Social Media for Your Orthodontic Practice - Quick Tips for an Effective Game Plan

Having an effective social media plan is key to marketing your orthodontic practice online.  Below are some things that you can do to increase your presence on the web and in turn, increase your list of new patients.  It is important to remember that you do not have to tackle all of these items at once.  Try one at a time and fine tune your use of that social media tool before moving on to the next.  Many orthodontist and other professionals find that social media is actually a fun part of their day and the rewards can be great!

Facebook, Google+ Local, and Twitter accounts are must haves for your orthodontic practice.  To get the maximum benefit from these social media outlets you should try and secure as many “likes and “followers” as you can.  To increase your numbers simply ask your patients when they are in your office to "like" or "follow" your accounts. You can choose one account a day, or week, or month to focus on promoting so that you don't overwhelm your patients with three must do's. You can create special incentives to help boost their interest by promoting a drawing for prizes and enter everyone in the drawing who likes or follows you during a certain time period.  You can also promote fun contests and offer specials to followers of your accounts, then promote the fact that you do so to increase your numbers. 

 Make sure your website has a blog.  You should aim to create a new blog post approximately every two weeks. You should try and blog about information that is relevant to orthodontics, your local community, and/or patients.  You can then take the link to your blog post page and promote it on your Facebook, Google+, and Twitter accounts.  This will help generate traffic back to your blog/website!  This will also help keep content on your website fresh, and of course, keep you active on social media.  Your blog posts do not need to be that long each time you write one.  Simple, relevant blog posts ranging from 100 to a 200 words can be just as effective as a lengthy one.

Check-in’s via Facebook are a great way to promote your business.  Ask your patients to check-in to your practice via their Facebook app on their phone.  When a Facebook user checks-in to your practice all of their friends will see this in their news feed.  It is a great way to gain exposure to hundreds of people a day!  Again, you can offer some incentives to your patients if they show you on their phone that they have checked in on their Facebook app.  An entry into a drawing, a $5.00 Starbucks card, or a discount on services are some incentive ideas that seem to work well.

Start using Instagram.  Instagram is another great app that allows you to instantly share pictures across the social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.  Once you create an account and connect it with your other social media accounts, you can begin promoting the quality work you do.  Everyone knows a picture can speak a thousand words!  With your patients written permission (use a standard legal consent form and file it in your records), you can share their new smiles and show off your good work!  

Video is another key ingredient to a great social media program for your orthodontic practice.  Sharing video these days has never been easier.  Setting up a YouTube channel for your business is easy to do, and in no time you can upload videos on various topics that you can then share on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ Local.  Video topics can range from a simple introduction of you and your team members, or showing off your facility.  You can even capture video reviews from happy patients!  The opportunities and ideas can be simple, but very effective.  Again, they do not need to be very long, but can really boost the effectiveness of your social networking!

Remember to take your time mastering one social media tool before moving onto the next and have fun!  The fun will be contagious and will secure the results you are looking for!