Social media is one of the best tools in your arsenal to build your customer base. But don’t forget about the loyal patients you already have! Customers who are already loyal are great ambassadors for your practice. By engaging with them, you are allowing the opportunity for customers to leave testimonials and positive reactions and feedback.

Having that engagement on your page is important! According to a study by the Institute of Public Relations, 21% of customers seeking health care will scout a brand on social media as part of their decision-making process. And when they see consistent posts and customer engagement from your current patients on your content, you are seeing word-of-mouth in action, which 74% of consumers claim is a key influencer.

And as much as we’d like for you to see patients’ smiling faces more often, most are only visiting you twice a year at the most, so keeping up those relationships on social media is crucial for patient retention. If you’re looking for some ways to increase engagement on your platforms, consider including these five tips into your social media strategy.

It’s about quality, not quantity
Your success on social media isn’t driven by how many followers you have, but rather, how much engagement your posts have. If you share posts that gather high engagement (comments, shares, link clicks), social media outlets are more likely to continue pushing your content ahead of others within the algorithm. So focus less on posting frequency and more on sharing quality content with your audience.

Lift the curtain 
Giving a sneak peek behind the scenes to your practice is a great strategy to engage customers. Show them the faces of the staff your patients love and humanize your practice with light-hearted, fun content. For example, you could show how your office celebrates holidays or offer video tours of your practice. Or you could implement optional social media “check-ins” for your patients at your office—these are great opportunities to respond and engage with your loyal customers.

All these tactics make you look relatable and may help alleviate concerns someone may have about going to the dentist. 

Do good and tell about it
At its core, social media is all about sharing, so don’t be shy about telling the story of the community service your practice does. Don’t worry about sounding boastful-- people love hearing stories about how businesses help their neighborhoods. It shows you are compassionate and care about the communities you serve.

Education is good, but don’t be Google 
Educational content about various dental services can be a great addition to your content mix. But at the end of the day, people are likely going to other sources for medical information. Your audience will be visiting your platforms because they want to be assured you care about the people you serve. If you do want to share some educational content, make sure the language is relatable, not clinical.

Another great tip is to share content from other websites or pages that your audience may find valuable, such as wellness and lifestyle articles. This allows you to be a helpful, friendly presence in your patients’ newsfeeds. 

Communication is crucial
When people want to know if their “places” are open, they go straight to the internet, which includes your social media pages. In fact, when someone has an immediate need, 40% of users will solely use their smartphone on an average day to get the answer they seek. During an event like COVID-19 where offices temporarily closed and then reopen in phases, communicating key information to your patients is a must. This includes your hours, contact information, where they can go if you are not open and your plans for future reopening as the situation changes. 

Bottom line: While it’s important to use social media to gain new customers, your platform is also key in engaging with your loyal customers. Building engagement with light-hearted and community-focused content will cement your place as trusted partners in health. In emergency situations, social media will be the lifeline your patients need to learn how they can reach you and get the care they need.