Does your dental practice’s social media feel like it’s in need of a root canal? It’s time to give it a new lease on life with engaging content that attracts new patients.
In this guide, we’ll be your dental assistant, helping you clean up your social media strategy. Learn how to select the right platforms, create compelling posts, and highlight your skills to keep your practice thriving.
Let’s give your social media presence the full restoration it deserves.
What are the benefits of social media for dentists?
As a dental practice owner, you know that building strong relationships with your patients is key to your success. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer incredible opportunities to establish a strong social media presence and connect with both current and potential patients in meaningful ways.
Imagine the impact of sharing a heart-warming patient testimonial from someone who overcame their dental anxiety thanks to your gentle care. Or picture the social media engagement you could generate by posting an educational video that breaks down a complex procedure like dental implants in an easy-to-understand way for your target audience.
These types of posts not only spotlight your expertise but also help build trust with potential dental patients who are looking for a dentist they can rely on.
What should your dental social media marketing include?
To create a social media marketing plan that genuinely connects with your dental audience, focus on developing a well-rounded content mix that educates, engages, and inspires.
You can share posts that address real-life dental concerns, such as the most effective ways to prevent cavities or when to consider orthodontic treatment. Visual content is particularly powerful in the dental industry. Showing before-and-after photos of your most impressive transformations, behind-the-scenes images of your team in action, and videos that simplify complicated procedures like wisdom teeth extraction is another great way to interact with your audience.
By incorporating these elements into your social media strategies, you’ll forge authentic connections with your target audience and establish a strong online presence for your dental practice.
But how do you choose the right platform?
Find the right social media channels
To find the best social media channels for your dental practice, consider your target audience and the type of social media content you want to share.
Facebook is great for reaching a diverse, multi-generational (leaning towards slightly older) audience with detailed posts, long-form videos, patient reviews, and community updates.
If you’re looking to engage a demographic that needs cosmetic procedures and looking for visually appealing content, Instagram is your go-to platform. Show your work and office culture through high-quality images and short videos that resonate with this audience.
Tik Tok
For practices aiming to connect with patients through creative, bite-sized content, TikTok is an excellent choice. This platform thrives on short, entertaining videos perfect for sharing fun, educational clips and behind-the-scenes content that humanizes your practice.
By carefully selecting the right social media sites for your practice, you can effectively reach your desired audience and build a community of loyal dental patients.
Facebook marketing for dentists
To effectively leverage Facebook for your dental practice, focus on these key strategies:
- Create a professional Facebook Business page: Include information about your specialties, such as cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, or pediatric dentistry, to attract your target audience.
- Share engaging video content: Capitalize on the growing popularity of video content by creating short, informative videos that show your team’s expertise and personality.
- Use Facebook Live: Host live Q&A sessions or demonstrations to interact with patients in real time. This can include answering common dental questions, showcasing new treatments or technologies, or providing virtual pre-consultations for prospective patients.
- Engage with patients through comments and messaging: Is a patient messaging you about a dental emergency? Respond as quickly as you can and with empathy. They may be experiencing severe tooth pain, a broken crown, or a lost filling. Offer guidance on how to manage their discomfort until they can be seen, and work with your team to prioritize their appointment.
- Implement targeted Facebook Ads with video: Develop a social media marketing strategy that uses Facebook’s advanced advertising tools to reach potential patients in your area. Create video ads that highlight your practice’s unique offerings, such as advanced dental implant techniques and laser dentistry to differentiate your practice from competitors.
Instagram marketing for dentists
Instagram is a fantastic platform for dental professionals to connect with patients. Here’s how to make the most of it:
- Show Off Your Visual Content: High-quality images make a huge difference. We recommend you post before-and-after photos, office snapshots, and team pictures to attract new patients. Use Instagram’s filters and editing tools to make your visual content stand out.
- Use Instagram Stories: Share daily updates, quick dental tips, and behind-the-scenes glimpses. Use interactive features like polls, questions, and swipe-up links to keep followers engaged with your social media content.
- Encourage User-Generated Content: Ask patients to share their experiences and tag your practice. Repost these stories to build a sense of community and trust. Create a branded hashtag to encourage more participation.
- Make the Most of Instagram Reels: Short, engaging videos showcasing dental tips, patient transformations, and fun office moments can reach a wider audience. Reels are a great way to diversify your types of content and engage more users.
TikTok marketing for dentists
TikTok may have started with a younger audience, but it’s now a platform where over 25% of users are between 25 and 44. That means a massive pool of patients is ready to discover your practice through fun videos.
- Embrace Trending Sounds and Participate in Challenges: Hop on a popular dance challenge, but make it dental-themed! Use trending sounds to create catchy videos that showcase your practice’s personality.
- Share Bite-Sized Oral Health Tips: Create quick videos demonstrating proper brushing and flossing techniques, or share tips on preventing bad breath and maintaining healthy gums.
- Showcase Smile Transformations with a Before-and-After Reveal: Document a patient’s journey to a healthier, brighter smile with short clips that culminate in a dramatic before-and-after reveal. This can be a powerful way to demonstrate your expertise.
- Highlight Your Practice’s Personality: Give your followers a glimpse into the fun and friendly atmosphere of your dental office. Share behind-the-scenes snippets of your team interacting with patients, celebrating birthdays, or even just having a laugh together.
