Do you have a custom Facebook landing page for your practice?   These page tabs may be labeled as “Home, Welcome, or Special Offer” tabs… If you aren’t sure what a custom Facebook landing page is, you can see an example here.

Whether you already have a landing page for your practice Facebook Business Page or are considering one, here are a few important points to keep in mind.

1. Is your Facebook Page active? If you haven’t received a new “like” in months and your comments and interaction are non-existent, you may want to reconsider dedicating resources to a custom landing page.  Why?  It would be like buying a website remodel to make a non-performing website look better.  In other words, if your website isn’t getting web traffic, you should probably be thinking about SEO rather than just a prettier website.  The same holds true for your Facebook.  Rather than purchase a fancy custom landing page, you may want to think about investing in training for your team to give them the tools to enlist patient interaction.

2. Scrutinize template landing pages. There are a variety of services and options to personalize templates for your Facebook landing page—some are excellent while others are totally inappropriate.  Before you purchase a custom landing page, consider where your Facebook traffic originates. For example, do the majority of your likes come from existing patients?  If so, then a custom landing page offering “New Patients Receive Free X-Rays and Exam” is sure to offend patients who may have recently paid for this service themselves.  However if the majority of your Facebook traffic is coming via Facebook ads (people not currently patients), then you might consider a special offer.

3. Remember the primary purpose and benefits of Facebook: To connect with others and grow long term relationships. Be thoughtful about what your custom landing page says.  For example, would you tell people to visit your Twitter so they could find a link to your Facebook Page?  That’s silly right?  Well, why then would you make “Visit Our Website!” the primary header of your Facebook landing page? You’ve likely spent money, time, and effort to get people to your Facebook Page—with the intention of getting their likes and growing relationships with them on Facebook.  Therefore, encourage people above all else to connect with you by first and foremost clicking the like button. Don’t make the primary message people see when they land on your Facebook, “Hey, thanks for visiting our Facebook! Now leave Facebook immediately and go to our website”.  That’s just silly.

Most importantly, consider the culture and values of your practice. What impressions do you want to make on existing and potential new patients?  In addition consider your Facebook marketing goals.  Let your values and goals dictate the direction of all your Facebook efforts, including the direction of your custom landing page.   What will your Facebook landing page say about you?

Need help with Facebook Marketing?  Check out Rita’s On-Demand webinar series.  Watch the webinars whenever and where ever you want. Learn more here: http://www.dentalrelationshipmarketing.com/webinars/

With the onset of social media taking the marketing world by storm, many practices are finding themselves sifting through the endless resources and wondering where to begin. If this sounds familiar, join Dr. Marc Cooper from The Mastery Company as he interviews Rita Zamora. Addressed in this beneficial audio session is the “what, why, and how’s” of creating a social media presence for your practice along with the most common mistakes made by dental practices:  http://www.masteryofpractice.com/ritazamora/

Are you on board with Google Plus Pages yet?  If not, grab your stake… Perhaps you are thinking “Not another social platform to manage! My team barely has time to keep up with Facebook”.  Or you may be thinking, “Why set up shop there, it’s a ghost town”.  Remember that Google is still the king of search.  Google Pages will become another valuable piece of online real estate for you. I’ve touted how important multiple pieces of online real estate are, and so does Google.  Check out this awesome free ebook, Zero Moment of Truth, from Google themselves and learn how online research and purchase/decision making has changed.

If search and being found on Google matters to you, then Google Plus Pages should matter to you. Will Google reach Facebook’s popularity as a social platform?  In my opinion, no—at least not at this point.  Too many people have made Facebook their social “home” filled with friends, photos, and memories. Plus in some cases baby boomers got dragged kicking and screaming to Facebook—they aren’t going anywhere.

So where do you begin with Google Plus?

1. Set up your Google Plus Business Page.
2. Populate your practice information and upload a profile photo.
3. Enter a status update or two.
4. Plan to check in occasionally to update any followers, and keep yourself informed about changes and upgrades.

At this time don’t worry about implementing a posting schedule to match your Facebook efforts.  In the coming weeks and months we should know more about how Plus Page updates will play a part in Google’s grand search plan.  If you have ever invested money for search engine optimization, joining Google Plus Pages is a no brainer, and could potentially return similar benefits—getting found on Google.

So is Google Plus a ghost town or boom town?  From a networking and “social” standpoint for practices at this point, it is a bit of a ghost town (at least at the time of this writing).  However from a search standpoint—being found on the number one search engine in the US and the UK—it could be a hugely powerful potential boom town. A benefit you could reap with the initial investment of thirty minutes of your time to get set up and familiarize yourself enough.  Here is a list of top resources to help you get set up and familiar with Google Plus Pages.

