As a service-based industry, your orthodontic marketing requires a personal touch – and in the modern world, that’s hard to achieve without an active social media presence. Regularly using your orthodontic practice’s social media platforms can boost your brand awareness, build trust and community with your audience, and encourage new leads to book their consultations. Stick around to learn why social media is important for your practice, how you can measure your social media success, and 10 orthodontic marketing ideas for social media that you can put into practice today.
Why Is Social Media Important for Orthodontists?
You can’t argue the facts. 54% of your new patient leads use social media to research your practice, and 71% are more likely to book a consultation based on what they see.
Social Media Is a Search Engine
These days, patients use social media like they use Google: to search for the best businesses, research the competition, and find out what others think of your practice. Missing a social media account like Facebook or Instagram can hurt your business. If your leads can’t find you on social media, you simply don’t exist to them.
Social Media Builds Community
As a local business, your most effective marketing tool is word-of-mouth referrals, but building an established reputation and community in your city often takes years. Fortunately, social media can facilitate that process. By showing off your personality and making content that genuinely helps your digital community, you can win over potential patients before they ever even arrive for a consultation.
Social Media Shows Patients What They Can Expect
When patients compare practices, they want to see results and reviews from real patients. Showing testimonials or before-and-after images on your profile can help build trust with potential leads. Good audience engagement can also show them how satisfied your current patients are with your services – and how satisfied they’ll be, too.
How to Measure Your Social Media Engagement
Key performance indicators such as likes, follows, shares, and saves can help you determine what content your audience engages with the most, which can inform your orthodontic social media strategy in the future.
Generating engagement is the end goal of every social media marketing strategy. The more your audience engages with your content, the more the algorithm will show your profile to other relevant audiences. Not to mention, this process can help you get seen by more potential patients for free.
Not all engagement metrics affect your performance in the same way, however, so understanding what to look out for can help you move forward.
Likes
The number of likes you get can show your audience that others trust your content, but it also serves a deeper purpose. Use your likes to gauge what content your audience likes the best, then show more of that content to them in the future.
Follows
You may think getting a high follower count is the best way to see how well your content is received, but this factor is often misleading. You could have 1,000 followers, but if you’re only getting three likes on each post, that high number doesn’t really help you. Remember: it’s better to have a small crowd of raving fans than a large crowd that rarely looks your way.
Shares
Shares are a great way to get in front of new audiences. When your followers share content with their friends or family, it’s almost like they’re endorsing your message, which has similar staying power as a word-of-mouth referral. Shares also reflect how genuinely helpful, entertaining, or engaging your content is. When followers show your content to others, you become part of a broader conversation.
Saves
When a follower bookmarks one of your posts, it tells the algorithm that your content is useful. Followers typically save posts they want to return to later, perhaps over and over again. If your content receives a high number of saves, even if it got a lower number of likes, you may want to create similar content in the future.
10 Social Media Post Ideas for Orthodontists
Try the orthodontic marketing ideas for social media that have worked best for hundreds of successful orthodontic social media strategies over the years.
#1: Show Before & After Transformations (The Right Way)
Sharing before-and-after photos on your patients’ debonding day isn’t revolutionary – but using the right approach is. Many practices post photos of their patients’ teeth with the cheek retractors in, but let’s be honest: that’s neither flattering nor inviting to look at.
Social media users are impressed by clean, welcoming visuals. Rather than showing the raw before-and-after close-ups, follow these tips to make the most of this orthodontic marketing idea for social media:
- Show full smiling faces to create a relatable feel.
- Include more than one image on the post.
- Use your branding as a stamp of your work, but not the focal point
- Use the caption to tell a story about the patient’s journey. Focus on personalized details about the patient (with permission) or the treatment you used to show you care about the individual.
#2: Be the Expert: Answer Questions Google Can’t
Getting a response on Google is much less personal or trustworthy than asking an orthodontist directly. Position your practice as the go-to expert in your area by addressing common questions and misconceptions you hear, answering questions they might be searching for but can’t find straightforward answers about. This could range from explaining how certain appliances work to offering advice on avoiding staining during treatment – but the key is to add your personal take to give value they can’t find anywhere else.
#3: Give an Office Tour
Everyone loves an exclusive, and this orthodontic marketing idea for social media gives them just that. Give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at your practice by sharing photos or videos of areas they don’t typically see, like your sterilization room, lab, or staff break area. This transparency builds trust and makes your office feel more welcoming to potential patients.
#4: Highlight Your Case Studies
Every treatment plan is different, and potential patients want to know how you’ve treated similar cases to their own in the past. Take a deep dive into specific cases you’ve handled, explaining your approach, the challenges you faced, and the outcomes. This not only demonstrates your expertise but also educates your audience about the complexity and personalized care involved in treatment. Try using a video format with visual aids to keep the format engaging and personal.
#5: Showcase Your Commitment to Learning & Development
Show your dedication to staying at the forefront of orthodontic care by sharing posts about your team’s continuous learning efforts. Whether it’s photos from team meetings, behind-the-scenes looks at training sessions, highlights from conferences and trade shows, or moments from CE courses, these posts demonstrate that your practice always strives to improve and deliver the best possible patient outcomes.
#6: Display Your Reviews & Testimonials
Nothing speaks louder than the words of a satisfied patient. Studies show that 98% of consumers read reviews before making a purchasing decision. To make your review posts more impactful, follow these tips:
- Condense reviews and focus on the most compelling parts. Small fonts or too much text can be overwhelming and fail to capture your audience’s attention.
- Whenever possible, share a photo of the reviewer along with the review. Featuring real people is far more engaging than just a text graphic.
- Your caption should thank the reviewer and provide insight into their experience as a patient, highlighting the personalized care they received.
#7: Use Trends to Show Your Office Culture
Not all trends will align with your office culture, and that’s okay—dancing videos aren’t for everyone! However, incorporating trends like on-the-spot interviews or day-in-the-life videos into your strategy gives your audience a glimpse of your team’s personalities and the energy in your office. This approach helps you connect with your followers and potential patients in a relatable and authentic way while also showcasing what makes your practice stand out from the competition.
#8: Celebrate Smile Reveal
Smile reveals are powerful and emotional moments. The next time you remove a patient’s braces, film their reaction to seeing their new smile. These posts often perform well on social media because they capture the joy and confidence a patient feels after completing their orthodontic treatment. They are also highly shareable, making them perfect for driving engagement.
#9: Spotlight Your Advanced Technology
Showcase the cutting-edge technology your practice uses, such as 3D imaging, digital impressions, or accelerated treatment options. Posts highlighting your investment in the latest tools and techniques can build trust and demonstrate your commitment to providing the best care for your patients.
Pro Tip: Posts of technology in action will perform better than static images of equipment or tools.
#10: Share Your Community Involvement
Highlight your practice’s involvement in the local community, whether through sponsorships, charity work, or participation in local events. Posts showing your practice giving back help strengthen your reputation and build goodwill with current and potential patients.
Put Your Best Foot Forward on Social Media
When it comes to selling your services, you need to meet your audience where they are and speak their language. Using the best practices and our top orthodontic marketing ideas for social media can make your online presence pop.
Want to learn more about orthodontic social media marketing? Check out How to Use Reels & Stories for Orthodontic Marketing.