Creating dental posts for social media
Consider mixing up your content to cover various oral health topics while showing your practice’s unique personality. This approach helps create engaging, high-quality posts that your audience will love.
Here are some ideas we enjoyed on dental social profiles and some we thought of ourselves.
Facebook dental post ideas and examples
What if you created a “Dental FAQs” series?
You could address common patient questions with simple, easy-to-understand text paired with visuals like infographics or short explainer videos (30-60 seconds).
Living Well With Dr. Michelle does precisely this… and they do it well, with 3,000 plays on this video alone:
How about sharing “Healthy Smile” tips?
Highlight your preventive care philosophy with eye-catching images and a friendly, conversational tone. This not only educates but also builds a connection with your audience.
Pro tip:Try using Facebook’s auto-captioning feature for videos. Videos with captions are more likely to be viewed, making your content more accessible and improving video completion rates.
Dental Instagram post examples
You could start by trying a “Smile Makeover” series.
Here, you could show off your cosmetic dentistry transformations with a consistent grid layout. Use high-resolution, before-and-after images (aim for 1080×1080 pixels) with brief captions (2-3 sentences) and 5-9 relevant hashtags to boost your discoverability.
Dr Rubenstein got some strong interaction on this post, with 396 comments:
Use Instagram Stories to interact:
Use poll, question, and quiz stickers in Stories to increase engagement and gather insights. Interactive content like this often gets more attention than regular posts.
Pro tip: Post when your audience is most active, typically Monday and Thursday between 11 am and 12 pm. Use analytics to find your best times.
TikTok dental post examples
“Dental Duets” anyone?
Here, you could collaborate with other TikTok creators to make fun, informative 15-30-second videos. Use trending sounds, text overlays, and captions to make your content more discoverable and engaging.
Or share real patient experiences with jump cuts, trending music, and on-screen captions to tell compelling stories about patients – they don’t even have to be your own patients as we’ll see below.
The Bentist on TikTok went viral with a story about a patient of another dentist who found a tomato seed stuck in her tooth, which had grown into a small tomato plant!
He emphasized the importance of brushing your teeth, and the video has racked up an impressive 665,000 likes so far.
Pro tip: Use 3-6 relevant hashtags, including a branded hashtag, in your video descriptions. Keeping descriptions under 100 characters can help boost engagement.
Other dental social media post ideas and examples
Still looking for some ideas? These engaging dental social media post examples can help you connect with your wide audience and show your practice’s unique personality, strengthening relationships with patients and attracting new ones.
Orthodontic Social Media Posts
You could share stunning before-and-after smile transformations to highlight the impact of treatment, feature patient success stories, and give a behind-the-scenes look at the stages of care.
Or create original content that explains common issues like malocclusion and share braces-friendly recipes. These posts offer an excellent opportunity to position your practice as a go-to resource for dental care.
Fun Dental Social Media Posts
Try injecting humor into your social media profiles with lighthearted posts that show your practice’s personality. You could try playing a “Guess the Celebrity Smile” game, posting close-ups of famous grins for followers to identify.
Or – for inspiration – look to TikTok sensation Dr. Milad Shadrooh, whose hilarious dental song parodies and signature dancing eyebrows have earned him over 216K followers.
While you might not be ready for a song and dance, his success shows the power of entertainment in dental marketing.
Fun Dental Posts for Facebook
Although most practices focus their fun viral content on TikTok, some still use Facebook effectively for patient acquisition.
Pedodontist Dr. Bejasa shows her kid-friendly practice with engaging videos of young patients relaxing with cartoons during treatment, highlighting her unique atmosphere.
You could also host different contests offering prizes like whitening treatments or dental product baskets. These interactive posts encourage participation and help you build an emotional connection with your Facebook community.
Social media policy in healthcare
While having fun with your profiles is important, running your dental practice’s social media accounts comes with some specific rules. Here’s a quick overview of what to keep in mind:
- HIPAA Compliance: Always protect patient information. Avoid sharing any details without explicit consent.
- Social Media Advertising: Follow the ADA and local board guidelines. Make sure your claims are truthful and backed by evidence.
- Patient Reviews: Get written consent before sharing testimonials. Don’t respond to reviews in a way that could reveal health information.
- Giveaways: Check local regulations for contests. Some states need a free entry option to avoid lottery classification.
- Transparency: Clearly disclose sponsored content and partnerships. Make sure your followers know when a post is paid promotion.
Looking for social media management services for dentists?
Need help with your dental practice’s social media? At Nomadic Advertising we specialize in social media marketing and Facebook ads designed to grow your patient list.
Book your free 30-minute consultation today and let us make your online presence shine like a bright, healthy smile.
Key Takeaways
- Tailor Content to Platform: Use Facebook for educational content, Instagram for visual appeal, and TikTok for short, entertaining videos.
- Diversify Content: Share a mix of patient testimonials, before-and-after photos, oral health tips, and behind-the-scenes glimpses.
- Prioritize Engagement: Use interactive features like contests and live Q&A sessions to connect with your audience.
- Ensure compliance: Follow HIPAA, advertising regulations, and social media policies when running your dental practice’s social media accounts.
