We’ve written previously about Instagram for dentists and how you can set up and begin to use Instagram in your practice. At that time, Instagram boasted 100 million active monthly users. That number has now risen to 150 million. This explosive growth along with Instagram’s acquisition by Facebook in 2012 and the addition of video in 2013 means that it is a social network that shouldn’t be ignored. But what does the popularity of Instagram mean specifically to dentists? Here are five truths you can learn from the Instagram phenomenon:
Pictures drive engagement.
With very few exceptions, everything you post online should include an eye-catching picture. Posts that include pictures get more shares, more likes and more overall engagement than just text alone. The most popular social media outlets of the past three years have been image based with Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram all gaining momentum. The social media “standards” Facebook and Twitter have increased the visual aspect of their sites and user posts with larger profile pictures, wide screen format cover photos and easier ways to post images online.
Your fans want to see ordinary objects in new and creative ways.
The charm of Instagram has been the ability for average people to take photos of everyday objects with their phones and make them interesting. Dentists can drive the engagement of their fans by posting close-up pictures of equipment, the prizes and stickers they hand out, stacks of toothbrushes, etc. Get creative and give your followers the ability to see the “behind the scenes” of your practice. What you may think of as common or boring can be quite interesting to your followers.
Hashtags rule.
Hashtags are simply words and phrases added to a post with the “#” symbol, making your posts more search discoverable. Hashtags have long been popular on Twitter, but have increased even more with Instagram and now even Facebook. Think of a phrase that someone might be looking for and add it to a relevant post. Examples could include #Smiles, #CleanTeeth or even #Dentist. Consider also using hashtags that are localized with your city or community. Check out our recent blog post on this topic to read more on using hashtags.
People love to see pictures of themselves.
Even before mobile phones made taking a self-portrait easier than ever, the so-called “selfie” was already popular online. Self portraits, were the norm on emerging social sites like MySpace. People simply love to see themselves on the internet. If you want to grow your social media accounts, get patient permission and start taking photos. A photo of a smiling, cavity free child is an almost guaranteed like or new follower. This is true of nearly every social network and is a quick, sure-fire way to grow your online presence.
Social media is fun.
We know that dentists want to be involved with social media because they want to grow their practice and educate their patients. But we also understand that social media is primarily about entertainment. Too much advertising and too much education will drive patients away, keep your engagement low and prevent your accounts from growing. The key to success for dentists involved in social media is to advertise without your prospective patients realizing it and to educate your current patients without them realizing it, in fun ways. You can do this by showing the personality of your practice. Pictures can show off your team and attract new patients by displaying how much you enjoy what you do.
While these truths are based on the popularity of Instagram, they aren’t specific to it. Social media is constantly changing. And it’s not necessary to be on every single site or to follow each new trend. You should focus on what you are comfortable with and what you feel your practice can do well. Smile Savvy is here to help with full social media management so that you can be as involved as you would like to be. Visit the social media section of our website for more information on how we can help!