Instagram is a great place to tell your story and document your dental practice visually. While there are a lot of “how-tos” and workshops out there on how to use Instagram, many of the most simple and basic efforts can have great ROI. Use your location to your advantage. Outthink your competitors by doing something different. Use your local area to your maximum benefit.
I know a lot of dental offices have questions on how to grow their Instagram following. Here are four of the most effective ways I have seen to connect your community with your brand on Instagram.
Get involved
Instagram is a community. You want your practice to be seen as an important part of your local community, so you should also want to bring value to the Instagram community. Posting content regularly isn’t the key to success. Just like in the real world, relationships are everything. Join in conversations with local brands and even your competitors. Interact with content they’re creating and engage with users on their profiles. Like posts. Comment. “Conversate.” Ask questions. Praise good content. It’s a great way to connect and show people that your profile is more than just a “noise maker” for your business—it’ll show you’re really connected and that you care about the opinions and experiences of those around you.
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Repost and promote local content, even if it has nothing to do with you. Farmer’s ,arket coming up? Local church having a pancake breakfast? Take a screenshot, add it to your stories, and tag all of your local peers in the post. The creator will love that you’re sharing their content, and their followers will take notice. Think of yourself as becoming a neighbor instead of just being a business after sales. Plus, by supporting others, you can avoid having to create a large amount of original content. Use their content to indirectly promote yourself. Try it out!
Show off your patients’ lifestyles and local landmarks
One of the biggest draws to a dental practice is the social proof of your existing patients recommending you, leaving reviews, and providing testimonials. If you can show how your community, patients' lifestyles, and day-to-day routines are positively affected by your practice, you’re going to connect in a powerful way. Take it a step further by documenting these patient stories in popular places, local landmarks, restaurants, and more. Not only are the locations known to others, the added layer of local landmarks also make it easier for patients to identify and imagine their life—and their future smile.
Tag and hashtag locally
Hashtags are a lot like keywords. You want people to find your posts. Use local hashtags, and use location tagging to help users find your page. If you create a post, don’t just use the #dentistry. Use your location—imagine #HoustonDentistry instead. It’s much more powerful and will point your immediate audience to you as a local service provider.
Trends mean views
Trending topics and holidays are a great roadmap for your content generation ideas. Aside from major holidays, you can always find popular topics that will appeal to your local market. By following local companies, politicians, influencers, and business leaders, you should always have a pulse on what’s going on. Following your local chamber of commerce is a great idea, too. Try to avoid negative topics and avoid controversial topics. Just keep it light, fun, and funny. Remember, you’re a dentist, so over half the country is scared or fearful of you. Keep your pages approachable and appealing to all.
By following these tips, you can increase your Instagram game very quickly! Remember, authenticity is everything. Don’t hand your Instagram off to become a blanket post factory of generic noise. Post less frequently, but up the value and authenticity of your content. Less is, indeed, more.
