The Hottest Nightclubs of Dentistry

Guest Author: Rachel Mele

Are you one of those practices that have a Facebook page and you post content a few times a week like clockwork but you can’t get patients to engage with you via social media?

Lack of social engagement is an all too common scenario for dental practices that must come to an end.  To get patients to like, comment, and share your posts, you have to think like a nightclub owner.

At this point, you should be asking what a nightclub has to do with dentistry? Think back to your early college days – back when you would get all dressed up just to wait in a long line outside the hottest nightclub, so you could get past those bouncers and dance the night away under neon lights.  Remember how surprised you were when you got into the club and realized it wasn’t nearly as packed as you anticipated? You assumed since the line was a mile long, the party inside must be slammin. Well, guess what,? The line is all marketing.

The nightclub owner, purposely creates a line to make the club more prestigious and give the impression that it’s the place to be. Even though you know you are waiting outside, and the purpose of waiting is all marketing, you still buy into it. No one wants to be the first lonely person to step foot into a nightclub. Similarly, no one wants to be the first dental patient to like and comment on a dentist’s social post.

So what can a dental practice do to create their night club line out the door?

Manufacture it.  Get every team member in the office to commit to liking, commenting, and sharing the practice’s social media posts. Ask your best patients to be your social ambassadors. Let them know that you recognize the influence they have and ask them to help you get your patients engaged by always liking and commenting on your social posts. Be sure to find unique ways to thank those patients, too.

What does a nightclub do, once they get you into the club?

They keep you engaged. The music is pumping; the dance floor is grooving, the excitement is on. The last thing the nightclub wants is for you to leave. Same holds true for your patients on social media. You create the line out the door; you got them to come in, now how do you get them to stay?  You get them to stay by keeping the conversation going.

When a patient comments on your social posts, respond every single time. Ask them another, relevant question to get them to comment back. It’s like if you met someone at the nightclub. If you engage in a conversation with someone new at the nightclub, the key to keeping that conversation going is to ask engaging questions and make the person feel important. Same holds true when engaging patients via social media.

Here’s to creating your nightclub line out the door!

About the Author:

Rachel Mele is a dental executive, speaker, and author of the book 365 Days of Social Posts for Dentistry, a daily guide to engaging, funny, and informative social posts for dental practices.

Learn more about Rachel and her book at www.rachelmele.com or Amazon.com.

Image Credit: Senorhorst Jahnsen via Flickr