How To Get Dental Patients From Facebook [9 FREE Facebook Page Tips]
Harry Jeffery – Uploaded 03.03.2024
How Do I Promote My Dental Practice On Facebook?
If you are a dental practice looking to attract more patients, Facebook is a great platform to generate visibility and positive engagement with potential patients and your current audience completely for free. If you want to learn how to get dental patients from Facebook, there are some simple, yet effective strategies which you can implement to help your practice stand out to new patients on social media.
In the current modern era, Facebook marketing is one of the most important channels for dental practices to showcase their business, build up an audience and generate new patients. With over one billion people connecting with businesses each week on Facebook, it is clear to say that if you aren’t optimising your business on Facebook, you are missing out.
Throughout this guide, we will provide you with nine FREE Facebook page tips so that you can attract and retain more dental patients and transform your Facebook page.
Are you looking to improve your social media presence and generate more leads online? Here at HandL Agency, we offer a bespoke social media management package that is catered directly to dental practices. Call us on 0117 457 6659.
What is Facebook Marketing For Dentists?
Facebook marketing for dentists is all about optimising your dental practice’s Facebook page so that you can gain more clients, expand your brand’s visibility and build a dedicated audience for your brand using the vast network that Facebook has created with over 3.049 billion users worldwide.
This can help establish your dental practice as a trusted and reputable source and is one of the most cost-effective methods for busy dental practice owners who don’t have the time or potential knowledge to run more complex digital marketing strategies such as SEO, email marketing or SMS marketing campaigns.
There are two simple and fairly easy marketing strategies you can look to implement using Facebook for your dental brand. These techniques can be used in unison to create a dedicated strategy that will help you reach your target audience across Facebook, leading to an increase in visibility and potential customers.
These two types of marketing strategies on Facebook include organic Facebook marketing and paid Facebook marketing.
Organic Facebook Marketing
Organic Facebook marketing is a method of using Facebook completely for free. With a few tips and some idea of what you are doing, any competent dental practice owner will be able to build a social media presence on Facebook. This marketing method involves building out a Facebook page for your dental practice and starting to post engaging and interesting content that will then help to build up your following and audience on Facebook.
Thus leading to increased visibility and knowledge of your brand which can lead to more patients over time. The downside to this method is that Facebook is very diluted so it will take time, learning and creativity to stand out above the crowd.
Paid Facebook Marketing
Paid Facebook marketing is the paid shortcut to quick success on Facebook. It involves running paid ads based on a budget you assign it so you can reach your target audience and thus generate results quickly. Your advertisement will appear in various sections of your target audience’s Facebook app and will prompt the user to engage with your ad hopefully leading to a conversion or new lead.
Although it can be quick visibility, the downside to this method is that you may have to assign large amounts of money to run campaigns. Furthermore, some dental owners are unsure how to market their practice leading to under-optimised ads that don’t perform well on Facebook.
9 Ways To Attract and Retain Dental Patients With Facebook
With all that being said, there are some simple ways that you can utilise Facebook to your advantage, so even if you do not currently know how to operate a successful Facebook page by the end of this guide, you will have a comprehensive and informative understanding that you can go and implement yourself!
Whether that is using Facebook advertising or utilising the free side of Facebook with your dedicated page, below you can find a few tips about how to showcase your dental service to new patients and existing customers by using social media marketing on Facebook.
1. Understand Your Audience
For dental practices aiming to maximize their Facebook marketing efforts, understanding your audience’s demographics is essential. By utilizing Facebook’s Audience Insights you can delve into data about your page followers allowing you to tailor content and ads effectively. Think about your current patients and what demographic they fall into. How old are they? Do they have family? What is your current practice offering? This will allow you to create a brand identity and structure your content on your Facebook page. Targeting should focus on demographics and behaviours rather than interests alone, ensuring your posts and ads reach those genuinely interested in your dental services.
2. Utilise Photos and Videos
Try out different post formats such as videos, client testimonials and before and after images. Furthermore, try out different things such as personal approaches with videos and posts from your team members and experienced dentists giving out specific tips and tricks on dental and oral health best practices. Just make sure all posts and videos look professional and are formatted correctly.
