Not long after opening itself to the public, Pinterest established itself as a site that demands attention. It’s the fastest growing stand-alone website to hit 10 million unique visitors and as of this writing now claims over 25 million. For pediatric dentists, Pinterest draws your primary target audience with the majority of users being affluent, college-educated, females aged 18-34. Like all social media that your customers take part in, Pinterest can help you develop relationships with the patients you already know (retention) and reach out to new patients in your area that may not know about your practice (acquisition). In short, your practice should have a Pinterest account.
But simply claiming your spot on Pinterest is only the first step in taking advantage of this incredible social media tool. You will want to gain followers and watch your presence grow. This is going to require two areas of focus that are connected in their methods. First, you need to let people know that you have a Pinterest account. Then, you will want to continue to provide relevant content that keeps people looking at your account and sharing it with their friends.
Here are a few ideas specific to dentists that will help get you started in promoting your Pinterest account:
Start with the people you know.
For any new social media account, you will want to begin by reaching out to people that you know first. Start by requesting that your family, friends, staff and colleagues follow you on Pinterest. You will want to pay more attention to numbers for a new account, so every new follower is valuable even if those followers are friends.
Use office signage.
Posting a flyer with a link to your Pinterest account is one of the easiest and most effective ways to promote your account in your practice. Think of areas where your patients are waiting with phone in hand. Front desk areas and doors are not always the best choice because there are too many other activities that are taking place. Instead, think of places where you already see your patients on their phones. Even a five minute wait often means that phones are being pulled out of pockets and purses and there’s a good chance that Pinterest is already being visited by patients in your office. Make the flyer simple and bold with a clear link to your account. Don’t worry with “http://” or “www” . Simply posting “pinterest.com/your_username” is sufficient.
Put your account link everywhere.
Every email, mailing, invoice, statement and receipt should contain a link to the social media accounts you want to grow the most. It’s not necessary to include all of them. Focus on the two or three that you spend the most time on and make certain that you add the link. Make sure your email signature includes a link to Pinterest and don’t forget your personal email address signature as well.
Cross-promote.
If you already have a good Facebook or Twitter following, be sure to let those fans know that you are also on Pinterest. Do this periodically so that you continue to reach the largest audience possible. You may consider posting a picture on Facebook of something eye catching that you have pinned on Pinterest along with a link to your account. Most Pinterest users are active of multiple social networks, but spend much more of their time on Pinterest. By engaging them in multiple areas you are more likely to grab their attention and increase the likelihood that they will refer your practice to their friends.
To have friends, be friendly!
One of the great attributes of Pinterest users is that if you follow their boards, they will follow you back! Use the search feature to find people and businesses in your local area and then follow their account. Be sure to check “Pins”, “Boards” and “Pinners” as well as all the variations of your local area that you can think of. While Pinterest is global, following as many local boards as possible will ensure that your primary benefit on Pinterest remains in reaching out to your local community. Don’t forget to return the favor. If someone follows you first, be sure to follow them back.
Consider a contest.
“Pin to win” contests are a great way to quickly grow your Pinterest following. Prizes don’t have to be large – if fact, we’ve found that the response for a $25 gift card is just as high as a $50 gift card. People love to enter contests, and they love to win. Keep the contest rules simple and straight forward and make certain that you promote the contest in your practice. As with your account itself, you have to let people know that you are running a contest to ensure a good response. Here is a terrific board that we’ve found with some excellent ideas for Pinterest contests: http://pinterest.com/pinchat/contests-on-pinterest/
Make a local board.
One of your Pinterest boards should be of local interest. Label it with the name of your community so that it’s easy to find, include the location in the board description and fill it with pins that would interest those who live near your practice. You might consider local high school news, announcements from other businesses or stories highlighting your patients.
Empower your staff.
All of your boards don’t need to be dental related. In fact, social media is an opportunity for people to get to know you and your staff. You can give members of your staff their own board under your account by adding them as pinners to a board that you create just for them. For example, you might have a board called “Dental Hygienist Pam’s Favorite Things” and allow Pam to fill the board with her favorite hobbies or likes. While your followers will see items that aren’t really related to your practice, they will get to know your staff better which increases the loyalty they feel towards you. They will also see your practice name on every pin, so this increases your exposure and brand awareness.
Stay active.
Be sure to spend a few minutes each week adding new content to your Pin boards. The more boards you follow, the easier it is to find great pins. Don’t forget to keep searching for people in your local area to follow. Set a goal of how many new accounts you want to follow a week and then work to reach that goal. Periodically remind followers of your other social media accounts that you are on Pinterest as well.
Smile Savvy can help you setup and/or manage a Pinterest account for your practice. Visit the Social Media section of our website for more information on how we can help your practice grow with social media.
