A large part of my role involves me visiting practices to help them to run their business better. Which means I see many different attitudes towards social media. Believe it or not, there are still some practices out there who have yet to grasp the power of a good social media strategy. Which is why I feel it’s important to offer some advice on how to get started.
At Practice Plan we’re lucky enough to work with some of the dental industry’s leading consultants, one of whom is Gemma Starkey, aka Miss Social (www.misssocial.co.uk). Former dental nurse Gemma got the bug for marketing in the early days of social media and has since helped many practices up their social media game.
Who to choose?
First and foremost, how do you decide who should be responsible for your social media accounts? “A mistake often made by practices in the past is to assign that role to the youngest person on the team in the belief that as they’ll use social media in their personal life, they’ll be able to handle it for the business” Gemma says. “That’s not usually the best tactic. It’s better to train a person who has a flair for it and make sure their training covers business and marketing principles, as well as social media.”
Good advice. It’s also important to make sure that your vision and branding are clear and understood. Is your focus on cosmetic dentistry? Or do you aim to be the local village dentist, a family dentist? How would you like to be perceived? Are you advanced or helpful? These are important questions to be answered so you can be authentic with your posts. It’s important not to misrepresent online what your practice personality is, as it will be revealed in your reviews. So, it’s not appropriate to say that you’re a high-end cosmetic practice when really your main focus is being a family practice offering predominantly general dentistry.
It's important to bear in mind that, although there may be a single individual who oversees your social media, it should, as Gemma says, be a whole team effort to come up with the content. “It should see multiple people coming up with ideas, so everyone's a part of it,” she advises. “You can try different ideas and give responsibility for them to a few different team members. But the burden shouldn’t fall on just one person’s shoulders.” Indeed. The most successful practice social media sites I see are ones where everyone pitches in.
Know your audience
When developing a social media strategy Gemma advises her clients to think about who they want to reach with their posts. “Facebook is still the most widely used platform in the world,” she says. “People can view your posts from anywhere across the globe. However, your patients are likely to be people who live or work near where you’re located. They’re the people you want to attract.
“To narrow down your audience as well as posting on your practice’s account, you may want to think about joining Facebook groups local to where your practice is based, if they’ll let you. So, if you’re located in a village or a small town, then the sorts of groups to look out for are the ‘spotted in’ pages.”
To keep people interested Gemma suggests posts should be a mix of informative, educational, topical and fun. “A good post would be branded to the practice, and it would have relatability,” she advises. “It’s also important for it to have a good hook. Nobody wants to go onto Facebook either to be sold to or to be preached at about needing to brush their teeth twice a day.
What does’ good’ look like?
“A good post for Facebook would have a personal look to it. Using either a photo or a video of yourself as a dentist, it would be short and concise, and it would have a conversational, rather than ‘preachy’ tone.”
However, Gemma warns against just chasing likes and shares. “Remember you are a dental practice,” she says. “So, while fun posts may get a lot of engagement, it’s still important to post your before and after photos and your oral health and education tips. Prospective patients still need to see examples of the types of treatments you offer. So, while these types of posts may not get the most likes, they’re still an important part of the mix.”
One way to ensure you have a good mix of posts is to develop a content calendar. This can be physical or digital and helps you to plan your content in advance. It can be populated with notable dates such as mouth cancer awareness month, dental nurses’ day, Easter, Halloween, Christmas, Diwali etc. You could also go online and find a list of awareness days or add in any dates that are significant to you as a practice. This allows you to have a clear view of what’s coming up. Content doesn’t have to be filmed on the day as you can prepare for things in advance. Gemma suggests putting aside some time every month to film your videos. As producing content is a team effort, why not devote some time in a team meeting to come up with ideas? That way everyone gets a chance to contribute and share some of the load.
It's your shop window
Social media isn’t just good for attracting patients, it’s also a way of showcasing your practice’s culture and personality to prospective employees. Which is why authenticity is important. People love to see behind-the-scenes content, so it’s good to include the odd post when someone in the team’s marking a milestone in their life such as a big birthday, getting married, or having a baby. It’s also great to celebrate passing exams and qualifications too. All this helps to foster a sense of community on your socials.
Here's a final piece of advice from Gemma to help make your ‘social life’ a bit easier. “Experiment with your posts so you can get an idea of what works and what your goals are. You can then create a format that you can put out on social media,” she suggests. “After all, social media can involve a lot of effort, so, find a format that works, such as taking a question a patient has asked and videoing the answer to it. If you can find a fun or niche way to do that, then that is something you can rinse and repeat for lots of different problems. This makes life a lot easier, and as you get more experienced, you'll see what works and what doesn’t. You can then tweak the performance, and your patients will come back to your account for advice because they know they can trust you. You can then be seen as a trusted source of information which helps foster good relationships with patients.”
This year, Practice Plan celebrates 30 years of welcoming practices into the family, helping them to grow profitable businesses through the introduction of practice-branded membership plans. So, if you’re looking to switch provider or are considering a full or partial move away from the NHS and would like a provider who will hold your hand through the process whilst moving at a pace that’s right for you, why not start the conversation with Practice Plan, on 01691 684165, or for more information visit the Practice Plan website: www.practiceplan.co.uk
About Emma
Emma Flunt is a Regional Support Manager for Practice Plan Group and has over 20 years’ experience in dentistry working in general and specialist referral practices, and training environments where she won multiple awards. Practice Plan is the UK’s leading provider of practice-branded patient membership plans, partnering with over 2,000 dental practices and offering a wide range of business support services.
About Gemma
Gemma Starkey, aka Miss Social, (www.misssocial.co.uk) was a dental nurse who took a detour from the usual progression route of a dental nurse into the business side of dentistry. She loved dental marketing and had a flair for social media.
Over a decade later, she has refined her skills in social media marketing, helping dentists and their teams to shine on social media. She creates bespoke social media posts that authentically reflect the dental clinics she works with, and which enhance their online reputation.
As an ex dental nurse, she understands the pressures the whole team are under. Her goal with Miss Social is not to add to a team’s to-do list but to be an extra team member that takes care of it and does a great job.
In her free time, she can be found having adventures with her three children. She loves cooking, running, hot yoga and learning about creative ways to use social media. Follow Gemma on Instagram (www.instagram.com/misssocialuk)
