Social media has changed the way the world interacts. Although MySpace may have started as a way to interact with friends or check out local music, and Facebook originally began with the intentions of connecting college students, the entire world of social media has an impact on nearly everything that people do on a day-to-day basis. Whether you are looking to see what’s in the news or you want to find out when your favorite artist is releasing their next album, social media offers nearly everything that you could ever need.
One additional use for social media is that of marketing for small businesses, medical professionals, and especially dentists. While a large Fortune 500 corporation may have an equally grandiose budget to match, dentists are often local operators that help their local community. Because they do not have the same type of budget, their marketing efforts are often much less elaborate. Thankfully, social media changes all of that.
When done correctly, social media makes it so that even the smallest of businesses can keep up with those Fortune 500 companies. After all, a few million followers on social media can make a huge difference when it comes to the type of network that a business can reach. And while a few million followers may not be what every dentist is looking for, its certainly an option that will take their dental practice to the next level.
What some dentists may not realize is that while there are only so many patients that they can see to each day, social media allows for new markets that may have never-before been considered. For example, some dentists use their social media presence to help them sell an ebook or another product that they are marketing. This sort of residual income can be incredibly helpful for a dentist as they look to build their practice, as this can also help them have a positive impact on more patients as well.
On the surface, Facebook and social media looks like the ideal marketing option for dentists and other small businesses - right? In most cases, yes. However, social media is not all going to be rewarding and positive. In fact, there are plenty of people who have made the mistake of misusing the social media profiles of their dental practice, which can harm their practice for years to come.
In order to help with avoiding some of these issues, here are some things that dentists should avoid doing with social media profiles. While there is no guaranteed way of succeeding in social media, you can at least rest assured that avoiding these things will help you avoid a most-certain failure.
Having False Information
The social media profiles of a dentist is something that should accurately describe their services, their location, and who they are. If any of this information is incorrect, it can have a lasting impression on the dentist.
Why is this?
First, this information is incredibly important in terms of helping dentists get recognized through search engines like Google. If there are too many inefficiencies, then this will harm the overall social media impact of the dental professional. Second, if the information is maliciously incorrect, then people online can expose the dentist for not being who they claim to be.
It’s important that dental professionals take the time to ensure accuracy through their social media presences and online pages.
Trying To Do It On Your Own
The truth is that most dentists already have enough on their plate as it is. Therefore, they shouldn’t be trying to also run their social media profiles as well. The truth is that social media requires too much of a learning curve to start up with, and then it requires nearly as much maintenance in order to run efficiently. Dentists have too much else going on, which is why they can consider hiring someone else to help them with social media.
Making Confusing Profiles Or Account Names
Dentists should be sure that their social media accounts are easy to find and equally as easy to understand. If a Facebook page doesn’t have the correct name or the Twitter handle is not representative of the dental practice, it likely won’t be easy for potential patients to find. Instead, making it easier will result in more followers and better interactions for the dental practice.
Avoid Neglecting Social Media Impact
Finally, it’s vital that dentists don’t think that they can avoid Facebook, Twitter, and the rest of the social media universe all-together. The truth is that many dentists do think that they can keep running their practice as is, without social media. However, there is no denying the impact that social media has had, or the transition that people have made to it, and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere soon. Therefore, dentists need to ensure that they don’t just ignore all forms of social media.
Social media is a tool that is still growing and expanding. The more that a dentist can learn about social media, the better it will be for their practice. However, a few mistakes on social media can also be incredibly detrimental to the dental practice as well. To avoid that detriment from happening, dentists should consider the tips mentioned here for when using social media.