Telling Stories to Market Your Practice

These days, most  people know what social media is. Chances are, even if you aren’t on Facebook or Twitter, you’ve heard about people sharing what they ate for breakfast or posting pictures of their latest vacation. While not every post or update is going to be a winner (no, we don’t want to see pictures of every meal you enjoy), social media is a very powerful tool because it allows you to tell your story.

Now your first thought may be, “I don’t really think my practice has a story.” You may have never thought of it this way but your practice has a brand, and your brand is your story, and you are part of that story. Social media gives you the ability to show off various aspects of your brand on open, conversational platforms.

Think about it.. What other types of marketing strategies let you show off your brand at no cost to you other than the time it takes to actually do it? You can tell your story in so many ways; Is your office known as the fun office in town? Post pictures on Facebook and Instagram of your office having a good time while at work. More of a boutique office? Upload pictures of you working with patients or create a video showing off your office space.

It might be overwhelming to try and figure out where to begin. Here are a few ideas to help get your creative juices flowing:

1. Create a photo album on Facebook or a collage on Instagram. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then an album of pictures would be…well, a lot! Did you participate in an event as an office or attend a conference? Document it with pictures and post those for people to see.
2. Create a Facebook Live video. Facebook Live allows you to live stream whatever is going on. This can be great for fun events in the office, educational seminars you might host, or patient testimonials–amongst many other things! Facebook Live videos can also be saved so  you can post the videos to your Timeline for people to watch later.
3. Create an office hashtag. Putting something like #smile or #Invisalign isn’t bad per se. But think of how many other offices are probably doing the same thing. What makes your office (your story) unique? Create a hashtag around your brand and use it in your social media posts.
4. Create a YouTube channel and post videos. Videos give people the clearest picture of whatever story you are trying to tell. Again, if you wanted to show the fun personality of the staff, videos makes a great medium for that. Make a funny video of the staff around the office or announce winners of contests via YouTube videos. If you want to show results of your clinical work, video is also fantastic for that. Get your patients involved too! After all, by visiting your office, they are part of your story.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Be creative and have fun with it! Social media is a very important part of your business but it shouldn’t feel like a chore. Every patient is going to be different with what they are looking for in a care provider. By telling your brand story on social media, you are putting yourself in front of new patients who may be in the middle of trying to find the right fit. Those pictures you posted last week, to better tell your story, may just be what persuades a new patient to choose you.

—Phil Horton, Search Manager, Sesame Communications