Remember the key to online marketing today is multiple pieces of online real estate.  Will your practice stake a claim on Google Plus Pages? If search and being found matters to you, I hope to see you there!

P.S. Facebook is still Number #1 for social networking in the US, UK and Canada—and still my top recommendation for practice’s social marketing. Looking to boost your Facebook Marketing efforts? Check out my on-demand webinars for help.

When was the last time you searched your name or practice name on Facebook? If it’s been a while, you may want to do so today.  I’m beginning to see unfortunate situations where practices have a multitude of Business Pages, Community Pages or Places that the practice or doctor is unaware of.

Doctors, even if you have no interest in Facebook, I encourage you to sit down with someone on your team who is Facebook-knowledgeable and search for your name and practice name on Facebook. It’s important to understand that Facebook accounts, Pages, or Places represent you, your practice—and your reputation.

In one situation, the doctor’s team had created a personal profile for the doctor, as well as several Facebook Pages. The doctor was unaware of his Facebook personal profile, and even worse the profile had begun to accumulate patients as friends. Needless to say, this alone creates a risky situation.

With regard to multiple Pages or Places, note that multiple Facebook properties can cannibalize your “official” Page. In addition, you may have patients leaving comments (good or bad) on other Pages or Places that you are unaware of. How are these pages created? Facebook auto-generates Community Pages, often in the case where someone has typed in your practice or doctor name as their “Employer” in their personal profile. Ask your team members to ensure their employer information is linked to your “official” Facebook Business Page.  You can recognize Community Facebook Pages by their unique profile images, often a briefcase represents a company or what looks like a plus sign within a circle for a dental or medical practice.

Regarding Facebook Places, these pages may be generated via the action of someone “Checking In” at your practice.  This could be created by either a patient or team member. In one situation, a practice was unaware of their Place page and they had several patients who had liked the Place and left testimonials for them. Note at this time, it’s possible to transfer likes/fans, however posts, content, testimonials and recommendations would be lost in the claiming/merging process.  Look for the link that reads, “Is this your business?”    located underneath the profile photo on the left hand column of the Place Page.  Facebook will walk you through a series of steps to claim the Place and merge it with your Business Page.

Also ensure your team is aware of the potential risks of these multiple properties on Facebook. I’ve seen practices with up to five different Business Pages, each one started and abandoned by a team member for “unknown” reasons.  While Facebook can be fun and taken lightly, it’s important to be well informed about this platform.  Invest in team training or consulting when needed. Remember that your online reputation, whether on Facebook or other online platforms, are your responsibility. Take time today to ensure your Facebook presence is representing you well.

Boost your Facebook Marketing Efforts with Rita’s On-Demand Webinars!! (available whenever and where ever you like!)

Over 40% of potential new patients will never consider your practice unless you provide them with ample opportunity to research you online.  This goes far beyond having a traditional website. Initiative, the Interpublic Group media agency, indicated that many consumers won’t make a purchase of anything from shampoo to cars without the ability to do substantial online research.

The Progressive Dentist Magazine

The pricier the item or service, the more research consumers want to do. What does this mean for your practice? It means that potential new patients want to see multiple pieces of online information about your practice. This online real estate may include reviews, testimonials, video, a Facebook Business Page, website, and more.

Read more: Multiple Pieces of Online Real Estate – Reviews & Social Media Marketing for Dentists

This article was originally published in The Progressive Dentist Magazine.  Keep up with their premium content “Teaching the Business of Dentistry” on The Progressive Dentist Magazine on Facebook.

Do you wish Facebook and other review sites would just “go away?”.  If so, you are not alone.  At almost every live event I speak at, there is at least one person who’d love it if all this “social media stuff” would disappear. Unfortunately the genie has been let out of the bottle ... people realize they can now easily vet you before making a decision about whether you are a good choice for healthcare or if they should allow you to deliver the treatment you recommend.  Online research has become a pastime for many people. What this means for practices (and all businesses) is that social media and reviews will continue to either help or hurt your business.

Remember when the phrase, “As Seen on TV” was a great selling point? For years, “As Seen on TV” helped to skyrocket the sales of many products—however what about today?  I recently heard about a cool new product called CitiKitty (you cat lovers will especially appreciate this).  CitiKitty, is a “revolutionary” product that can help you eliminate the use of cat litter by helping you to essentially potty train your cat.  Imagine the sales possibilities. Seriously who wouldn’t want to give up the miserable chore of cat box scooping?

