Written by Clare O'Neill
July 2024

9 Tips to Master Dental Practice Social Media Marketing

Whether you're doing it yourself or outsourcing, these nine tips will help you create a comprehensive social media marketing strategy for your dental practice.

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(Read time 8 - 10 minutes)

How do I market my dental practice on social media?

If you're thinking about this question 👆

You're in luck!

In todays blog, I'm sharing my top nine tips to simplify social media marketing for your dental practice.

My goal is to break dental practice social media marketing down into nine core principles that will:

☝️ 1) Put you at the top of your social media marketing game...
and
✌️ 2) Give you a step-by-step social media marketing strategy that generates real growth and ROI for your dental practice...

Let's dive in!
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I. Understand Your Audience

Maybe you're trying to reach patients...
Maybe you're trying to reach other dentists...
Maybe you're trying to reach a combination of the two or a different audience entirely...

Before you can build a social media strategy, you have to know who your target audience is.

This depends on your personal and practice goals.

Once you have determined who you're trying to reach on social, you should find the answers to these questions:
  • What motivates this person?
  • What problems (we call them pain points) does this person have?
  • How do you help people solve these problems?
  • What is your unique value proposition (aka, what makes you stand out)?
  • What are the key words this person wants to hear in regards to dentistry?
  • What or who does this person care about?
When you can answer these questions, you are creating a "marketing persona" that can help guide your social media marketing efforts so that your content attracts the right audience.

Once you are educated about your audience, you get to decide what to post on social to attract the right audience and showcase your practice or your dentistry.

But where do you start?
Here's what I would do...
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2. Embrace 
Authenticity

A common mistake I see brands on social media making, is using the platform as a digital billboard rather than using the platform to build a community.

Patients are more likely to connect with a brand on social media that is authentic and engaging, not robotic and impersonal.

The most scroll-stopping content is authentic, original, and full of value - be it education, humor, newsworthiness, or entertainment.

That is why your greatest superpower on social media is being yourself and creating an authentic brand that connects with your audience.

If you get stuck on how to build an authentic presence on social media, look to your core values, look to your staff, and look to your patients. Your practice is full of culture and value - how can you approach social media with that in mind?

The social media marketing strategy you use for your dental practice should help you connect with your target audience, ie. your patients, but it should also reflect that you know how to use the platform. 

Copy-cat trends, mis-sized and incorrectly posted content, and "going viral" are not enough to grow on social media in today's content atmosphere.

Your content should be engaging, on-brand, and look like it is supposed to be there - not out of place and inconsistent.

How to be authentic on social media:

  • Treat social media like a community, not a billboard
  • Patients prefer authentic and engaging brands over robotic and impersonal ones.
  • Be authentic, original, and valuable (educational, humorous, newsworthy, or entertaining).
  • Reflect on your core values, involve your staff, and engage with your patients.
  • Demonstrate proficient use of the platform
  • Avoid reliance on copy-cat trends, mis-sized or incorrectly formatted content, and going viral as a sole strategy
There is more than one way to use social media. Don't waste too much time on comparison analysis. Try new things and be yourself!

Focus on creating a strategy and being consistent -- the rest will fall into place as you go.

If you need an example of what authentic posts look like, check out the brilliant use of social media marketing used by Duolingo, Latermedia, and Pretty Little Flips.
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3. Make a Plan

The only guaranteed way to grow your practice on social media, is to try -- Because if you don't even try, how will you grow?

A well-thought-out content plan and execution strategy will make social media marketing easier and help you be more efficient.

But where do you even start? I got you!

First you have to decide: are you doing this yourself, or do you need to hire a part-time social media manager?

Let me be real with you for a second -- Having your receptionist post once a month is not a good social media marketing strategy for your dental practice.

You need to take your social media marketing strategy to the next level if you want to see real growth.

So now the question becomes...

DIY or Outsource?

👉 DIY (Do-It-Yourself)

Doing social media marketing yourself requires...

  • Systems and processes to create content and manage your social media accounts internally


  • Consistency to keep your social media accounts current


  • A solid grasp on social media best practices and how to use the platform
s

  • Additional support from your staff

If you are doing it yourself, there are myriad tools at your fingertips to make social media more organized and manageable.

Here are my social media management essential tools:

💻 Asana is a project management tool that is super easy to use and implement with your staff, and you can track who is supposed to be helping with what when it comes to social media production. Create project boards, assign tasks, check tasks off, and track progress.

Screenshot from Asana.



🎨 Canva is a free graphic design tool to make any type of social media content you can imagine. With pre-made templates, and drag-and-drop design elements, it is the easiest graphic design tool you can use.

Screenshot from Canva.



