Over the last 20 years, social media has grown from pages like MySpace, where you could chat with friends, into a fully-fledged industry that can be used by everyone to talk about everything from the news to opinions. Not only that, but social media is the most used service on the web, meaning that it has turned from a platform to talk to friends into a seemingly endless marketplace where companies can promote their services.
As you may have seen, social media has revolutionised how businesses connect with their target audience. For instance, dental clinics that were traditionally reliant on referrals and local marketing are now turning to social media influencers to enhance their online presence.
So, if you are new to the world of social media influencers and this kind of marketing, you may want to learn how your dental clinic can successfully pull this off. This article explores how dental clinics can effectively utilise social media influencers to reach a wider audience, build trust, and ultimately boost their online visibility.
Table of Contents
Expanding reach and targeting
One of the primary advantages of partnering with social media influencers is the ability to expand the reach of dental clinics. Influencers have dedicated followings, often consisting of thousands or even millions of followers who trust their opinions. By partnering with influencers who share their brand values and target audience, dental clinics can leverage a pre-established community, reaching potential patients who may have never discovered them otherwise. This approach allows dental clinics to precisely target specific demographics, increasing the likelihood of converting followers into actual patients and increasing a core part of dental marketing.
Building trust and credibility
Social media influencers possess the power to sway opinions and influence purchasing decisions through their authentic and relatable content. By partnering with influencers who have built a reputation for transparency and expertise, dental clinics can leverage their credibility to enhance trust among their audience. For instance, an influencer’s endorsement of a dental clinic’s services or positive experiences shared through personal stories can significantly boost the perceived credibility of the practice. Such testimonials from trusted sources can help alleviate potential anxieties and uncertainties patients may have, encouraging them to choose your dental clinic for their oral healthcare needs.
Of course, this only really works if you choose an influencer with a calming presence rather than an excitable one. If you are looking to increase the number of nervous patients attending your clinic, it may be a good idea to look for an influencer who has an aversion to dentists (that they may have already spoken about) and check whether they are happy to discuss this with their viewers. Try to leave the majority of the script writing for their videos up to them, but make sure that your clinic gets mentioned in a positive light.
Creating engaging and educational content
Collaborating with social media influencers allows dental clinics to create engaging and educational content that resonates with their target audience. Influencers possess a deep understanding of their followers’ preferences and can craft content that is both informative and entertaining. By leveraging influencers’ expertise, dental clinics can educate their audience on various oral health topics, debunk common dental myths, showcase innovative dental treatments, or highlight their state-of-the-art facilities. This engaging content can increase brand awareness, position your dental clinic as an industry leader, and encourage followers to share the content, thereby organically expanding the reach of the practice.
Fostering online engagement and reviews
Social media platforms provide an interactive environment where patients can engage directly with dental clinics. By collaborating with influencers, dental clinics can encourage their followers to interact with the content, leave reviews, and ask questions. Influencers can initiate discussions about dental health and treatment experiences and encourage their followers to share their own stories. This engagement not only boosts the online visibility of your dental clinic but also fosters a sense of community, which is invaluable for patient retention and referrals. Positive reviews and testimonials shared by influencers and their followers can also enhance the credibility of your dental clinic, acting as social proof for prospective patients.
Of course, you shouldn’t neglect the areas of positive reviews off of your website or social media pages. Make sure that on your dental clinic page, there is an area dedicated to patient reviews of your clinic and, if possible, try to get these reviews on camera in a short video format. That way, the content will be engaging and accessible to a wider audience.