I decided to look into CitiKitty for my smart kitty.  A Google search and visit to their CitiKitty website made their product look great. CitiKitty had a nice little video on the website showing an animated version of how fabulously their product worked.  The product seemed almost good too be true, which is why I was so relieved to see the Facebook logo on their website homepage.  Perfect, I’d visit their Facebook Page and check out what real people are saying about the product. Note that before Facebook came along, I (and likely hundreds of others) could have been “sold” outright on the website presentation alone and purchased the product then and there.  Remember, before the social media genie was let out of the bottle, we didn’t think about researching to the level we do now.

Back to the CitiKitty Facebook Page.  The Page had a spattering of success stories, which had mainly been posted by the Page administrators.  The Page was fortunate enough to have good participation on behalf of “likers”. Many of the  Page posts had several (in some cases 12+ comments), however quite a few of the comments were questions, concerns, or stories about failures (I won’t get into the details about the reported kitty potty failures).  The point I want to make is that rather than respond to questions or concerns, the Page administrators ignored the majority.

So what does this say about CitiKitty?  It might mean that CitiKitty needs to go back to the drawing board and make product improvements.  At minimum, CitiKitty needs to respond to their existing customers.  This situation is a real life example of what not to do on Facebook. Don’t expect to set up a social media presence, post a lot of positive PR about yourself and ignore any questions or concerns that may pop up.  Here is a list of Facebook “Don’ts” that CitKitty (and all of us) can learn from:

1. Don’t ignore your fans or followers. Always respond to comments, questions, or concerns. Good, bad, or ugly. Social media is not the place for complacency.
2. Don’t put your head in the sand. Learn from patterns. Whether consistent themes of kudos or complaints exist, there are lessons to be learned.  What do your clients (or patients) consistently say they like—or dislike?
3. Don’t rely on automation as a solution. To make matters worse, CitiKitty Page administrators have recently integrated their Twitter to their Facebook Page. So at the time of this writing they are not only seemingly ignoring their community, they are also posting loads of (what non-Twitter users will interpret as) non-sensical hashtags and gibberish.

The purpose of this article is not to bash CitiKitty. I think the woman who invented the product had nothing but good intentions.  Perhaps her kitties are just smarter or more trainable than others …  I’d love nothing more than for CitiKitty to go back to the drawing board and find solutions to make this product work on a grand scale. Or perhaps CitiKitty wouldn’t work for every household, but the company had such a positive and well loved kitty community that people bought the product regardless.

This is a great example of the enormous power of social media. It can literally make or break businesses.  Today, it’s not just about how you handle yourself in one on one conversations—it’s also about the way you handle the conversations that are occurring between you and potentially dozens or hundreds of others.  How will you learn from the lessons CitiKitty has stumbled upon?  When patients research you online, what will they learn (and think) about you?

Learn more about Facebook marketing for your practice, check out Rita’s new on-demand webinars here.

With traditional media like the Yellow Pages and newspapers waning, and online advertising clearly on the rise, many practices are wondering if social media marketing would be a good fit for their practice.

In this short program, I summarize the key reasons why your patients are on social media sites like Facebook (over 15 hours per month on average!) and how you can connect with them there, including:

• Why social media matters and how online behaviors are changing
• How social search may change Internet search
• If sites like Facebook are a good fit for your practice
• Where to focus your social media efforts to get results
• Ways social media marketing can fit into your overall marketing plans.

Is Social Media Right For Your Practice (25 minute audio)

Today, digital reputations are increasingly shaping patient decisions.  This is motivating questions and concerns about what doctors can, and should, do to help protect their online reputation.  My advice to dentists and practice administrators is two-fold—including how sites like Facebook can benefit you …

Listen to Top Tips to Protect and Enhance Your Online Reputation (15 min. audio)

Did you catch the summer edition of Rita’s Relationship Marketing Digital Magazine?  Inside “The ultimate guide to word of mouth, referral and social media marketing”, you’ll find:

Word of Mouth Has Gone Digital: Is Your Practice Positioned to Succeed – Learn about word of mouth champions and how they can make or break your practice marketing efforts.

Move Over Small Talk, How Social Media is Revolutionizing New Patient Experiences and Referrals.

Social Media Marketing for Dentists & Medical Professionals - A Digital Magazine

Also, see What’s on Rita’s Bookshelf … Follow some of Rita’s social marketing conversations, and more.  Access the magazine, here.