Dos and don'ts for social media: Make posts inviting

Social media may be a great way to build relationships with patients and stay in touch -- but only if you follow some common-sense guidelines when creating posts. Each online medium has unique qualities, and their users have certain expectations that your posts should meet. The easiest way to learn what to do is to spend time watching what others post and what gets the most positive responses.

Keep posts short, and add visual appeal. In social media, less is more. So even if there's no restriction on the number of characters in your message (as there is on Twitter), keep your posts brief and to the point. Better yet, use photos and video clips to attract attention and increase the "entertainment value" of your posts.

Don't be boring. If your practice posts infrequently, gets into subjects people don't care about, or uses heavy language, people will lose interest and your social media activities won't get the results you want.

Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the chairman and CEO of practice management consulting firm Levin Group. You can connect with Levin Group on Facebook and Twitter (@Levin_Group) to learn more strategies and share ideas. Also, check out Dr. Levin's free practice management videos at www.levingroup.com/gp.

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