Most dentists already know the value of social media and SEO marketing. When starting a dental marketing plan, most practitioners will set up their Facebook accounts, fill in their Google My Business pages, and opt for PPC ads. However, not enough dentists know the value of marketing with Instagram.

That’s right– Instagram isn’t just a spot for the most niche businesses or e-commerce platforms. Instagram could be an extremely beneficial social media marketing platform for dentists. Let’s take a look at why a dentist Instagram account is a great tool.

How to Market a Dental Practice: Understanding Dental Marketing Online

Figuring out how to market a dental office is one element of the industry that can be a struggle for many dentists. Dental marketing involves forming a connection with potential patients, which is not so different from most general medical marketing you’ll see online. Through providing insightful and helpful free information via blog posts or native ads, dentists can build a trusting relationship with potential patients and turn leads into conversions.

Much of this can be done through social media. For Instagram in particular, two different things come into play to help dentists get more attention and traffic. Dentists have an opportunity to build a trusting relationship with patients through those insightful and helpful resources. Along with that, Instagram is a visual platform that would make an excellent place to post before and after photos to demonstrate the physical value of the dentistry itself. Marketing on Instagram is quite perfect for dentists and dental offices.

How Can Instagram Help Dentists Market Their Practices?

To start, dentists need to understand their platform. Dentistry may seem like a topic that isn’t “fun” or “exciting” enough for a visual platform like Instagram, but that simply isn’t true. There’s a community for everything on the platform. It’s the responsibility of the dentist (or social media marketing specialist) to find the communities that are interested in dentistry or getting work done and to engage with them via valuable, interesting content.

A few Instagram best practices include:

• Keep things personal. Instagram is a very personalized and casual platform. In order to really connect with potential customers, you can’t approach it with boring, unrelatable content. Just because your account represents a business doesn’t mean the content you create can’t be fun. Share dentistry-related memes, fun selfies, and other humorous content to get attention.
• Keep it visual. A lot of dental work is cosmetic, and you can find some serious marketing success my posting before and after photos of finished work. You’ll have an endless stream of content in this sense. And potential clients want to see proof of the work that you’ve done for other people. Consumers don’t trust businesses as much as they used to back in the day, and that includes healthcare or cosmetic healthcare professionals. It’s up to you to prove your worth.
• Community first, promotion second. A majority of your Instagram marketing should be focused on celebrating results, community building, and fun inspirational content. For every ten posts your make on your account, only two of those posts should be dedicated to promoting your practice. This ensures that your Instagram is organic and likable, rather than just an ad-spamming platform that viewers will get tired of.
• Know your audience. Ask yourself: What do my patients like the most about me and my dentistry practice? What kinds of oral problems do they usually tend to have? What specific goals do they have when working with me? Consider these answers each time you post new content on your dentist Instagram account.
• Always use a business account. The main difference between a business and a personal account on Instagram is that you’ll be able to set up advertising with a business account. You’ll also be able to display business hours, your practice’s address, and your phone number on your profile. Plus, you can take advantage of insights and activity on your posts with a business account.
• Advertise, but make sure you’re taking a content-first approach. Instagram ads can be really helpful, but make sure that you focus more on curating or creating valuable content, rather than generic advertisements.

If you want more Instagram dentist marketing ideas, considering looking at what your competition is doing with a simple search through the app.

Dental Instagram Accounts Examples

There are quite a few dentists out there that are taking advantage of Instagram. A few dentist Instagram accounts include:

• @smileandcompany
• @Drtoscanodds 
• @joycethedentist
• @Grandstreetdental
• @Dentalimpressions
• @drmuntheralherani
• @the.dentistmom
• @avantgardedentistry
• @dryazdan

Take a look at how these dentist Instagram accounts are pulling in new patients with their content to get inspired! But remember, your unique voice and niche abilities in your practice are what will attract possible future clients.

Looking to grow your dental practice through social media? Opencare is a dental-focused platform that is dedicated to helping dentists grow and manage their practices. From patient growth the claims management to insurance verification, Opencare has the right services to boost your management and marketing practices.