We have interviewed the guys at Deseo – Dentist Social Media about how a dental practice can integrate social media into their marketing mix.

The Role of Facebook in an Online Dental Marketing Strategy Social media is not a passing fad. It is here to stay. In fact, it has become so essential that it will be difficult for any business to succeed without including it into its overall marketing strategy. Therefore, as a dentist who is looking to make it in this competitive industry, you will need to include a dentist social media strategy and in particular, a good Facebook marketing strategy in your operations.

How important is Facebook to Your Business?

Do you know that 42% of marketers say that Facebook is a crucial marketing tool? 75% of the adults in the US access the Internet. 80% of these adults go online to seek health information. A 2012 study revealed that about 67% of dentists use Facebook to market their businesses. The number continues to grow every year as more dental practices take into social media.

All this shows how important Facebook and a good dentist social media strategy in general is important for the success of any dental practice’s marketing efforts. How Should You Use Facebook for Marketing? There are a couple of ways you can use Facebook for marketing. However, the cheapest and most effective dentist social media strategy is content marketing. This involves posting useful information on your Facebook page.

The information has to be something interesting that engages your fans. If the information is interesting they will share it with their friends increasing your content’s reach. You can mix the content with little advertising content in the form of offers and discounts for your service. What Should You and Shouldn’t You Post on Your Facebook Page?

Up to 60% of people on social media will most likely trust a post or activity by a doctor/dental practice as compared to media layman’s post. That is a level of trust you will not want to break. Thus, the first rule is: Post credible information only. Also, don’t just post advertisements on Facebook. It helps to educate your fans about dental care in general and why they need to take care of their teeth. Lastly, be sure to engage with your fans as much as possible. Be there to answer questions when your fans ask them on your fan page.

How Often Should You Post to be Effective?

As long as your content is relevant, you should engage with your fans as much as you can. It would also help to repost some content as appropriate. For the best results keep your content fresh and interesting. Make your fans want to check your page everyday to see what you have posted that day. Integrate Facebook with Other Channels If you have a Twitter, Instagram or a Google+ account (and you should have them all) you can synchronize your social media marketing efforts by integrating Facebook with these other channels.

Doing this will help you post your content across multiple platforms increasing your content’s reach and overall engagement with people in your networks. Most importantly this will mean increased efficiency in your marketing efforts. In Conclusion With increased competition among dental practices Facebook comes in handy as a cost effective platform that you can use to communicate with prospects and make them feel comfortable about dental procedures. And the best part is that you can do this while advertising your business in a subtle manner.