5 social media hurdles and how to overcome them

By Misty Absher Clark

Editor's note: Reprinted with permission from Jameson Management

You’ve heard about it. You’ve read about it. Everyone else is doing it. You know what “it” is. “It” is social media! So why haven’t you jumped on that bandwagon like every other business? After all it is “free” to use. It takes less than 10 minutes to set up your page. Virtually anyone could set it up. So what is holding you back?

Here are a few of the most common reasons we’ve heard about why people aren’t using social media and why you should not let it hold you back.

1. Facebook and Twitter won’t really help my practice. This is the biggest misconception. It CAN and DOES help your practice. Think about the evolution of communication and getting the message out to others about businesses. For a long time it was word-of-mouth. Some practices used advertising such as direct mail, radio, and print ads. Most practices didn’t use traditional marketing because it was cost-prohibitive and not necessarily popular among dental professionals. Then the Web came along, allowing people to learn about you in their own homes and at their request. This medium was and is two-dimensional. They were only allowed to view what you specifically displayed on your Web page. Now, we are entering the next form of communication — social media. This is where people can now learn about you from others, engage in open conversations with you, learn what others are saying, and so on. It is creating an online conversation where people can now humanize you, your team, and your practice. A relationship is built online and made stronger through social media. And since dentistry is in the relationship business — you couldn’t ask for a stronger medium to get your message out to others! Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, people will actually remember your name now!

2. I’m concerned people will post negative comments about the practice on my page. Guess what? If they are posting negative comments about your practice on your Facebook page, then they are posting negative comments about your practice elsewhere on the Web. At least here, you have a chance to respond. You are part of the conversation now. You get to put your best foot forward and reconcile with this person. And if nothing else, you get to show others that you respond, you care, and you desire to meet people’s expectations. If you have multiple negative postings on your Facebook page, then this is also positive. It is alerting you to the fact that you need to improve internal systems such as scheduling, the new-patient experience, or customer service. Take the feedback and do something about it. Then you can post to Facebook and Twitter that you heard the concerns and you fixed it. Now that is turning lemons into lemonade, which would have never been possible without the conversation created through social media!

3. I don’t have time to do it, nor do I want to do it. It is a bonus if you, the dentist, like to post and tweet. It is a better way for you to connect with your patients; however, it is not the end-all, be-all if you are not the one “tweeting.” Most people use a trusted team member to oversee Facebook and/or Twitter. Find someone on your team who is excited about the practice, likes to promote you, and is active in social media or has a comfort level with the Web. Have this designated person report back to the team during your team meetings. This will energize your entire team and the consistent presence on social media will in turn energize your patient base!

4. I’m concerned my team will play on Facebook or Twitter all day. Abusing social media for personal gain isn’t any different than a telephone, website access, email access, or talking with colleagues throughout the day. All of it is necessary and all of it can be abused, taking away from productive and valuable work time in the practice. Allocate specific times in the day to be used to work on social media. Monitor the progress being made. Hold the team member accountable for activity. Choose a team member you can trust — one who shares your vision for the practice — to be responsible for the social media activity. You can also use software like Hootsuite to organize and make posts for the month automatically on designated days. Then your team member is simply checking the site every day for patients' comments that need a reply.

5. I don’t know what to put on Facebook or Twitter. You are not alone. This is the biggest obstacle for many people. A good rule of thumb is 80% of the information should be giving and 20% selling the business. This means that 80% of your posts or tweets should be giving information such as quotes or inspirational thoughts, support of the local community, fun facts on dentistry, helpful tips and hints, personal information on the doctor or team (e.g., We are excited to announce the birth of our hygienist’s son!), or any other fun and interesting information. The remaining 20% is reserved for promoting a product, such as tooth whitening or the need for periodontal therapy.

The question is often asked, “How many posts/tweets do I need to make in a week?” On Facebook, you need to make between three and five posts each week. For Twitter, you should be tweeting eight to 10 times per week since the lifespan of a tweet is shorter than a post on Facebook. Photos are also a great addition and should be uploaded to your sites at least once a month.

Social media is here to stay. And it is rapidly becoming one of the cornerstones to any good marketing plan. You can choose to start with it now and grow as the medium grows. Or you can wait, let it pass you by, and decide in a few years that you need to start — by then you’ll be playing catch up. Either way, your practice will be regularly using social media — either now or in five years. So why wait? Jump in now. Practice, learn, and grow! Like any change, it will be uncomfortable at first, but then with time and results you’ll wonder why you didn’t try it sooner.

Need help getting started? Want guidance or coaching on how to put social media into place in your practice? Contact Jameson. We help practices, like yours, get a jump-start on their social media and work it into their ongoing marketing plans. Call us today at (877) 369-5558 or email us at [email protected].

Interested in learning more about social media? Join Jameson for a complimentary webinar on Marketing and Social Media in February. Go to www.jamesonmanagement.com to register.

Author bio
Misty Absher Clark, vice president of creative services at Jameson Management, may be reached at www.JamesonManagement.com or (877) 369-5558.