A step-by-step guide for dentists starting to use Pinterest for marketing

Pinterest is not your average social media platform because it is a visual search engine. It has more than 320 million visitors every month, and these visitors to Pinterest are interested in health and beauty topics, which is where dental offices can really gain traction. Pinterest is a great fit for dental practices that blog, take lots of before-and-after pictures, host podcasts, or sell products through their website.

If you are ready to jump in feet first and set up your dental office with a Pinterest account, I am here to help. Here are six steps to get started on Pinterest.

Katie Hess, RDH.

1. Create your account

Go to the Pinterest business page to register. I prefer to keep new business accounts separate from personal accounts.

2. Create your boards

I recommend starting with eight to 10 boards. Name the boards according to the topics you will be creating and the information you'll be sharing. Some suggestions include the name of your practice, dental before-and-after photos, tips for dental hygienists, dental health tips, children's dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and orthodontics.

As you set up your boards, be sure to enter descriptions of the kinds of information you will be sharing to each board. This will help Pinterest direct searches to your content.

For creation ideas, take a look at the boards of a dental Pinterest account I manage.

3. Create pins

I prefer to use Canva. You will want to play around with striking a balance between staying true to your brand and also identifying what images get the most interest on Pinterest. Again, your starting goal should be to add eight to 10 pins to each board.

4. Create your strategy

Without a strategy, Pinterest will not produce results that are helpful to your marketing plan. What is your goal? Is it to drive massive traffic to your website and increase your Google ranking? Is it to grow your email list and promote virtual consults? Is it to sell products online? Each goal requires a different strategy.

5. Schedule your pins

Using a service such as Tailwind to schedule your pins will drastically improve your long-term success with Pinterest. Join up with other groups called "tribes" in Tailwind to improve your exposure. Join my new tribe by searching "All the Dental Things" under health and fitness.

6. Focus on analytics

Now that you are up and running, you will want to pay close attention to your analytics. This is where your long-term strategy will be formed and help you achieve maximum success. You will want to repurpose pins that get the most engagement (not just impressions) and keep the interest going. Tailwind can help make this ongoing process manageable.

Pinterest has the potential to help keep your blogs, photos, videos, and podcasts active and producing results for months to years to come.

Pinterest isn't the best fit for every dental practice. If you are wondering if it would work for you, I'm happy to take a look and let you know my thoughts. If you are ready to jump in, I will send you my free Road Map to Success, customized for your dental practice to help you get started. Drop me an email at [email protected].

Happy pinning!

Katie Hess is a dental hygienist who has written the All the Dental Things blog since 2011. She currently works virtually with dental offices to improve their communication and relationships with patients and team members through social media, newsletters, and reviews.

The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.