Promoting dentists on social media can prove to be a challenge.  That isn’t because of the subject matter or the nature of the work, but because in a way, dental practices themselves are prime candidates for social media that there is a substantial amount of competition.  Dentistry is a perfect candidate for social media marketing – everyone needs one, it is a high-value service, and the target audience (frequent dental users) is frequently online. 

There are some key areas where dentists must take special care in their social media engagements, and these areas can make marketing online for dentists a bit of a challenge.  From this perspective, there are two main areas to control:  Patient-centric considerations and the promotional content itself.  Details into these areas are elaborated further below.

Patient-centric areas to control

• Confidentiality: As for all healthcare professionals, dentists are bound by strict patient confidentiality and privacy regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the United States.  Explicit consent is required for sharing any patient-related information or images.  The social media promoter must ensure that all content is fully neutral when it comes to identifying information or data points.  In this case, customer testimonials are tricky, and generally not a commonly-used theme .  In the same way, dental-related topics are not as easily shareable.  Creating content that users want to engage with is, in this case, more challenging.
• Credibility:  Building credibility on social media goes hand in hand with building trust on the part of prospective customers or patients.  With established trust in their dentist’s expertise and professionalism, any messaging that follows will be better-received.  Dentistry-related content must be first oriented around education, and informing the audience of tips to improve health and increase prevention is key.

Content-specific areas to control

• Visual Content:  Unlike some industries that can easily share visually appealing content, dental procedures may not be visually appealing or suitable for all audiences.  People may be uncomfortable seeing images or videos of dental treatments.  The good news for dentists is that happy and clean smiles are attractive for any marketing effort, and are of unique relevance to dentists.  Images should leverage this association as much as possible.
• Regulatory Compliance:  Similar to other healthcare professions, dentists adhere to advertising and marketing regulations specific to healthcare.  While specific regulations vary by location, they are universally restrictive, limiting content development to topics of general health interest, with mainly an educational motivation.
• Extreme cases:  As dentists are all-too-well aware, many patients have some anxiety when coming to the dentist’s office.  Promoting dentistry on social media can unintentionally trigger fear or anxiety in potential patients.  Sensitivity is paramount when it comes to technical terms, diagrams, pictures and descriptive text.

The fact remains that many dentists do not have the time or expertise to effectively manage social media accounts or create compelling content.  A dentist can, however, undertake a basic campaign without too much difficulty.  Some tasks can be allocated to clinic administrative staff.  Otherwise, many dentists rely on marketing professionals or agencies, but these can be costly.

Despite these challenges, some dentists have successfully leveraged social media to promote their practices by focusing on educational content, community engagement, testimonials (with patient consent), and by highlighting their expertise and commitment to patient care.  With regular and consistent care – similar to the advice that dentists give their patients – building a strong online presence for a dental practice can be done, and at the same time can provide value to the audience.

Dentists who have succeeded in social media promotion have employed strategies which are categorized into a few key areas, as described below.

Educational Content

• Educational Content – includes sharing informative content related to oral health.  This type of content can include tips for maintaining healthy teeth, information about different dental procedures, or explanations of common dental problems or symptoms.  In this way, the dentist is being positioned as authoritative, but at the same time, building rapport and trust with the audience, being seen to put the patients’ needs as number one priority. 
• Visual content – as mentioned above, dentistry can take advantage of the attractive lure of bright and beautiful smiles.  Before-and-After Photos (with Consent or taken from other marketing sources which are approved by the source) can highlight results of dental treatments.
• Free Q&A Sessions – gives patients and practitioners a chance to get to know each other prior to scheduling a treatment or check-up appointment. 
• Multimedia content – education videos can be turned into short videos. 

Audience Connection

• Community Engagement – dental care presentations can be given at schools or senior citizens organizations, or by participating in or sponsoring events, supporting charitable causes, or sharing local news and stories.  This type of activity is good for directly networking with potential patients, and also makes for great content to share on all social media channels.  Use location-based hashtags to connect with local residents.
• Interactive Content – best used after a large audience has been developed, to encourage interaction through polls, quizzes, and questions.  For example, you could ask followers about their oral health habits or dental trivia questions.
• Quick response – responses to online comments and messages is key to building trust and rapport.  The dentist or someone on staff should actively monitor social media channels for quick responses.  This responsiveness also demonstrates a commitment to patient care.

Focused Promotional Efforts

• Promotions and Special Offers can be used sparingly.  The dentist would not want to appear as too much of a salesman.  Occasionally the practice can offer promotions or discounts on dental services through social media, which also enables further engagement and interaction with the audience. 
• Collaborate with other local businesses or influencers to expand your reach.  For example, partner with a local gym to promote overall health or collaborate with a beauty salon for a smile makeover package.
• Patient Referral Program:  Encourage existing patients to refer friends and family by offering incentives or discounts for successful referrals.

Consistent efforts will show benefits over time.  Monitoring of social channels and tracking the results will reveal optimal themes that strike a positive note with the audience.  From there, social media efforts will become more efficient (and easier to post) over time.