with you in the silly hat and bathing suit. You know the one; you’ve got a sun-burn from head to toe because you fell asleep on the beach.
Getting Started
If you’re not currently using all of these networks, go ahead and sign up. The sign -up process is pretty simple and similar for every site. You’ll need an email address to create an account. Our online advertising company in Nashville suggests creating a new email account that is just for your social media profiles. It’ll help you keep your social media information organized and keep your work inbox uncluttered. It is ok to use the same email address to create your new accounts, but I would highly advise against using the same password for each account. You also want to consider what your username is going to be for Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Try to make it relevant to your practice and easy to understand.
Success
The way in which success is defined is usually unique to the individual. That applies to your digital marketing strategy for franchises as well. First and foremost you need to define a goal. Are you trying to grow your followers? Are you looking to connect with other doctors in your field? Are you trying reach a new demographic? Get your goal locked down, come up with a plan, and then stick to it. That is probably one of the hardest parts. When you Google something, you get results in 0.39 seconds, but your marketing campaign might take a couple months to really gain some traction.
Pro Tips:
- Use post scheduling to make sure your Facebook posts are published when your target market is the most active. It’s the little clock button in the bottom left corner of the status box.
- Posts pictures as often as possible. Pictures are worth a thousand words, attract more attention, and take less time to process.
- Make sure your Google+ profile is 100% completed and 100% accurate. It will help your search engine results.
- Make sure your practice’s URL, address, phone number, and any other import information is included in your profile. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to get in touch with you.
- Get your employees involved. They are an important part of your practice, and they should be an important part of your online presence.
Be active! Tweak everything until it’s crushing your goals and then keep going.
