Is your orthodontic practice getting the most out of your social media efforts?
With how much it has become part of our everyday lives, it’s hard to believe that social media is still relatively new. LinkedIn is considered the oldest of the social networking sites, but it was launched in 2003. If it was a person, it would still be in high school. Facebook was officially launched that next year, but was still years away from becoming what we know of it today. When these channels were first launched, they were hardly used by orthodontists. Now, social media marketing is an important part of every business, orthodontics included.
“When Pew Research Center began tracking social media adoption in 2005, just 5% of American adults used at least one of these platforms. By 2011 that share had risen to half of all Americans, and today 72% of the public uses some type of social media.”
– Pew Research Center
Your Potential Patients Are On Social Media
The most recent data from Pew shows that 90% of 18-29 year olds and 82% of 30-49 year olds use at least one platform.
What does this mean for orthodontists?
A huge portion of your target market is on at least one social media platform, and this is a very easy way for you to connect with them. Unlike traditional media, these platforms allow you to advertise and target people who live in a specific area and are interested in what you have to offer. Not only that, you can also track your results so you know which ads are more successful. This way, you can save money by dropping the ones that aren’t performing as well.
Use Social Media to Showcase Your Results
All social media platforms are visual, but some of them, like Instagram, are especially good at showcasing before and after pictures of the great results you get with your patients. Use your platform to share the great reviews you get from your patients and include pictures of them whenever possible. This is great marketing and it’s free and easy to do.