Increaing your online presence: Facebook

It is not new information that patients are looking to connect with their dentists and doctors in other ways, besides entering the office. Your online presence is important however, not only for patients but for potential employees as well.  Recently my husband and I decided to place our kids in the school district closest to our home. The first thing I did was look for their Facebook, website and reviews. What information you have or don’t have on the Internet greatly impacts your practice. When I started looking for a new dentist to take my kids to, again I immediately went to the Internet.

Facebook is a great and easy way to keep patients in the know. How do you create a good look? Well that is the great thing about Facebook, you don’t have to spend hours creating colors and designing. You get an option on a business page for a header picture. You can do this in three easy steps.

How do you get patients to find you? There are a couple of different options. For example, you can purchase IPads and have them in your waiting room for patients. Have it immediately load your Facebook page and potential patients can like you. However, this also allows patients to do something else while waiting. You can also have a QR code on your business cards that takes patients to your page or you can have a post card that has your information on it with your Facebook url code. 

What content do you put on there?

This can be a little tricky because there is so much information going out on the Internet. However, you can do a quick survey of your patients, using a website called Survey Monkey that asks patients what information they want. Or you can do some Google searching to see what other dentists are putting out there.  Here is what I recommend:

Monday: a welcome hope you had a great weekend quote.

Tuesday: A new technology, special or event your practice is engaging in

Wednesday: a dental fact

Thursday: an inspirational message

Friday: A enjoy the weekend quote or message

Your Facebook should represent you and your staff. Put pictures of your office up. If you write articles for magazines or other online places, give this information to your readers. If your patients like you or send a message, you want to respond. Appreciate them for going to your site and helping to build your online presence. This isn’t an area you can afford to neglect anymore.

Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build teamwork and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.