It may be an internet cliché to say that “content is king”, but that maxim is truer now than ever before. Better SEO, higher engagement, more educated patients and greater new patient outreach all rely on keeping your content fresh. The content that you post on your social media accounts, blogs and newsletters is competing with a cacophony of noise that your patients have to sort through. If someone takes time to look at what you are putting online, reward them with content that will bring them back for more.
Here are five simple ideas that you can use today to bring fresh content to what you are posting online:
Listen to your patients.
What are the top questions your patients ask time and time again? These are the topics they want to know more about. Consider posting a response on Facebook or your blog. Increase engagement by attaching a link where they can find out more information. Include an eye catching picture that illustrates the question in a unique way. One of our most popular posts involved permanent teeth coming in behind baby teeth (often called “shark teeth”). Several parents left comments indicating that they had worried about this with their own children and even thanked us for the post. Find out what your patients want to know and then help them with an answer.
Get local and current.
As a local dentist, you aren’t trying to reach a national audience. Your followers on social media will respond to local stories that impact them where they are. Did a hometown team just win a regional or state title? Congratulate them. Has the weather been unusually hot? Cold? Wet? Talk about it. Did one of your patients do something newsworthy? Brag on him or her. Set your social media posts apart by showing that you care about your community.
Take a lot of pictures.
Social media is increasingly growing more visual. The popularity of sites like Instagram and Pinterest have proven that people love pictures. If you scroll through your Facebook newsfeed, you will notice that the posts with the highest number of likes, comments and shares are pictures. People want to see your office behind the scenes, candid shots of your staff and above all else they love to see themselves. Take pictures (with permission) and post them as often as you can.
Share. Re-pin. Re-post.
Some of the most popular websites, blogs and social media accounts don’t even create any of their own content. Instead, they look at what is trending and what is popular and they share it with their audience. While you have to be careful not to share something copyrighted, most social media content was made to be redistributed. All you need to do is look at what your friends and followers are posting and get on the bandwagon. Just make sure to stay current; remember, fresh!
Be funny.
The most shared content across all social media are items that people find funny. Further, positive posts are twice as likely to be shared as negative ones. Look for humorous content to share even if that content is not strictly about dentistry. Of course, what can be more about dentistry than sharing a smile?
