Social media can be a great way to connect with patients and share content that informs and inspires them. But if you’re not careful, your social media can become overwhelming. That’s because there are so many platforms you have to choose from, and each of them requires different posts at various times throughout the day. When it all adds up, it can be challenging for doctors to keep up with the workload—especially if you’re also trying to run an office, see patients on time, or even just sit down for lunch! That’s why scheduling your social
Killer content is effective.
Content is king. It’s been said a million times, but it’s true. Content is what gets you likes, shares, and comments on your page. It can be as simple as a quote or post about something interesting happening in the world that day, or it can be an eye-catching picture of one of your patients with some clever commentary (think “The best dentistry I’ve ever experienced!”). The critical thing to remember is that what you share needs to appeal to the people who follow you—and why wouldn’t it? You’re awesome!
Consistency is key.
Consistency is key to building trust with your audience. If you are consistent in posting regularly and at the same time of day, it will help build up a small following who will look forward to seeing what you post each day. Once your followers see that you post regularly, they will come back for more because they know what to expect from you and when to expect it.
Create a schedule.
Now that you’ve identified the best times of day to post, it’s time to schedule them. You can do this in several ways, but I recommend scheduling your tweets with Buffer for its simplicity and ease of use.
Your personal social media use is different from your business accounts.
The key to scheduling posts is that your personal social media use is different from the business accounts used on behalf of your practice. This means you can use the same platform for personal and business purposes—but keep them separate! For example, if you want to post something fun or exciting on Instagram, ensure it’s only accessible through your account. If a patient sees it, they may think it was published by their doctor and feel misled. Similarly, if someone follows one of your business accounts on Facebook or Twitter but then sees an inappropriate comment from another staff member in the group thread (which has happened), there could be confusion about who wrote which words and whether those comments reflect what “the doctor” feels about specific topics.
Knowing how others will perceive what we say online is important because these platforms have real-world consequences: A recent study conducted by researchers at NYU showed that tweets containing insults directed at journalists had harmful effects on mental health among subjects exposed to those tweets later down the line—even when they weren’t even aware of having seen them initially!
Branding on social media can be complex for doctors to understand, but it’s worth it.
Branding is important for your practice. It’s a way to differentiate yourself from other practices and builds patient trust. When branding your practice on social media, you must show off your personality. This will help create a connection between you and your patients and make them feel more comfortable talking about sensitive topics such as mental health issues or drug use with someone they trust.
The more you post, your patients will see you as an authority.
The more you post, your patients will see you as an authority.
The more you post, the more people will see you as a thought leader.
The more you post and share articles about dental health and procedures, the easier it is for patients to learn about them!
Scheduling social media posts ahead of time allows you to create a consistent calendar without spending too much time thinking about it daily.
Scheduling your social media gives time back to your practice:
- It allows you to create a consistent calendar without spending too much time thinking about it daily.
- It is important for building credibility with clients, who will be able to see that you are always available and ready for appointments.
- It encourages other businesses, such as insurance companies or other health care providers, who may have questions about how best to work with you as their partner in health care.
Before you start scheduling your posts, understand the different platforms and their best practices. You want to know what type of content works best on each platform and how often you should post. This will help ensure that you get the most out of each channel. For example, if Twitter is your favorite platform because its short-form nature makes it easy for busy people like doctors to scan headlines, then consider using another platform like LinkedIn or Instagram more frequently when posting longer articles or videos that take time.
