social media and the dental practice
DESCRIPTION
These are the slides from Dan Dunlop's presentation at the UNC School of Dentistry - November 2012. The topic was social media and the dental practice.TRANSCRIPT
Demystifying Social Media &Making It Relevant to Dentistry
Dan Dunlop, President
Jennings
November 8, 2012
My Credentials• Agency President, Author, Public Speaker, Blogger
• WellSphere Top Health Blogger
• Member of Ragan.com Healthcare Comm News Team
• Regular contributor to Healthcare Marketing Report, Marketing Health Services, Healthcare Marketing Advisor, and Healthcare Strategy Alert.
• Top Healthcare marketing contributor, OrganizedWisdom.com
• Judging panel for Web Health Awards
• Emerging Media Task Force: Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development
Chris Boyer:
• Social networks are how we connect
• Communities of interest are why we connect.
Why is Social Media Important?1. Marketing has been redefined2. Moving from professional story tellers to conversation
managers and facilitators3. Marketing is now a dialogue, not a monologue4. Engagement is what we’re after5. Today, being absent from social media is
conspicuous6. The conversations are happening with or without us7. The quality of info being shared is suspect, so we have
an obligation to get involved8. It is highly measurable!
Hive Marketing• Providing a gathering place for active
supporters of your brand• Then activating them so they can go
forth and tell your story• Brand evangelists• In this era of citizen journalism, brand
advocates are more credible (to some) than professional marketers
Reasons to Engage SM
• Community building with current patients; deeper engagement with your brand
• Patient acquisition• Online Reputation management• Patient education• Professional development• Networking within the profession• Search engine ranking
Patients are organizing online
• PatientsLikeMe.com• Medhelp.org• DailyStrength.org• Organizedwisdom.com• Everydayhealth.com• Revolutionhealth.com• ACOR.org (OncoChat.org) - Online cancer
support community
Dentists are joining online communities as well
Dentists are joining online communities
Dental LinkedIn Groups• American Student Dental Assoc: 887 members• American Dental Education Assoc: 4,139 members• Dental Marketing: 8,322 members• Dental Business Professionals: 5,395 members• Dental Geeks: 6,521 members• Dental Implant Professionals: 6,570 members• Dental Speakers, Practice Management Consultants and
Dental Educators: 9,916 members• Digital Dentistry: 3,380 members
How to Use LinkedIn?
• Under discussions, post links to press releases, blog posts or simply start discussions.
• Track conversations though scheduled eblasts.
• http://www.linkedin.com
Just Learning. RT? Hashtags?
The Veteran. Still No Hashtags.
Google+
http://pinterest.com/laureldentist/mylaureldentist/
Facebook• Engagement & Listening• Use the polling/question feature for
engagement• Track Facebook Insights• Add videos and photos to enrich content• Cross promote other SM outlets: Twitter,
Pinterest, Google+, etc.
foursquare
Track Review Sites
• Angie’s List
• Yelp
• HealthGrades
• Rate MDs.com
• The Dentist Reviews
Cross Promote Your SM
What are they saying about you? Google Alerts
Online Video
• Leverage across many platforms:– Facebook– YouTube– Google+– Practice Website
A Fad?
Reasons NOT to Engage Social Media
• Because everyone else is doing it
• To get rich quick
• To save money on marketing
• To pile up followers on social networks
Reasons To Engage Social Media
• To accomplish specific business objectives
• To connect with patients and potential patients
• To deepen brand engagement
• To create community and allow for feedback
• To educate patients
• To help with Search Engine Optimization and establish a digital footprint
• To be more visible
• To work in tandem with your marketing program
Getting Involved• Start using social media yourself: LinkedIn,
Facebook, Twitter, Google+• Spend time observing and listening• Keep business and personal accounts separate• LinkedIn: Join a couple of industry groups• Twitter: Follow industry leaders and early adopters;
participate in the Chat.• Business Facebook & YouTube: Experiment with
video• Set up a Google+ page for your business
Getting Involved
• Follow people and organizations like:– @DentistryToday– @Dental_Blogger– @ADANews – @VisibleDentist– @AmerDentalAssn– @Dental_Magazine– @NCdentalsociety
Steps to Getting Started
• Get involved; become a voyeur
• Learn the basics
• Determine your marketing objectives and target audience(s)
• Integrate appropriate social media tools that will help you accomplish your goals
• Measure and monitor
Resources
Tools to Simplify Your Life: Hootsuite
“What if Someone Says Something Bad?”
• They’re going to speak out whether you provide a forum or not
• Wouldn’t you rather know what’s being said and have a chance to address it?
• Most likely, five people will jump in and say something good; very democratic
• Difference between a brand detractor and an unhappy customer; you can win back an unhappy customer
“It Will Take Too Much Time”
• A partial truth• Be strategic in your use of social media• Repurpose content:
– Website– Blog– Facebook
• Use time saving tools like Hootsuite and Instagram.
Next Steps & Homework
Read a Book About Social Media
• Groundswell, Charlene Li & Josh Bernoff
• Join the Conversation, Joseph Jaffe• Social Media is a Cocktail Party, Jim
Tobin and Lisa Braziel• PR 2.0, Deirdre Breakenridge• The New Rules of Marketing & PR,
David Meerman Scott
Contact Information
• Dan Dunlop, President• Jennings• Blogs:
– http://thehealthcaremarketer.wordpress.com– http://healthcaremarketing.ning.com
• Twitter: @dandunlop• Website: www.jenningsco.com• Email: [email protected]• Phone: 919-929-0225