⏰ Loomly is an excellent tool for scheduling and auto-posting to your social media accounts. Instead of being an every day thing, you can schedule posts in advance so you don't have to post manually every day.

Screenshot from Loomly.



You can bake content creation into your day with short pockets of time and content batching.

If you know this isn't the way for you, or if you can manage some but not all...

Content Batching

Content batching refers to the content creation strategy that groups content creation efforts together in one session to increase efficiency.

For example, writing all your captions out for the week on Saturday and filming all your videos on Sunday.

The intention is to batch content the same way you might run an assembly line to streamline your efforts.

👉 Outsource

To really amp up the social media marketing strategy for your dental practice, consider outsourcing to a social media professional.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Outsourcing requires...

  • A social media marketing agency or freelancer to manage your account


  • Accountability from you and your practice to support the social media manager with content they ask for


  • A solid understanding of social media best practices so you can make educated decisions and suggestions

If you know you don't have the time and the capacity to manage social media yourself, and you don't want to put strain on your staff, you can easily outsource this position for a pretty reasonable price.

You can use job posting platforms like LinkedIn, UpWork, and Fiver to find part-time talent.

Your social media manager will more than likely ask you for specific content they need, but you can use this blog as a guide so you can bring your own ideas to the table!

Regardless of if you end up doing social media yourself, or hiring someone to manage social media for you, you will likely still be asked to provide some of the content, like videos from your office or testimonials from your patients.

Either way, you will have responsibilities for social media marketing, so choose the option that will guarantee your consistency and success on social media!

Now that you have a plan for how to be consistent on social media, you need to ensure you have solid branding in place so your Social Media Manager (SMM) or you and your team can make content that is cohesive and consistent.

This requires you to improve your branding...

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4. Improve Your Branding

Many dental practices underestimate the power of good branding.

Your brand is your lighthouse - good branding pulls people in to your practice.

The goal of branding is to make your practice recognizable both in-person and online, but your brand also represents your company culture and the feeling someone gets when they enter your practice.

You can use your branding as a major differentiator for your practice. I believe this is one of the underdeveloped areas among dental practices that can help set your practice apart.

Again, there are myriad tools and resources available to help you develop your branding, but you can also turn to professional help from an agency, or a more boutique option, like our friends at Two Lips Creative, who helped us with our branding!

People who understand the power of good branding can help you get it right.

Graphic created using Canva.


"We are in a new age of social media where it's not just about being seen by your potential customers or patients, but beginning to build a sense of trust and setting experience expectations.

Consistent, intentional branding allows you to start building that relationship before they ever sit in your chair.

Social media allows you to be part of the conversation before they start asking the question do I need to see a dentist?"

Olivia Wisden 
CEO & Founder of TwoLips Creative (twolipscreative.com)
☝️ Olivia said it best, good branding will help patients know you before they even step foot in your practice.

That is why your social media strategy should absolutely include good branding at the forefront.

Good Branding Includes:

  • An eye-catching color pallet
  • Clear writing guidelines
  • Cohesive fonts and use of text
  • Notable use of color and style
  • A consistent posting schedule


And ALSO:
  • Consistency between what you post and how you operate
  • The feeling patients get in your practice aligns with what they see online
  • How you treat your staff and your patients

Once you have your branding solidified, it makes creating content for social media so much easier.

Good branding answers the question, "what should we post on social media?"

With good branding, you can make drag-and-drop templates for efficiency, you can repurpose content for other platforms with ease, and you can create content that represents your practice culture and looks recognizable across online platforms.

But before you dive in and start creating content with your branding, I want you to understand which content will have a highest ROI so you can hit the ground running. 🏃‍♂️‍➡️ 

Example of testimonial template from Canva.

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5. Create Organic Content

I am a firm believer in the power of organic content. You don't have to pay to promote content when you have a good organic social media content. 

Let's break this down.

Firstly, what is organic vs. paid social media content?

Organic Content

Free to post and share resources and content that reflects your mission, your practice, and your core values. This includes blog posts, email marketing, social media posts, and anything you post online that you don't pay to promote.

Paid Content

The content you pay to promote on various social media platforms. This includes paid ads and post boosting. You are giving someone or a platform money to share or promote your content.
Studies, research, and my own personal experience shows that audiences are interacting more with organic posts, vs. paid content.

When you create good content that is educational, entertaining, informative, actionable, or valuable, you will get more engagement like comments, saves, and shares.

Your content will naturally reach more people if it encourages people to react, respond, or share your content.

This means that you don't have to pour additional budget into paying for ads and boosting posts to get reach - you just need to have a solid organic social media marketing strategy.

Organic Social Media Marketing

Organic social media marketing refers to using social media platforms to build a brand's online presence, engage with your audience, and distribute content without paying for advertising.

