By Krysia Gabenski, Former CDA Strategic Marketing Specialist
From the Summer 2018 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association
It’s important for businesses to have a presence on Facebook. That’s standard these days. But it’s even more important to go beyond that presence to get your followers engaged in what you have to say and what your business has to offer.
Facebook engagement means followers “like” or comment on your posts or share your posts to their Facebook pages. It’s any sort of interaction between you and your followers. Incorporating a social media strategy to increase engagement is smart and easy.
Here are seven steps you can take to increase engagement.
- Get staff involved. Your social media manager isn’t the only one who should be providing content for your Facebook page. Every team member can contribute, whether they see a funny dental-related meme to share or are representing the practice at a volunteer event. Your Facebook page should show a balance of professionalism, fun and community. When followers see an active Facebook page, they get excited to engage with your posts and feel like they’re part of your community.
- Always use an image. The quickest way to grab attention is with an image. If your followers aren’t compelled to read your content in the first place, they aren’t going to comment on it or “like” it.
- Find the right images. If you use Google images, follow copyright rules. To find out if an image you found on Google images is OK to reuse, click on “tools” on the Google images page and then click the “Usage Rights” dropdown menu to select “Labeled for Reuse.” The photos that appear are free to use. If you have some room in your budget for social media marketing, consider signing up for a monthly package with a stock photo company like Shutterstock, where, for example, you can buy a package to download 10 photos a month for only $30 a month. High-quality images will make a big difference in the look of your page.
- Use images that will grab attention. People love kids and animals. They also love looking at funny images and happy faces. And don’t be afraid to use a little color to make them extra eye-catching.
- Know best practices. A lot more goes into posting on Facebook than you might realize, but there are a handful of tried and true tricks you can do to ensure more people notice your posts.
- Keep your message to less than 40 characters. Short and sweet is what draws in followers. They don’t want to read two paragraphs to find out why they should click on your link. If they see too much text, they’ll likely bail on that post. When you’re posting, be sure to double check your spelling and re-read your post so autocorrect doesn’t get the best of you. And this might seem obvious, but it’s worth mentioning: Don’t use patient information.
- Use the correct image size. Images for post sharing should be 1200 x 630 pixels. If you don’t have design software, this probably doesn’t mean much to you. But a great rule of thumb is to use horizontal images where the focal point is in the center of the image. Depending on the platform followers are using to look at your page, the top and bottom of your image can get cut off. For more details on image sizes, check out this useful thread from Facebook: com/PagesSizesDimensions.
- Post at least three times a week. We know you’re a dentist first and that your team is focused on helping you and your patients. But if you have a social media manager who can post at least three times a week, that’s enough to keep followers engaged and your page from becoming stale. Pick a day of the week where you can set aside about 20 minutes to schedule three posts to go up throughout the week. To do this, click the arrow dropdown menu next to “Publish,” and select “Schedule.” If timely items come up, use them to supplement your scheduled posts.
- Use hashtags. Hashtags allow you to tap into a network that already exists, which means more eyes on your content. People click on hashtags to find other posts related to that subject. For example, if you want to reach Coloradans who care about dental care, use the popular #cohealth. Or get specific. To reach pregnant women to let them know they need more frequent teeth cleanings, use #momtobe to reach that audience. Making up a funny hashtag like #TheWholeToothAndNothingButTheTooth is entertaining and appropriate at times to add personality to your page, but to build your audience, tap into hashtags that already have a following.
- Tag organizations. Dentists care about their communities, and one way to support other businesses is to tag them on Facebook. They’ll return the favor, too, expanding your reach to their followers. It’s a win-win.
- Ask questions and respond to comments. Plain and simple, people love to be heard. Facebook is a great platform for a two-way conversation. Asking a question will give your followers an outlet to express their opinions. And depending on the question, you could gain some valuable feedback into what your followers are looking for. An occasional “Thanks for your thoughts!” or “That’s a great idea!” can go a long way in letting your followers know you value their input.
- Post original content. Dentists are subject-matter experts. Think about the most common questions you get from your patients. Write articles answering these questions and post them on your Facebook page. If you don’t have time to write articles, post short tips like “Brush two times a day for two minutes,” or “Children should get their first dental screening when they reach their first birthdays.”
- Respond to private messages. Facebook users can send you private messages, and Facebook keeps track of how quickly you respond. A page that shows the business cares to have a dialogue with its followers will make other followers feel comfortable enough to reach out with questions or comments.
- Pay attention to analytics, and boost posts based on those analytics. Keep an eye on your Facebook Insights tab at the top of your business page. If you have more than 30 followers, Facebook keeps track of all sorts of data. Pay close attention to the “Your 5 Most Recent Posts” section, where you’ll see how successful your engagement was on each post. You also can click to see the data for all of your posts. It’s a quick way to find out what items were most successful. Once you start learning what content followers value most, consider boosting posts (paying so more people see your posts) on those topics. To do this, click on “Boost Post” after you’ve posted to your page and follow the prompts. Even a one-week $25 post targeted to those who like your page and their friends could be a great return on investment.
Facebook for businesses isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Use it to your advantage by following these tips. Potential new patients will develop an opinion about your practice based on how often you post and how engaged your followers are on Facebook. Remember, your Facebook page represents the personality of your dental practice. What impression do you want to leave?