We highly recommend that you post a variety of different types of photos and videos and make sure these are all personal and branded to your dental practice. There is nothing worse than having a sloppy-looking Facebook page that has different branding and post formats. Think from a patient’s point of view. How are they going to trust your practice to look after their teeth if you can’t even keep your Facebook page organised and tidy? Use free tools such as Canva to create professional-looking posts and videos or something like TikTok or Instagram.
3. Make Your Content Engaging
Making an impression and standing out on Facebook is pivotal when using ads or general posting on Facebook. You need to make your content engaging and eye-catching so that it will capture the attention of a potential patient or a current follower of your page. By taking advantage of insights from Facebook Analytics to understand patient demographics and preferences you can tailor your posts with compelling visuals, educational tips on dental health and engaging stories from your practice, including patient testimonials and behind-the-scenes glimpses.
4. Build A Community On Facebook
Incorporating interactive elements such as polls, questions and Facebook Live sessions encourages direct engagement, while timely responses to comments and messages foster a sense of community. Regular posting of valuable, relevant content helps maintain visibility in patients’ feeds, establishing your practice as a trusted authority in dental care. Continuously analyzing which types of posts garner the most interaction will help you to be able to create more engaging content whilst building up your community and following on Facebook. The main aim of building a community is regular posting and constant connections and contact with your audience via comments and live sessions.
5. Keep a Close Eye on Your Competitors
One of the most effective strategies for dental practices to succeed on Facebook involves closely monitoring both direct and indirect competitors to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. By analyzing competitors’ engagement tactics and content strategies, you can adopt successful approaches and innovate in areas where competitors lack. Utilizing tools like Facebook’s Page Insights and the Ad Library allows you to gain insights into competitors’ advertising campaigns and content trends, offering a comprehensive view of the competitive landscape.
By strategically adapting and refining your Facebook strategies you can look to do all the successful aspects in which your competitors are doing such as a current trend or post type alongside avoiding the things they are doing wrong such as a post with too much content on. The best advice would be to take a look yourself using the tools mentioned and make your own decisions based on this.
6. Provide Clear Call-to-Actions
In the modern day, you need to make everything as simple, quick and easy to complete and this truth is no different when utilising Facebook posts. If you want a user to take action on your post, you need to provide them with a clear and easy way of doing so otherwise the potential customers will move on and spend their time elsewhere.
Therefore, you need to establish the clear action you want the user to take before even creating the content for the post. Thus, you need to think about if you are offering a deal, that you make sure this deal is clear and visible in the content of the post as well as the description.
If that call to action is a contact form on your website make sure to link it in the description with a tiny URL link or add your phone number or email if you are prompting potential patients to contact you this way. Whatever method you use, make sure it is clear and easy to see and the content always directs your user to this call to action button.
7. Establish A Clear Brand
As mentioned establishing a clear brand on your Facebook page and Facebook ads is important because it helps resonate trust with your audience and create a clear brand identity that your community can begin to immediately recognise when scrolling through their feed. Make sure that your posts are consistent in colour and themes as well as making sure you have some sort of logo visible. Remember to keep to the same brand voice whether that is during a video or writing a description of your post.
8. Put An Emphasis On Reviews
Reviews are the key to any successful business and no more so in dentistry. Your customer reviews and testimonials are key to building trust and establishing your brand as a reputable dental practice. Remember to collect reviews and testimonials from patients after appointments and surgeries. Some of the best dental brands on Facebook utilise before and after photos of their treatments for patients or add real-life videos of their happy patients talking about their procedures. If you can do this, it will make you stand out head and shoulders above your local competitors. One thing to consider before showcasing your reviews and videos of patients is to always ask their permission if they would like to be featured across your social platforms.
9. Use Facebook Ads
As stated earlier, Facebook ads are a quick and easy way to see success on Facebook if done correctly! For instance, a dental clinic can create ads focused on individuals within a certain age range, living in nearby locations or those who have shown interest in dental health. This means you can target to the direct audience you want to and get exposure fast which is particularly useful for new dentists.
This level of targeting helps in efficiently allocating your marketing budget, increasing the likelihood of attracting new patients and fostering engagement. Moreover, Facebook’s robust analytics tools enable your dental office to track the performance of your ads in real-time, allowing for adjustments to be made on the fly to optimize for better results. By strategically leveraging Facebook ads, your dental practice can enhance its online presence, attract a steady stream of new patients and ultimately achieve greater success on Facebook.
