The coronavirus pandemic has led many practices to modify their office hours or reduce their schedules. As a society, many cities and even entire states are sheltering in place for the time being. This means that people are spending more time than ever on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Bryant Consultants wants to share five social media strategies that dentists should do right now. If you aren’t, you’re missing out on an enormous opportunity to connect with patients and keep your brand visible.
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Be mindful of your tone
When it comes to digital communication, be it through texting, sending an email, or posting on social media, be mindful of your tone. Post content that is not offensive or negative. For example, if you’re posting to update your patients on COVID-19 and your practice hours, avoid using words like “closed” or “canceled.” Instead, remain positive by saying, “modified office hours” or “reschedule.” A negative tone may cause you to lose your audience and your patients.
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Make personal videos to share
Most dentists we meet with understand the importance of making and posting videos on social media. But, there’s always the same problem – time. No one seems to have time to sit down and record videos. But now you do! If your practice is experiencing significant downtime, this is the best opportunity to film videos to post online. Do as many as you can because videos can be scheduled in advance.
Ideas for videos include:
- Personal videos – Let your patients see what you’re like outside the office.
- How to videos – Show patients how to care for their dentures, partials, dental implants, floss, and brush correctly.
- FAQs – Answer commonly asked questions about oral care or other services that you offer, or what to expect after a particular procedure.
- Get the team involved – Let hygienists, assistants, and even front desk employees contribute information that is helpful to patients.
- Live videos – Start a live video on your feed to send a personal “hello” to your patients. You also could use live videos to open the floor to questions that patients may have about services, how your practice is working to stop the spread of COVID-19, and other pressing questions on their mind.
Dental practices must be using social media right now. Otherwise, if you aren’t in front of your patients, someone else will be.
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Learn all about social media marketing
You’ve probably heard of the popular platforms Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You may even have your own personal account on one of these platforms. But, each of them works differently and has their own algorithms. The way you format each post will vary for each platform as well. For instance, Facebook allows you to post pictures or videos, links to articles, along with text. Instagram only allows photographs or videos. Only one link can be featured in your bio. This means that Instagram does not allow direct links in each post. While you can post videos or pictures on Twitter, you are limited to only 280 characters, which may sound like a lot, but doesn’t go far by the time you type a few sentences, and then add hashtags (which are a must on Twitter). Instagram also uses hashtags, but they aren’t as popular or useful on Facebook.
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Let Bryant Consultants handle your online marketing
If you made it this far without feeling overwhelmed thinking about social media, congratulations! You probably are steps ahead of many others. But, managing social media accounts is more than just filming videos and posting attractive photos. It’s about knowing your audience by knowing what to post and when to post it. Timing is another crucial element of social media. So is remaining engaged with your audience. This is where Bryant Consultants can help. We have a social media team that generates and posts custom content for each client, taking the guesswork out of it for you.
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Beef up your website and SEO
Just like social media, many doctors will say that they don’t have the time to update their website. Having a dental practice website designer like Bryant Consultants makes establishing and building your online presence a breeze. Each of our clients completes a questionnaire initially so that we know which services they offer. Our team of writers goes to work, crafting personalized website content using SEO strategies to drive online traffic to your site, and patients to your practice! But, if you have outdated content on your website, now is the time to update it. Team member changes, new certifications, or changes in education or training need to be added to your site. Also, if your technology or services change, those essential components need to be updated as well. When you partner with a dental consulting agency that builds websites, like Bryant Consultants, we maintain your online presence, you just have to communicate these changes to us, and we will handle the rest.
Bryant Consultants has more than two decades of experience partnering with dental practices across the country. We are here to help you and your practice get through this global crisis by offering a complimentary one-hour consultation to dentists looking for answers or help during the pandemic. If you have any questions or want to set up a free consultation, please contact Bryant Consultants by calling (877) 768-4799 or directly connect with a consultant. To ensure that you receive the latest updates during the coronavirus pandemic, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