This involves creating and sharing content that resonates with a target audience, encourages interactions such as likes, comments, and shares, and ultimately drives brand awareness, loyalty, and advocacy.

Organic social media marketing relies on authentic communication and community-building rather than paid promotion or advertising campaigns.
You don't have to have a crazy budget to build a social media marketing strategy that works.

Organic social media marketing has proven efficacy and will generate a higher return on your investment than your paid social media marketing efforts.

The key to organic social media content, again, has to do with consistency and using the platform natively - as it was intended, while adding value to the viewer.

To build an effective organic social media strategy, I recommend focusing on four content buckets:

Graphic created using Canva.


Each content bucket will provide value to your audience.

Education: Teach your audience information related to your brand or field
Entertainment: Create enjoyable content that is fun to watch 
Offers: Share your offers and services with your audience
News & Information: Keep your audience updated with the newest information and updates in your field

Use these buckets, or create your own content buckets that enable you to create content that is organic.
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6. Be Consistent

In order for you to maintain your social media marketing strategy, you need to incorporate sustainability and consistency into your efforts.

This means scheduling time in your day to grab your phone and make a video, making improvements to your practice that make content creation easier, and educating your staff on how they can support your social media marketing goals.

As you work on these skills, they will become more natural to you and your consistency will improve.

You will get better at taking video and picture content, you will feel more confident in front of the camera, and you will feel comfortable asking patients to leave a video testimonial before they go.

After no time at all, you will start to feel like a real social media pro.

Before you start to think "I don't have time for this," let me assure you, you do!

I asked our Social Media Manager, Luna, how she handles consistency on social media like a pro. Luna says:

"Consistency is key to your social media presence - whether you're posting once a month or multiple times a week. Just find a pace that feels right for you!

I love using content planning tools like Loomly—it helps you schedule posts in advance and keeps everything organized."

Luna Clark
Social Media Manager and Video Editor at Dental Online Training
Using content scheduling and posting tools, like Loomly or Hootsuite, and determining what posting schedule works for you will make consistency easier for you and your team.

Screenshot from Loomly of our content scheduling.

Example Schedule for Incorporating Social Media Marketing into Your Practice:

  • For the first 5 minutes of your work day, take a moment to post something relevant - it can be as simple as you taking a sip of coffee and signing on the new day, or sharing a little bit of your schedule for the day.


  • At your team meeting, encourage your staff to support your social media marketing goals. Fill them in on some video shots that would be helpful for someone to capture this week.


  • As your patient heads to checkout, let them know that you are seeking patient testimonials and they can leave one at reception.


  • During your lunch break, or while you take another sip of coffee, jump on social media to check responses from today's activity. Take a moment to comment on a post or two from your colleagues (this will help them know you're active on social, but it also stimulates a response and a visit to your account!) 


  • As you end the work day, think about any cases you had that would make good content, and make a note to get that patient to sign a waiver (and maybe incentivize with a discount on services to seal the deal).


  • Take 2 minutes before you start your car to send any videos or images captured during the day to your social media manager, or upload them to your social media management tool.


  • As you lay in bed scrolling, instead, use this time to type out a caption or a concept for a new post.

Your schedule may look like this, or may be entirely different, but the purpose of creating a schedule like this is about habit building.

Building social media as a habit instead of a chore will help change your mindset and make social media marketing more manageable.

You can adapt this concept into content batching so you can get things done in one sitting, or you can create your own hybrid of how you want to practice consistency with your dental practice social media marketing strategy.

Social media will become a habit for you and your team, and what was once a notorious point of pain, may become something you actually enjoy doing...

However, if you find yourself needing more support, you can create some influencer partnerships to lighten your load!
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7. Build Influencer Partnerships

Influencer marketing can be incredibly powerful for your dental practice!

In fact, creator content generated 316% more engagement than paid posts in a recent study from Dash Hudson.

Meaning that creator, or influencer content has optimal results when it comes to an audience engaging with your brand.

Influencer content is going to get in front of more eyes, it's going to be authentic and natural, and its going to take some work off your plate.

Plus, you can support the aspiring influencer that comes to your practice.

Win 🤝 Win

Graphic created using Canva.

Creator or Influencer Content

Creator content refers to content like videos, articles, photos, or music, created by advocates of your brand that have a social media presence or are in the process of building one.

These creators often produce content for platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or blogs, and they typically aim to entertain, inform, or engage with their audience - which should intersect with your own audience characteristics and interests. That's what makes the partnership!

Creator content can cover a wide range of topics and styles, and it's often driven by the unique perspectives and talents of the creators themselves. Meaning they provide the content creation expertise so you can sit back and relax (right? 😅)!
The fun thing about working with influencers or creators is that they have expertise on how to use social media so it takes the pressure off of you to be an expert on the subject of content creation.

