What is your primary objective for being on Facebook or Twitter? Are you interested primarily in link-building, solely for “SEO” purposes? Perhaps you are interested in acquiring as many friends and people who will “like” your Facebook Page as possible, because we’ve always been taught that more is better …

A traditional marketing mind-set was to acquire more.  Let the numbers show how effective our direct mail piece was.  How many patient phone calls we got from our phone book ad.  How many hits to our website.  However, without quality none of those numbers really matters.

It is our intentions that drive our actions.  If we intend to build up a certain number of fans, whether it be 500 or 2,000 fans, we are focused on the numbers. On the other hand, if we focus on winning the interest, praise, and appreciation of our followers, we are bound to win.

Remember that social media marketing is unlike any other marketing tool we’ve ever had access to.  Discard your old marketing mind-set.  Be thoughtful about your objectives.  Consider what is more important to you—a high quantity fan base or a high quality fan base.  I’m not saying you can’t have both, but in social media, typically numbers as a primary goal can sabotage quality.

Set your intention to first and foremost build trust and relationships with your followers.  Strive to make your social media platforms a place you can talk with your patients and followers. Imagine when patients come into your office.  What is the social conversation you have with them?  It is that type of exchange that can make your social marketing efforts a success.

It may take more time and energy to consider what your ideal social media community could look like.  The easy way out is to set a number as a goal and walk away.  A better objective—that will return more positive word of mouth and referrals—is to put interaction, authentic “liking”, and relationship building at the top of the list.

What are your social media goals and objectives?

This week’s Featured 2 Minute Audio Snippet: Dentist Social Media Tool of Choice

Or listen to the entire interview:

A new situation has arisen.  For anyone who owns a Facebook Business Page, this is a new problem many of us can relate too.  Just when we got comfortable asking people to become our “Fans”, Facebook changed the action to “Like”.

One female doctor recently stated that she, “Feels funny asking male patients if they’d like her”. LOL ;>)

And it’s not just the healthcare profession.  I recently ran across this Whole Foods Market thread on Facebook, who now address their fans as,  “People Who Like Us”.   Whole Foods went on to say they too feel a bit awkward calling fans their “Likers”.  They have since received a plethora of fun responses (at last check 471 comments) about what their “fans” would now like to be called.

So, what do you say when you invite patients to “Like” you on Facebook?

Most importantly, what do you think your patients–who like you–would like to be called?

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Each week, we’ll feature a 2 minute snippet / excerpt from Rita Zamora’s recent podcast interview “Social Media & Referral Marketing for Dentists” conducted by JB Brathwaite of DentistsSOS.com.

Featured 2 Minute Snippet: How has Social Media Changed Marketing for the Dental Practice?

Listen to the 45 minute podcast:

Can social media marketing be outsourced?  That’s a common question I hear from dentists and practice managers.  The answer is yes—except not entirely …

For example, I recently overheard a dentist asking his assistant to check his personal Facebook account and respond to any new comments.  On Facebook there is an expectation that you will interact on your own “personal” behalf. Unless you are a celebrity, whereas, it wouldn’t be uncommon to have assistance.  Keep in mind, every situation is unique.  However, in general, where is the best place to draw the line?

A best practice would be to manage your own “Personal” Facebook account yourself.  Why? Consider your colleagues or friends that likely assume it’s you they’re befriending, sharing, and interacting with.  Had your colleagues, friends or potential new friends knew it really wasn’t you participating, would they still want to be friends with you? Again, every situation is unique … In general, personal accounts are best handled personally.

On the other hand, a “Business” Facebook Page may be delegated or co-managed. However, keep in mind, social media is meant to be social—and people expect your efforts to be authentic and genuine.

Most importantly, be sure at least one person within your practice always knows the following:

• What is posted (or tweeted) on the doctor’s or practice behalf.
• What patients or people who “Like” your Page are saying on your Page.
• What is being posted as comments on your behalf.

In order for your social media efforts to succeed, at least one person in your practice should be fluent and up to date with your social media efforts.  Hopefully that one person is 1) excited about social media. 2) interested in patient relations. 3) motivated to interact and listen to patients, alliances, and online networks.

Outsourcing your social media efforts 100% can be risky. It’s almost like telling someone to answer your phone, but “don’t bother telling us what you or our patients talk about”.  In this situation, you may want to consider whether social media is a good fit for you.

An effective way to outsource is to appoint someone in your office to co-manage your social marketing with a professional social media marketing service provider. This allows your team to participate, interact, and enjoy the benefits of this type of marketing, without having to shoulder the entire responsibility.

