Back to School Rules for Dental Social Media Posting

Are you wasting your time online instead of using your dental social media to your advantage? It’s OK to admit it. Today’s the day you make the change. Everything you need to get started is right here in Jackie’s video. Press play and spend a couple of minutes learning a few do’s and don’t for your dental social media.

Do you know why the back-to-school season is the perfect time to post online? Can you guess why? Let Jackie show you why you’ll want to use this time of year to create some fun, eye-catching posts that remind patients to schedule appointments (and maybe even attract some new patients while you’re at it.)

Remember, just like in school; there are rules that you need to follow when it comes to social media marketing for dentists. If you break the rules, you could end up in the principal’s office or, even worse, Facebook jail. Press play, learn some fresh ideas, and see if you can pass the test!

(P.S. If you like the video, don’t forget to subscribe to the Golden Proportions Marketing YouTube channel. We’ve packed it full of helpful videos, created specifically for dental marketing to help you be a smarter marketer. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest where there are even more ways to learn about growing your practice presence in your community and online..)

TRANSCRIPTION

00:01 It’s time to catch the attention of your patients, and attract some new ones with fun posts about Back to School. But will your posts ace the final exam? Hi. I’m Jackie, Website Support Coordinator at Golden Proportions Marketing, the country’s leading dental marketing company. I’m here with some helpful Do’s and Don’ts to ace this test of your dental social media etiquette.

No matter what part of the country you’re in, kids are going back to school. This is the perfect time to create some really fun, eye-catching posts to remind your current patients to schedule their appointments, and attract some new dental patients while you’re at it. But just like in school, there are some rules that need to be followed to make sure you don’t end up in the principal’s office or Facebook jail.

00:56 Do be funny. You know those photos that parents post of their kids on the first day of school standing there probably looking miserable? See if your staff has any old ones of themselves to share, or recreate that shot at the office’s entrance.

Don’t post anything about patients without their written permission. We cannot stress this one enough because it could lead to a HIPAA violation. Even if everyone in town knows that Bobby’s the quarterback, you can’t say that he happens to be your patient without, in this case, his parent’s permission. If you need a photo release form, we have a downloadable one in the resources section of our website.

01:41 Speaking of sports, do remind folks to get their sports mouth guards from you rather than those cheapie store-bought ones. Maybe do a discount for families with multiple kids, and remind them that you’re available to take dental emergency cases because, you know, life happens, especially when you’re young and curious about the world.

Don’t gross people out. You’ve probably seen them while innocently scrolling through your feed. You know, those scary closeups of disgusting pictures of people with fully retracted teeth. Sure it may be interesting to you, but to a patient with little dental knowledge, they may see that and immediately be terrified to stop for a checkup thinking that they’ll end up that way too.

02:33 Do remind parents to schedule their child’s hygiene appointments before their schedules fill up with football games, band practices, drama rehearsals, field hockey practice, school picture day, your cousin’s wedding, Thanksgiving, Christmas!! Make some posts reminding them to do it now while they still have open spots on their busy calendar.

Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want, your grandma, your pastor, or a complete stranger to see. You’re speaking as the practice, not as yourself. So a general rule of thumb, no politics, no religion, no swearing, and please keep it PG.

Pencils down. Are you ready to take the final exam? Get posting, or if you need more time to study, check out our free guide to Social Media Ideas for dentists. It’ll be your new favorite dental marketing tool for all things social. See you next time.