The dental industry is evolving rapidly with new technology and innovation. For dental labs looking to remain relevant and scale their business, social media marketing is crucial. It’s important to stay ahead of the curve, expand your network, and stay visible online through engaging social media content.
This means constantly working to expand your network, staying in the know for new techniques and technology, and of course staying visible online.
This is a task that Gil Villavecer, Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Dental Labs, has been able to do successfully in his years in the industry. With his expertise in keeping audiences engaged, in this episode of the Evident Lab to Lab Education Series, Gil shares insights and tips for mastering social media as a tool for growing your dental lab.
Embrace Authenticity
Gil emphasizes the importance of authenticity, especially when building a presence on social media for labs because most followers feel more comfortable interacting with people rather than a faceless brand.
Coming from an authentic and earnest place makes it easier for audiences to connect with you, which leads them looking forward to seeing more of your content. Building a personal and relatable social media presence also alleviates some of the apprehensions many people can have about visiting the dentist.
Apart from this, authenticity allows audiences to truthfully get to know your clinic and your brand more, and this type of transparency can be a powerful tool for building trust among audiences and prospective patients.
Balance Personal and Professional
While being authentic is important, it is also vital to remain professional on social media. Sacrificing credibility for being viral, especially for companies in fields as particular as dentistry will ultimately do more harm than good.
Virality means little compared to genuine connection and conversions, and it is important that the content you produce remains true to your brand.
Gil makes the example that content of him going on vacation at the beach wouldn’t be very relevant or engaging to Frontier Dental Labs audiences, so there really needs to be a balance between personal and professional content to contribute to credibility.
Instead, what labs can do is produce content that allows audiences to get to know them better in appealing and approachable ways. For example, behind-the-scenes content on Instagram Stories works well to give followers a glimpse into what the lab does, offering windows for familiarity while being an avenue for showcasing the practice’s capabilities.
Content that aligns with the company’s values and mission is also recommended to illustrate its uniqueness over competitors. For instance, a dental lab that prides itself on using eco-friendly materials should showcase that on their social media pages. This type of content works towards transparency and credibility, all while showing the human side of the business.
Social Media Strategy
Apart from understanding tonality and the impression your social media presence needs to make on audiences, Gil also asserts the impression of learning the ropes of social media and having a sound strategy behind your content efforts.
When he was starting out, Gil didn’t have much to do in the way of social media, and this meant that he had to learn very quickly to create a strategic approach for the brand. This learning process entailed a lot of trial and error, watching statistics closely to see the kind of content that worked and what didn’t, what posts attracted attention and what did not.
What was once a 15 minute per day job turned into a full-time role, and he learned the importance of setting goals and tracking progress to determine the effectiveness of his social media strategy.
For example, a goal could be to increase engagement by a certain percentage within a specified timeframe. Regularly tracking progress can help dental labs determine what works and what doesn’t, allowing them to pivot their strategy as needed.
Frontier Dental Lab invested time and resources to grow their social media presence, and it paid off. Gil said that social media has been a significant factor in the growth of their business.
Eventually this learning curve led to the development of a playbook, which Gil highly recommends for consistency throughout your social media platforms.
Prioritize Engagement
Finally, Gil highlighted the importance of engaging with followers and even other dental professionals on social media. The type of content you publish contributes to the amount of engagement with your page, because attention spans are short on social media.
Therefore, it is crucial to capture your audience’s attention quickly. Gil recommends using eye-catching visuals, such as high-quality photos and videos, to draw people in. Additionally, he suggests keeping the captions short and to the point, because people are more likely to engage with content that is easy to consume.
Apart from posting engaging content, it is also vital to engage with your audience on social media. Responding to comments and messages shows that you care about your audience and are interested in their feedback.
It also helps build a relationship with your followers and create a sense of community, which ultimately builds trust in your audience, leaving them more likely to pay your clinic a visit. This engagement needs to be done strategically as well, and the same strategies might not be effective across all platforms.
Frontier Dental Labs uses Instagram primarily but has branched out into other platforms as well, and by watching their analytics they were able to find the best ways to engage with their audience in different digital venues. To maximize engagement, it is important to post content and interact at the right times when your followers are most active.
Social Media Marketing for Labs
Like all business growth strategies, it is important to learn how social media marketing can grow your lab and contribute to lead generation. Chances are, many of your competitors are also on social media and posting their own content.
Understanding the strategies that Gil outlined, while aligning them to the branding of your business, will help you stand out. Ultimately, building the right social media presence takes time.
Although the churn of content and shifts in attention happen very quickly on social media, progress does not come as easily. Building a successful business takes time and effort.
It’s not just about developing your product or service, but also about building strong relationships with your team, customers, and other clinics and businesses in your industry. By doing so, you can solidify your position and create a strong foundation for long-term success.
For labs like Frontier Dental, they are able to focus on their digital marketing without compromising their products and services with the help of Evident Digital: the ultimate digital platform for your digital transformation.
Evident’s suite of services include the key touchpoints of any dental business, including lab management software, digital CAD/CAM designs, and essential digital equipment. Beyond this, Evident’s network allows practices to gain recognition and connect with other valuable partners in the industry. Learn how to boost your practice’s productivity and scale your business today with Evident Digital.
