Social Media Real Estate
by Melody on 02/06/10 at 11:40 am
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Think about the first thing you look at on any web page, or page in a book for that matter. Do your eyes focus on the small print? No, they immediately zoom to the picture or graphic. Then they scan the rest of the page for information. The headline and the picture grab your attention and make you want to read more. Newspapers and magazines have this down to a science. The main content is accentuated at the top and the importance of the material wanes as you read down the page. You only have seconds to grab someones attention before they move on. The same goes for a Facebook fan page or Twitter page. If you really want to gain more fans and interactions, you must take advantage of the page “real estate” available to you.
Facebook allows for some great real estate customization on fan pages. The profile picture is the first thing you see when you visit a page, so it should really catch attention. The profile picture can now be 180×540 pixels (down from 200×600). This is a big piece of real estate on the page. The profile picture should inform the visitor who you are, what you are about, and where you can be found. Remember the rules of a good head shot and the rules of body language. Smile! Don’t cross your arms. Many people think crossed arms means confidence. It actually is a defensive posture and should be left out of pictures. Include a logo and a catch phrase but don’t overdo it. I strongly advise using only a logo as a profile pic for a business or personal page. It says nothing about you except that you hired someone to design a pretty logo. Social media is about making personal connections, even if you are marketing your business. Be sure to include your website somewhere on the picture. All of this information should be balanced very nicely. Many people go overboard and fill every spot with graphics or text. A little space is fine and if in doubt, side on the side of blank space. (more…)
Social Media Etiquette for Dental Professionals – Mind Your Post Frequency
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Would you send someone ten or twenty emails in a row? I’ve recently seen several examples of multiple Facebook business page posts blasted out one right after another. Twenty posts is far more than most people want to receive from their dentist in one day …
Keep in mind every business and audience is different. In general, however, most people don’t want to hear from their health care provider that often, unless you have a really unique community (and if you do, let us know because we’d like to check you out:)).
Twenty posts can drown out other posts in a newsfeed. Facebook is meant primarily for fun and socializing. Seeing ten or more posts at a time on periodontal disease, root canals, or flossing can be frustrating for some folks. When you post too much, too often, you risk having your future posts hidden.
Most importantly, you could also scare off potential new “Likes”. Once people see how often you post, they’ll likely decline. One possible indicator that you may be posting too much is a flat community, or having to heavily incentivize people to join your page.
We’ve reached the point where we want to know how often we’ll get emails if we subscribe. Likewise, especially as Facebook pages become more common, people will scrutinize what you are posting and how often before they’ll “Like” your page.
Facebook marketing is all about exploring what works for you and your community. Even if you’re really excited and have a lot to say, try to stage your posts out over time. The benefit is that you’ll have plenty of content to use and you won’t have to struggle to brainstorm future posts.
How many posts do you think is appropriate per day, week or month?
The Referral System How-To Guidebook For Dentists. With over sixteen years experience in dentistry, Rita has trained, coached and motivated dentists and teams in marketing, patient relations, communication and social media. Find more about Dental Relationship Marketing on Rita’s blog.
Has Dental Marketing Gone To The Dogs?
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Gone are the days of treating consumers like targets. Businesses are beginning to realize that it’s better to build trust first and sell second. So, what does this mean for traditional dental marketing?
The most important thing to consider is the commodity of dental care available on the market today. It’s become easy to replicate digital x-rays, a modern reception room, flexible hours or cool staff uniforms—what’s impossible to replicate is your genuine self. Showing a bit of your personality can go a long way in building trust and relationships. The added bonus is you’ll give patients something easy to remember (and fun to talk about) when they refer to you. (more…)
A Case for Social Media
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Recently I have been seeing a lot of Facebook backlash from dentists. They are unhappy with the new privacy policies (which will be changing for the better). These dentists are often focusing on the personal aspect of Facebook and other social media outlets without seeing the grander picture. Social media is one of the fastest ways to communicate with a large group who are actively engaging with each other. The communication is in real time and it is powerful.
Take for example the recent bills that affected dentists in Virginia. Bills HB1263 and SB 622 came up for vote in the Virginia legislature. The bills prevented insurance companies from dictating the price of non-covered dental procedures. So in essence, the dental insurance companies could tell the dentists what they could charge for services that did not fall in their plan. This could be a real detriment to the practice of dentistry and cost dentists thousands? The Virginia Dental Association sent out a letter and informed the dentists in the area, but what they did next really showed the power of social media. (more…)
Social Media/Website marketing for Dentists privacy concerns.
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As many of you have probably heard, Facebook is facing some real privacy concerns. They have made changes to the platform that have upset a large portion of the population. When I talk to dentists about social media, privacy is one of their biggest concerns. The fact is, that many of these privacy concerns can be overcome with a little bit of due diligence and discretion.
The problems arose when Facebook switched from its default platform of “All private until made public” to “All public until made private”. This switched all profiles to a public setup until the user actually changed the privacy settings. At that time I encouraged everyone to evaluate their privacy settings, and make sure that they fall in line with their plans. This is also why I discourage the use of a personal profile for business use. It is very hard to maintain privacy while advertising your business from the same profile.
Facebook has also incorporated instant personalization with partner websites like Yelp. The instant personalization pulls profile information from Facebook while you search Yelp in order to give more pertinent search info. Privacy advocates see this instant personalization as a threat, and invasion of privacy. Facebook is also making more information from profiles and posts visible on the internal Facebook search engine, as well as third party search engines. This is a great concern for the Facebook population, because they feel that their posts are somewhat private. (more…)
Three “Must Have” Online Dental Marketing Tools
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Three hot online dental marketing tools are Facebook Pages, ratings, and video. Consider for a moment how important photos, ratings and video have become in the travel market. If it’s that important for people to see a combination of interactive media to choose a hotel room, why wouldn’t we expect the same when shopping for a new dentist.
MarketTools recently revealed a study indicating affluent consumers (with annual incomes of more than $75K) are most likely to research products online before buying (43%). While the power of word of mouth and personal testimonials still reign king, consumers continue to expect a broader variety of information before buying anything from hotel rooms to healthcare. (more…)
