Abstract
This article explores the evolution and impact of social media in dental practices. Social media in dentistry: Social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, and YouTube enable interactive communication, allowing users to shape brands and foster customer engagement, reputation management, and brand loyalty.
Tracing the history of social media from early human communication to modern platforms, the article emphasizes the transformative role these technologies play. Statistics from 2010 underscore the widespread use of social media, highlighting its importance as a marketing tool that has replaced traditional word-of-mouth methods.
For dental professionals, social media offers a unique opportunity to engage with patients and the community. Effective use requires adaptability and a focus on building mutually beneficial relationships. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and blogs help dentists share expertise, connect with patients, and maintain a current, patient-driven image. This article provides strategies for leveraging these tools to enhance dental practice visibility and credibility.
Introduction to Social Media
Social media is still somewhat new, and its definition and history are a bit subjective. According to Wikipedia, social media uses web-based technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogues; it can include text, video, audio, images, podcasts, and other multimedia communications. Some businesses refer to social media as consumer-generated media (CGM). Social media expedites conversation between the readers, viewers, or listeners, allowing them to shape and evolve brands. Social media’s main goals are developing and managing reputation, showing that you are up-to-date, in the sense of not using antiquated marketing techniques, increasing customer engagement or mobilizing advocates to drive Word of Mouth, and achieving brand loyalty.
Origins and Evolution of Social Media
Some say social media started during the Stone Age when people drew pictures on walls to send messages to the next generation, while others believe it began with Phreaking (cracking phone networks, making free calls, and accessing the experimental back end of the telephone system).
There are several tools used in social media, but the ones that we will be covering are: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, and YouTube
2010 Social Media Statistics:
- According to Facebook, there are more than 500 million active users, and 50% of these users log on to Facebook everyday. People spend over 700 billion minutes on Facebook per day, including 46.2 years of videos watched, also per day.
- Cleancutmedia.com reports that people view more than 2 billion videos on YouTube per day, and users upload an average of 24 hours of video each minute. It has also
- They also note that an average person spends 15 minutes a day on YouTube. It is the largest worldwide video-sharing community.
- As for Twitter, it currently has more than 175 million users, as a result of a growth rate of 15 million users per month. Twitter is often considered the SMS of the Internet.
- LinkedIn has over 50 million members worldwide, resulting from an increase of 1 million users per month since July 2009.
- Over 3 million people are connected and auto-sharing to at least one social network.
Social Media as a Marketing Tool
Today, as a marketing tool, social media is replacing word-of mouth and tell-a-friend, methods that were previously used to increase awareness and shape people’s ideas about a certain product, idea or service.
To succeed when using social media marketing, one has to keep an open mind, and be willing to adjust the marketing strategies according to what’s effective and what isn’t, because social media is forever changing. A few years ago, everyone had a Myspace account whereas today, Myspace is slowly being replaced with Facebook. Some of the reasons for Myspace’s downturn are, its initial target, which was teenagers, and spam.
Another key to success would be to emphasize that social media is not just about Return on Investment. Relatively to dentistry, it is about establishing with your patients a mutually beneficial relationship. For example, a dentist with a Twitter account will post tips on his account for his (potential) patients to see, once these patients become aware of the dentist’s expertise and his way of going, they will most likely follow him, and maybe even visit him one day.
Benefits for Dentists
Social media will keep you, as a doctor, out in the community of potential patients or acquired patients. It will keep you interacted with this community, and it creates an up-to-date, patient driven image. Although conventional media is more expensive, in my opinion, it is not more effective. Social media enhances your relationship with your patients, which will give them a sense of security, promising you their trust.
The tools that are most used nowadays in the Arab world are, as previously stated, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and personal blogs.
Facebook is a social network through which people can share their thoughts, pictures, videos, music, links… One of Facebook’s essential roles in the social media plan is that it helps build brand awareness. It can also focus on audiences based on demographics (age, gender, location…), and based on networks that can be geographic or even corporate. What you can also do is create a fan page. Facebook provides you with tips on how to effectively promote your fan page using Facebook advertising.
Twitter allows people to “Tweet” or write about whatever they like in 140 characters or less while tagging people, brands, groups, interests… This allows you to target people by specific words that they might look up. For example, if you write something about toothaches and place a hash tag before toothaches (#toothaches), if someone looks up toothaches, your Tweet will appear in the list of results. You can also use Twitter to share deals and promotions after you’ve found and connected with your target audience.
LinkedIn is a professional network where you expose your education and work experience to colleagues, people you know, companies… You can also follow groups or companies that interest you. LinkedIn allows you, as a dentist, to present your (potential) patients to your degree of expertise (i.e. your certificates, your innovations, your work experience…). Once you complete your profile, you should find groups that are compatible with your profession, and be frequently active in the discussions.
YouTube
YouTube allows you to upload, view, rate, and comment on videos. What dentists could and should do is upload videos showing a tour of their clinic to the viewers. This creates a feeling of comfort for patients, and it raises your credibility and expertise for patients and referring dentists.
Personal Blogs
Personal Blogs can establish you as an expert and thought leader in your industry. By sharing your thoughts and views, or unique knowledge, you can be perceived as an expert in your area. People will trust you and see you as knowledgeable, hence they will more likely join your practice. For example, you can share patient success stories or new procedures offered exclusively at your practice, as well as some tips about oral hygiene.
You should make sure that you have a consistent profile picture on each of these websites to ensure recognition, status, and last but not least, credibility.