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The Social Dentist Brian Spaeth

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The Social Dentist
Are Facebook and Twitter Good Moves for a Dental Practice?

by Brian Spaeth

Everything people think they know about marketing
has been thrown out the window in the past 24 months.
The reason is simple: social networks have come of age,
maturing into amazing and revolutionary communication tools. This isn’t hyperbole – the world is in the middle of an astounding paradigm shift in terms of the way people and businesses interact, network and market.

What does that mean for the typical dental practice? Are these social networking tools something that can prove useful for building the strength of an office? Can it enhance efficiency in communicating with current patients? Is it possible to draw in new patients via social networking?

The answer to all of these questions is a definitive “yes,” but a bit of explanation will be necessary first.

What is the Social Web?
By its strictest definition, the Social Web is the second generation of the World Wide Web, which focuses heavily on user-generated content, communities, networking and social interaction.

This movement started in the early 2000s with Friendster, which gave way to MySpace, which ushered in Facebook, Twitter and all the rest. The latter two are the undisputed kings of the sector for now and the foreseeable future (Granted, these things change quickly, but 2010 is a plateau of sorts as far as speculation. For the first time since the net went mainstream, the future developments in many areas are, more or less, clear.)

In any case, today’s online society has essentially become another layer of the real world, wherein people are meeting, engaging and interacting online as themselves. When meeting someone online in 2010, they’re no longer using a vague alias that might or might not have anything to do with who they actually are.

Twitter and Facebook Defined
Along with many efforts that Google is making (see sidebar on page 51), the two leaders in the social networking field right now are Twitter and Facebook. While these companies might not exist forever in their current form, the way that people use them has set the tone for everything that’s coming up.

Twitter (www.twitter.com) is what’s known as “microblogging.” Basically, “Dr. Edward Jones” is able to write 140 character messages that indicate “what he’s doing.” Anyone who signs on to Dr. Jones’ account as a “follower” receives Dr. Jones’ messages in their message stream.

Facebook (www.facebook.com) serves much of the same function as Twitter, albeit in an expanded format. Individuals use it to keep in touch with family and friends, share information, photos and videos. Businesses use it to engage their customer base, draw in new customers and increase their general visibility on the Web.

Why Social Networking for a Dental Practice?
This ties into one of the simplest, yet most important concepts behind the power of the Social Web: the oldest and most effective form of advertising there is – word-of-mouth – can now be harnessed and applied in a powerful manner.

Word-of-mouth is particularly important to dentists, of course. Think of it this way: How do dentists get their best potential patients – the ones who call already knowing they want to come in? Personal recommendations.

The Social Web gives a dental practice of any size the ability to get more of these types of referrals than ever before. Not only that, but it’s the cheapest advertising one will ever use, because by-and-large, it’s completely free.


How is it Applied?
Putting aside the “which buttons to push” elements, the method of integrating social networking tools into a dental marketing campaign isn’t overly complex.

1. Social Networks: Either the dentist or a member of the office staff joins social networks such as Twitter or Facebook as a representative of the practice.

On a personal account, this might be official or unofficial, depending on the preferences of the office and the overall social networking strategy.

For example, one of the largest online shoe and apparel retailers, Zappos.com, has encouraged all of their employees to use social networks during the workday. Their official capacity in these spaces isn’t as a representative of Zappos, but they also make no secret that’s where they work, and will use the account to help customers.

In contrast, Best Buy has officially designated customer service representatives on Twitter and Facebook under the umbrella of “Twelpforce.” These people likely have personal accounts they use when not “on the job.”

Both cases give the respective entities a substantial and welcoming presence on social networks. Their job is to provide a face for the company in these spaces, engaging and interacting with the public.

The key to making either scenario work is absolute transparency. If someone is on Twitter expressly to represent and drive traffic to a given doctor’s Web site, there’s nothing wrong with that, provided it’s made clear via a well-defined profile. This builds trust and a genuine connection, which is vital to success in social networking.

