It’s amazing to see the marketing changes over the course of the last decade. One of the biggest changes is in the realm of social media. Ten years ago, most businesses, medical practices included, wouldn’t consider budgeting a huge chunk of their operating expenses on something that is free to use. However, today, physicians are increasingly turning to social media to market their practices.
Of all the social networking sites available, Twitter has proven the most effective for the medical industry — dentists included.
Why should dentists be on Twitter?
Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms with more than 300 million active users. Moreover, Twitter provides the perfect avenue to:
- Develop a durable online presence
- Touch base and collaborate with fellow medical professionals
- Keep up with medical news, policies and educational events
- Gain a foothold as an expert
- Develop strong relationships with customers
- Attract new patients while keeping up with existing patients
Here are four strategies to help increase your dentistry practice’s foothold on Twitter.
- Write a stellar bio
This step is important so that your potential patients can find you and learn about you. Make sure your bio grabs attention without appearing needy.
- Schedule postings
If your practice is going to have a Twitter account, it needs to be active. Ideally, you’ll want to post a couple of times a day, so your best bet is to schedule a batch of postings so you’re not forced to find time to meet this posting goal.
- Make sure your posts are relevant and useful
Keep your posts simple and easily understood. Don’t worry about keeping your posts strictly about dentistry—just make sure it’s relevant to the medical field.
- #Hashtags
Make sure you utilize hashtags as Twitter categorizes and organizes posts using them. Your only rule about hashtags is to make them relevant to your post in order to ensure they reach the greatest audience.