Additionally, you can learn from the content your creator partners produce, share this insight with your team, or reach out to more influencers to establish more partnerships.

To help you get started with an influencer partnership, I've outlined what you should look for in an influencer...

What to Look for in an Influencer Partnership:

  • Has a social media following or expresses interest in becoming an influencer
  • Has a friendly and bubbly personality
  • Reaches a demographic that intersects with your ideal audience
  • Easy to work with and great communication
  • Naturally gifted with social media content
  • Go-getter who seeks instead of waits
  • Someone who can encourage you with new ideas and posts
  • Someone you can see yourself wanting to work with more

Patients with these qualities are all over the place. You just need to set your intention and start spreading the word that you are looking for influencers to help market your dental practice on social media.

In addition to leaning on influencers for support, you can also lean on your patients.
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8. Gather Patient Reviews and Testimonials

Patient reviews and testimonials are essential to capturing the true value of your dental practice.

Good reviews can be used to support your social media marketing strategy. Bad reviews can help you make improvements to get better.

Here's what I know about testimonials:

🥰 Social proof encourages people to buy
Psychologically, people are more likely to trust products and services that other people trust.

Social proof will have a positive impact on your reputation and increase the demand for your dentistry.

😅 Asking is the hardest part
You will find that the hardest part of getting reviews or testimonials is the asking part...

"Would you mind leaving us a review or giving us your testimonial...?"

Some people are just naturally better at asking than others, and as someone who hates asking, I have never been rejected when asking someone directly for a testimonial. 

This should encourage you to get over that fear of asking!

Maybe there is someone on your team that is exceptional with patients that can champion this effort to get more testimonials.

🪑 Find a comfortable spot for in-office testimonials
I encourage you to have a small space where you can take patient video testimonials in your office or in a patient room where they can sit comfortably and be away from a crowd. Most people don't like an audience.

Don't push people, if they say no, then today is not the day. Send them on their way with instructions on how to submit their testimonial to you digitally via online, phone, or email, if they feel so inclined.

🤑 Incentivize to seal the deal
Alternatively, you can offer an incentive for people willing to give you a video testimonial.

A Starbucks gift card, or a treatment discount can go a long way for a patient that already loves you.

🤔 Learn from your patients
Testimonials can also be extremely valuable research tools to understand how your patients see your practice or explain your services. 

I have taken many notes from feedback calls that are then used to help us describe Dental Online Training to other dentists.

Online reviews are incredibly important if you are trying to grow your practice.

When someone finds your practice, the first thing they're going to do is Google you (then check if you take their insurance 😂). 

It's important to have an online reputation that reflects what patients can experience when they visit your dental practice, and positive reviews that back up your dentistry.

Example of customer testimonials.

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9. Track, Analyze, and Adapt

After about a month or so of being consistent on social media, you will have actionable insights to review.

At a quick glance, you will be able to tell which content performed the best.

The more data you collect and track, the more you will learn how to improve your dental practice social media marketing strategy.

There are several ways to collect, track, and measure your data, but I recommend starting with 2-3 KPIs (key performance indicators) to make tracking easy, like number of followers and number of post views.

Graphic created using Canva.


You can start by focusing on posts with the highest engagement and track how many followers you gain.

You can also review analytics from native platforms. Instagram has it's own analytics, your scheduling and posting software will have reporting you can review each month, and you can create a simple Google Sheet or Excel Spreadsheet to keep track each month.

Your tracking and reporting does not have to be fancy. It should be simple so you can keep up with it.

The most important part of reporting is seeking areas to improve so you can learn from your wins and losses to improve over time.

Analyzing your results and adapting your strategy will keep you at the forefront of social media marketing and make you more successful on social media.

Example of analytics report from Instagram.

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Let's review!

To be successful on social media, you need to:
  • Understand your audience
  • Embrace authenticity
  • Make a plan
  • Improve your branding
  • Utilize organic content
  • Be consistent
  • Build influencer partnerships
  • Get patient reviews and testimonials 
  • Track, analyze, and adapt as you go
When it comes to social media, it does not have to be perfect. You can come as you are and learn as you go.

I encourage you to try new skills, get creative, and find the resources you need to be successful and make social media marketing a profitable endeavor for your practice.

If you understand what motivates your audience, and combine that with what you like to do, social media marketing can be a fun and enjoyable experience for your dental practice.

With a solid social media marketing strategy, attention to branding, and consistency, you will develop a social media presence that attracts the right people.

I wish you the best of luck, happy posting, and that the algorithm odds be ever in your favor!

Thank you for reading ☺️

Clare O'Neill

Digital Marketing Manager at Dental Online Training
Content Marketing | Online Marketing | Strategist

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