Do's and don'ts for social media: Make it about them

Social media is an excellent way to engage current and prospective patients. But you have to post content that interests them and takes into account their oral health needs and wants. If you make it about your practice all the time, people will tune out.

Be active. Set up a schedule that works for your practice. It could be once a day or several times a week. However, you don't want to go overboard, such as posting 10 times a day, because you'll end up annoying the people you're trying to reach.

Don't sell, sell, sell. Patients and prospective patients will tune out if you're always trying to get them to buy something. Instead, use social media to share fun dental facts, your team's hobbies and interests, and nutrition information. Promote your services only occasionally. The last thing you want to do is spam your patients and prospects.

Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the founder and CEO of Levin Group, the leading dental practice consulting firm in North America. For the complete list of dates and locations where you can attend his latest seminar, visit www.levingroup.com/gpseminars.

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