2. Blog/Web site: Once the network is established and trust has been gained – which can take a bit of time – the door is wide open to drive potential patients to the office Web site, where one can find out more info about the doctor’s services.

Additionally, the goal of a dental Web site in 2010 should be to make it a destination – someplace current and potential customers will come at times other than when they’re looking for a phone number or address. The use of a company blog can be effective – an ongoing series of short, informative articles is a fantastic way to further draw in, start conversations around your practice and engage people. 3. Call to Action: Another element to include in the company’s Web site is a clear “call to action.” This can often take the form of a free offer or a discount of some kind. It might sound too simple, but the optimal way to get someone to reach out and make an appointment is to tell them in no uncertain terms that they’re supposed to.

The variable in this equation is the actual logistics of getting it done, i.e. “who pushes the buttons and when do they do it?” Big brands have the resources to hire full-time employees for these social marketing movements. “Social Media Director” is a very real job title in 2010.

How do you manage it in a dental office without overwhelming the dentist and/or staff? The truth is it’s not an impossible mission. It means creating a detailed strategy and likely extending the duties of some of the support/clerical staff. Good multi-taskers are key, and in most cases the necessary actions – with the right plan and training – should mean a minimum of extra time expended to see results.

Done well, these tools will actually enhance the office’s relationships with its patients.

How is Social Marketing Different from
Regular Advertising?
Short version: instead of putting an ad out and hoping X number of people see it, the goal now is to connect with those people beforehand, and then market to them as much as one wants, at a total cost of zero dollars (The theories, morals, and legalities behind this form of direct social advertising is a deeper conversation, but on a baseline level, this is what social networking allows for).

At its most baseline level, this is the gameplan:
  1. Build awareness and familiarity.
  2. Make genuine, trusting connections.
  3. Market services.
In truth, social marketing is not that much different from regular advertising at all. The new element is the “make genuine, trusting connections” portion. Of course, it’s the most valuable one of all in the medical field, and was never possible outside of the office until now.

Why it is OK to Connect Outside the Office
The predominant issue in this movement is the professionalism of interacting with current and prospective patients outside the office. This is not a new issue, nor is it isolated to the dental profession. Most of the reasoning behind why this can be considered acceptable is the paradigm shift mentioned at the start of this article. This is a cultural transition – things simply don’t work like they used to. It goes without saying that this doesn’t mean one compromises professional ethics and boundaries.

A few things to consider:
  1. The CEOs and high-ranking officers of many of the world’s largest corporations are now using blogs and social networks in order to communicate and interact directly with the public. Some companies are now encouraging their entire employee force to use social networks during the work day.
  2. The public has become more savvy with regard to advertising. In some ways, instead of companies telling the public what they have, the public is telling companies what they want.
  3. Word of mouth is more powerful than ever – both good and bad. Becoming a part of the conversation with the consumer is now welcomed, provided it’s done in a transparent and genuine manner.
Keep in mind, connecting with a patient on a social network happens because they’ve allowed it to happen. This is doubly true if they’ve connected with a professional (as opposed to personal) profile. This doesn’t mean you should become a walking advertisement – again, common sense goes a long way here.

For comparison’s sake, what happens if Dr. Jones runs into a patient in the grocery store or elsewhere? Does he avoid them, or stop and say hello? Assuming the latter, this is all he’s really doing on social networks – stopping and saying hello.

Conclusions
Make no mistake, the Social Web has changed a lot about the way everyone communicates and markets. With traditional forms of advertising dying off and the power of word-of-mouth elevated to amazing heights, it’s essential to embrace these changing times.

Marketing aside, diving into the world of social networks is an amazing way to enhance relations with existing patients. The relationship between doctor and patient is a unique one and social networks allow the door to open to an even more engaged, trusting connection.
Author’s Bio
Brian Spaeth is the founder of TPT5 (www.tpt5.com), a social networking consulting firm.
He can be reached at brian@tpt5.com.
 
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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