How To Target Facebook Users Who Can Be Potential Patients Using Facebook Ads
Facebook advertising is a great way to quickly and efficiently boost your visibility on Facebook and to generate new leads. With that being said, Facebook ads can appear to be complex and difficult. Therefore, we wanted to provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to create a Facebook ad from start to finish. This includes:
1. Create a New Campaign
- Start in Facebook Ads Manager: This is your control room. Click on the “+ Create” button to start a new ad campaign.
- Name Your Campaign: Choose a name that is relevant and easily identifiable with your dental practice and the specific goal of the campaign (e.g., “Invisalign Promo Q1 2024”).
2. Set Your Objective
- Choose Your Goal: Facebook offers various objectives (like Brand Awareness, Lead Generation, or Conversions). For dental practices, “Lead Generation” is often a strong choice because it aims to collect contact information from potential patients.
- Keep Your Goal in Mind: All aspects of your ad (from imagery to call-to-action) should align with this objective.
3. Pick Your Target Audience
- Define Your Audience: Utilize Facebook’s targeting options to define your audience by location (e.g., within a certain radius of your practice), age, gender, and interests (e.g., health, wellness, cosmetic dentistry).
- Use Custom Audiences: Consider using Custom Audiences to retarget individuals who have interacted with your practice online or to upload your current patient list for exclusion or specific targeting.
4. Choose Where To Place Your Ads
- Placement Options: Automatic placements are recommended for most campaigns, allowing Meta’s algorithm to place your ads across Instagram, Messenger and Facebook where they are most likely to perform well. However, for a dental practice, you might focus on placements within Facebook itself.
5. Select Your Budget and Schedule
- Set a Budget: Decide on a daily or lifetime budget for your campaign. Start small to test the waters, and adjust based on performance.
- Schedule Your Ads: Consider running your ads during peak times when potential patients are likely to be online, which might vary based on your target demographics.
6. Choose A Format
Ad Formats: Single image or video ads work well for dental practices. Ensure the format you choose grabs attention and conveys your message quickly.
Quality Matters: Use high-quality visuals and make sure your message is clear and compelling. For dental practices, before-and-after images or patient testimonial videos can be particularly effective.
7. Upload Your Content
- Craft Your Message: Your ad copy should be concise and highlight the benefits of choosing your practice (e.g., free consultation, state-of-the-art technology, experienced staff).
- Call to Action (CTA): Use a strong CTA like “Book Now”, “Learn More”, or “Get Offer”. Make sure it’s clear what the next steps are for prospective patients whether that is to ring your dental practice phone number, visit your practice in person or visit your website to book.
8. Run the Advertisement
- Review Everything: Before you go live, double-check your ad for any errors, and ensure all details are correct.
- Monitor and Optimize: Once your ad is running, monitor its performance closely. Use Facebook Insights to track metrics like reach, engagement, and conversion rates. Be prepared to adjust your targeting, budget, or creative elements as needed to improve performance.
9. Additional Tips for Dental Practices
- Test Different Creatives: Run A/B tests with different images, headlines, and calls to action to see what resonates best with your audience.
- Engage with Your Audience: Respond to any comments or messages that result from your ads. This increases engagement and builds trust with potential patients.
- Track Conversions: Use Facebook Pixel or offline events to track how many leads or appointments you’re getting from your ads. This will help you understand your return on investment and which ads are most effective.
We Can Help Grow Your Facebook Page
Hopefully, this guide has helped you gather a better understanding of how you can generate more patients by using different marketing methods on Facebook. If you are still unsure or want to learn more about how to utilise your Facebook page so that you can generate more visibility and leads for your dental practice speak with HandL Agency.
We are one of the leading dental digital marketing agencies in the UK located in Bristol in the South West of England. We have worked with countless dental practices to help them dominate Facebook and various other social media sites, generating more prospective patients and building a community of loyal followers.
Speak with one of our social media marketing experts today to learn more about our social media management packages on 0117 457 6659 or contact us to book your free, no-obligation strategy call.
Want to learn more ?
Get your digital marketing and website design journey started today and speak with one of our dedicated experts now.
Meet The Author – Harry Jeffery
Director & Head of Web
Harry’s unique blend of visual design skills and social media savvy ensures that dental practices not only look great online but also connect effectively with their target audience. His experience in social media has helped propel various dental practices to being some of the leading brands online.