Whether handled internally or co-managed, remember keys to success in social marketing are being authentic and social.  Genuinely enjoying socializing, relationship building, and having fun while doing so are a plus!

Who manages your social marketing efforts?

Video for healthcare marketing is hot, hot, hot!!  I spent yesterday morning at the RockyMountain PBS studio at the Colorado Healthcare Communicators meeting. This months meeting topic was “How to Integrate Multimedia into Your PR Campaign”.

The speakers showed great examples of how organizations like Kaiser Permanente are leveraging “home-made” style video for PR and marketing purposes.

A few interesting points from the meeting are:

1. Video doesn’t have to be professional grade. In fact, Kaiser sometimes uses a “Flip” style camera to make video—which is getting picked up by major news media such as ABC.
2. Be creative, show your personality. Have fun!
3. Be brief.  2-3 minute length is fine.
4. Don’t hesitate investing in professional editing. It can make a huge difference in the overall polish. Although, again, they stressed that today’s video does not have to be commercial grade. Candid, YouTube style videos are fine.
5. Remember video and social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) go hand in hand …

The explosion of video popularity may soon evolve to consumers expecting video of you (like websites were years ago).  It’s becoming clear that video marketing, when done right, can give healthcare providers a competitive advantage.

Will video be a part of your marketing plan?

Would you send someone ten or twenty emails in a row? I’ve recently seen several examples of multiple Facebook business page posts blasted out one right after another.  Twenty posts is far more than most people want to receive from their dentist in one day …

Keep in mind every business and audience is different.  In general, however, most people don’t want to hear from their health care provider that often, unless you have a really unique community (and if you do, let us know because we’d like to check you out:)).

Twenty posts can drown out other posts in a newsfeed.  Facebook is meant primarily for fun and socializing.  Seeing ten or more posts at a time on periodontal disease, root canals, or flossing can be frustrating for some folks. When you post too much, too often, you risk having your future posts hidden.

Most importantly, you could also scare off potential new “Likes”. Once people see how often you post, they’ll likely decline.  One possible indicator that you may be posting too much is a flat community, or having to heavily incentivize people to join your page.

We’ve reached the point where we want to know how often we’ll get emails if we subscribe.  Likewise, especially as Facebook pages become more common, people will scrutinize what you are posting and how often before they’ll “Like” your page.

Facebook marketing is all about exploring what works for you and your community.  Even if you’re really excited and have a lot to say, try to stage out your posts over time.  The benefit is that you’ll have plenty of content to use and you won’t have to struggle to brainstorm future posts.

How many posts do you think is appropriate per day, week or month?

Let’s say you’re a professional person, a dentist, consultant or speaker … How much personality is appropriate for you to show in your Facebook personal profile picture?

Do you think it destroys your professional credibility to be seen as a golfer, hiker, fisherman or dog lover? I personally think it helps people to connect and build trust. However, I really want to know what you think.

Should professional people only be seen professionally, whether it’s a business or personal Faceboook account? Take the poll. Share your opinion and see what others think.

Randy Alvarez, who will interview me next month on his Wellness Hour show, says he thinks my personal Facebook profile picture “the ball cap and the dog need to go”…

Tell me what you think.  Watch the first 3 1/2 minutes of this video and take the poll.  Thank you!

Gone are the days of treating consumers like targets. Businesses are beginning to realize that it’s better to build trust first and sell second.  So, what does this mean for traditional dental marketing?

The most important thing to consider is the commodity of dental care available on the market today. It’s become easy to replicate digital x-rays, a modern reception room, flexible hours or cool staff uniforms—what’s impossible to replicate is your genuine self. Showing a bit of your personality can go a long way in building trust and relationships. The added bonus is you’ll give patients something easy to remember (and fun to talk about) when they refer to you.

Dr S. and Stella:)

Some of the most successful dentists I know have learned it’s okay to share a bit of their personality with patients. They may love dogs, fishing, golf, music, travel, volunteering, etc.  Whatever their passion, they confidently show a part of their authentic self. This in turn comes across to patients as genuine, real and trustworthy.

What better way to easily connect with someone than through shared interests? For example, over 3 billion dollars are expected to be spent on pet services in the United States alone this year––we Americans love our pets.  The love of dogs is just one example of a personal interest you might share with your patients.

Beep Beep!

Share your personality, interests, and authentic self with patients via newsletter tidbits, Facebook posts or tweets … weave it into your marketing communication.  Allow your truly unique traits to shine through.  By doing so, you’ll likely attract more ideal patients.  Remember, patients that find you genuine and personable are more apt to quickly build trust with you––which in turn affects case acceptance and referrals.

What does your marketing communication say about you?