With the plethora of social media platforms, dental Instagram marketing can be challenging. However, it is a powerful way for dental practices to increase patient base. Regardless of the size and location of your dental practice, Instagram is one of the most effective social media channels for digital healthcare marketing. Maintaining an active Instagram presence can help showcase a more personal side of your practice, connect with patients locally which in turn can boost product or service promotion.
Nowadays many patients are paying more attention to Instagram business account because this visual platform allows posting images and videos to attract potential patients and creating interest for specific products and services. A reliable healthcare digital marketing agency can provide the right assistance to dentists to optimize their Instagram page and attract more potential patients.
Why Is Instagram Relevant for Your Dental Practice’s Success?
Instagram marketing for dental offices is one of the most effective methods of increasing your dental practice’s online visibility. Dental practices planning to create a sustainable influx of new patients need to do the same to connect with current and prospective clients themselves.
Compared to other social media platforms, Instagram creates a visual effect that allows dental practices to create deep connections with their target audiences. The “anonymity” feature that Instagram offers allows users to explore key issues (that one might be cautious of on other social media platforms) and allows to like, comment and engage with posts more freely without the fear of being judged publicly.
With quick search features, it is possible to easily locate your competitors in the dental field and gain important insights into how they are achieving success in their Instagram strategies. This in turn helps gain access their methods, improve upon them thereby allowing them to divert some of their own traffic to your dental practice.
Features like Instagram stories, searchable hash tags, and geo-location tracking help dental practices to explore new revenue streams (that they were not aware of). The video upload feature that helps engage target audiences makes this social media platform clearly business- friendly.
Dental Instagram Marketing– Top Strategies
Before diving into dental Instagram marketing , it is important to take time to learn the basics. As this platform revolves around visual content, just posting any vague content won’t bring the expected results. Visual appeal is key when it comes to engaging potential followers and making them aware of the latest news and services.
Therefore, Instagram posts need to be eye-catching with the right background or applied photo filter. In fact, incorporating simple details can make a lot of difference when it comes to establishing your dental practice on a social platform like Instagram.
Here listed are some of the top tips that help maximize a dental Instagram marketing strategy : –
- Turn on the Business Account – If your dental practice already has an Instagram account, make sure it’s a business account. Make sure to add some basic information in your business account like- physical address of the practice, front desk phone number, business or walk-in hours – that a standard account doesn’t offer.
- Optimize Your Profile – Optimizing your dental practice’s profile is very important. Do some background work on the profile as this is what your audience sees when they search for your posts. Typically, Instagram profiles are deceptively simple.Therefore, it’s easy to focus on certain key features like – name of the dental practice, practice logo or the portrait of the dentist, website link, call to action button and description of dental practice – that help market your dental practice. Make sure to add relevant keywords like location or type of dentistry – while adding description. Always highlight the unique aspects of your dental practice and what makes your practice stand apart. Also, use emojis (wherever relevant) to include some visual touches in the description.
- Use Appropriate #Hashtags – Hashtags are important as they help expand the exposure of your posts and widen the audience that view your content. Posting content with the correct combination of popular and trending hashtags on Instagram can help increase engagement. However, overusing these hashtags can increase spam activity on your profile. Try to use 3-5 quality hashtags that describe your post. In addition, add location tags to enable potential patients to find you when searching for your dental practice.
- Create a Content Strategy – To be successful on Instagram it is important to have a regular flow of content. Create a definite content strategy by including a variety of posts like – personal posts (that show off your expertise in dental work), educational posts (that reveal your personality alongside your expertise level), Behind the scenes posts (that introduce office and staff to new and returning patients) and case study posts (with the patient’s permission) that allow you to showcase the quality of your dental work. In addition, organize these posts into a content calendar.Also, post relevant content at regular intervals as this helps dental practices to easily interact with the patients and thereby increase the total number of followers.
- Use Video Content – Creating and publishing videos on Instagram is a crucial strategy for social media healthcare marketing. Right from alleviating fears about dental procedures to connecting with the personality and atmosphere of your dental practice, strategically created video content may lead to increased traffic and conversions. For instance, posting live videos can help expand your credibility as a dentist. Video options like Instagram Stories help create a loyal following of patients within their communities.For instance, dental practices can “go live” and pass on their message using video. Other video ideas like – sharing patient testimonials, conducting social-media contests, Live-streaming (during local events or dental conferences) and creating videos that greet patients or team members on their birthdays etc.
- Use Eye-catching Images – Post eye-catching photos or images that convey your dental team culture. Share visually interesting images in and around your practice like – snapshots of patients and team members. Share a photo along with its story.
- Hold Contests – Holding contests can help reward your current followers and generate more number of followers on Instagram. It will also create a buzz around your brand and will have a significant impact on increasing followership. Key ideas for Instagram contests include – Commenting contests (wherein participants have to comment to enter) and “Like” or “Share” to win contests.
- Publish Employee-related and Employee-generated Content – Instagram platform allows businesses to tell a visual story about their dental brand. As per social media marketing experts, employee-generated content receives more engagement than content shared from the business itself. In addition, employee content significantly improves brand messaging.
- Cross Promote Instagram Posts – As a dental health provider, another way to increase followers is to post across all of your social media profiles like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Then, invite those followers to also follow you on Instagram. As they are already following you on other social media platforms, this step will give them another way to socially connect with your practice.
Instagram marketing is a powerful way to market a dental practice and connect you’re your current and potential local patient base. Instagram marketing for dentists offers numerous benefits like – enhancing online presence, attracting new patients and referrals, increasing website traffic, and showcasing your brand message. Implementing the above-mentioned dental Instagram marketing strategies will help meet your healthcare and social media optimization goals in an effective manner.
Social media marketing services offered by a reputable healthcare digital marketing company can help handle all aspects of developing your dental practice’s social presence.
