Why must dentists invest in Facebook and Instagram advertising?

3 out of 4 Americans (and potential dental patients) use social media. As social media becomes an integral part of individuals’ daily lives, dentists must leverage the immense marketing power of social media to educate, inform and eventually drive new patients to the door.

As a full-service dental marketing company, we have assisted dozens of dental practices in their journey to achieving marketing success. Social media has always improved our dental clients’ reach and conversions. Social media marketing for dentists boosts engagement and opens doors to establish a lasting connection with the local community – the critical audience for any dental practice.

In recent years, Facebook and Instagram advertising has emerged as the most effective social media channels for consistent lead generation and sustainable practice growth. Social media for dentists serve vital purposes such as high visibility, lasting relationships with patients, and enhanced brand image and reputation.

This article will shed light on everything you need to know about Facebook and Instagram advertising for dentists – its benefits, cost, tips to make the most out of it, and much more. 

 

What does an ideal social media marketing plan look like?

Does setting up an account and publishing a few posts generate revenue for your dental practice? Of course not! 

Social media is, no doubt, a powerful marketing tool. But one can’t derive tangible benefits from social media without a perfect marketing plan. Hiring a social media marketing company is recommended since you need professional guidance to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of social media marketing. Here are a few points to help you understand what a social media marketing plan entails. 

 

1. Social media marketing strategy

A solid dental social media marketing strategy is the keystone of a successful social media plan. An SMM strategy guides you and keeps you focused on your goals. Devising a strategy includes the following steps:

• Analyzing the competition
• Identifying the right audience
• Setting specific goals such as brand awareness, enhanced reputation, and patient loyalty, among others.

 

2. Choosing the right platforms

We have seen dentists set up accounts on all popular social media platforms without considering who they want to target, which platform best suits their brand objectives, and what type of content needs to be published on each platform. 

For instance, Facebook is useful for targeting older age groups, whereas Instagram is widely prevalent among younger demographics. A one size fits all approach won’t work here. Your Facebook and Instagram campaign for the dental need to be adjusted and aligned to suit the tastes and preferences of different audiences. 

 

3. Create content that converts

Content is the fuel that drives your social media engine. While it may get tricky to keep posting unique, engaging content consistently, you can hire an agency specializing in social media for dentists to produce quality content. Each platform needs a different approach, and an agency can better devise unique strategies. Instagram is highly visual, with no option to add clickable links in the caption, whereas Facebook ads let users add clickable links.

While Facebook gives more options to select ad objectives, Instagram has limited options. If increasing website clicks is your objective, you need Facebook ads. If you have a more straightforward goal, such as gaining traction, go with Instagram marketing for a dental practice. Understanding each platform is key to driving meaningful engagement that translates into new patient appointments. Before prospective patients interact with you, they will perceive your dental practice positively. 

 

4. Organizing a schedule

After creating some appealing social media content, creating a schedule to post the content is equally important.  Publishing one or two dental Facebook and Instagram posts daily is the norm. Dentists can leverage Instagram’s ‘stories’ feature to keep audiences engaged throughout the day.  Consistency is key.

 

5. Monitoring and analyzing social media metrics

Analyzing brand mentions, profile visits, engagement, followers and impressions, and other metrics is essential. You can fine-tune your strategies based on insights if you have a social media marketing company. These insights help dentists achieve goals faster. Facebook and Instagram insights give valuable audience engagement and reach data, which helps determine what content is working. Insights serve as a valuable tool for creating advanced strategies.                         

 

6. Social media advertising

Social media advertising refers to the hyper-targeted paid traffic generation methods to attract and engage with the audience. Social media ads are beneficial to drive instant brand recognition and higher conversions. While organic Facebook and Instagram dental posts may take time to produce tangible results, social media ads can help you hit your goals faster. 

 

Facebook includes the following ad formats:

• Facebook Feed ads
• Facebook right column ads

• Facebook In-stream Video Ads

• Facebook Carousel Image ads

• Facebook Instant Experience ads

• Collection ads
• Facebook Marketplace Ads
• Facebook Stories Ad 

 

Instagram ad formats include the following:

• Instagram Image ads
• Instagram Stories ads
• Instagram Video ads
• Instagram Carousel ads
• Instagram Collection ads
• Instagram Explore ads
• Instagram IGTV ads
• Instagram Shopping ads
• Instagram Reels ads    

 

Why is Instagram and Facebook advertising essential?

Facebook (recently renamed Meta) and Instagram are undoubtedly the most prominent social media networks in terms of global reach. More than 200 million small businesses rely on Facebook to reach their target audience. The below-mentioned points emphasize the importance of Instagram and Facebook advertising for dentists:

Advanced targeting features
Are you a pediatric dentist aiming to target young parents? Or do you want to reach people seeking treatment for orthodontic treatment? Instagram and Facebook Ad Manager have smart targeting features to make the most of your ad budget and reach only those likely to convert. Target prospective patients based on location, interests, behavior, demographics, and more.

Cost-effective paid advertising
Social media is a highly cost-efficient marketing channel that guarantees results when appropriately leveraged. You can run ads on both Instagram and Facebook depending on your budget and effortlessly achieve your goals. Instagram and Facebook ads for dentists offer enough flexibility for dentists looking to expand their reach while operating on a shoe-string budget.

Facebook and Instagram ads work faster
You can launch Instagram and Facebook ads for dentists within minutes. Dentists can even test ads to identify areas of improvement and refine and optimize with just a few clicks to ensure maximum returns on ad spend.

 

 

How much does Instagram and Facebook advertising cost?

You can run Facebook and Instagram dental ads on any budget. You can set a budget and bid, and the platforms would never charge you beyond the budget. It is important to note that certain types of advanced ads have minimum budget requirements. An agency specializing in Instagram and Facebook marketing for dentists can guide you with the appropriate type of ad at each phase. 

There are two essential elements of a Facebook and Instagram dental marketing campaign – budget amount and the bid amount. The budget is the maximum amount you are willing to spend on an advertising campaign. Bid amount refers to the maximum amount you are ready to pay when your target audience takes a desired action.

On average, a dental practice should set aside somewhere between $500 to $1500 depending on the market size, competition, dental marketing budget, and other factors. 3

 

Learn about How to create a marketing budget plan for dental businesses?

 

 

Why should you combine Facebook ads and Instagram ads?

Facebook ads can be run on Instagram, too, with a single click. Facebook owns Instagram, and it is recommended to use both platforms to expand the reach and boost engagement. Instagram’s highly engaging features combined with Facebook’s targeting capabilities and superior campaign optimization benefits will enhance your conversion rates.

Here are a few reasons why you should integrate Facebook and Instagram ads:

– Different demographics 
Integrating both Facebook and Instagram ads helps reach a wider audience. Users between the ages of 25 and 34 worldwide constitute the biggest demographic on Facebook. On the other hand, Instagram users are around 30.2% in the 18-24 age group, and 31.7% of users fall in the 25 to 34 years age range. Integrating the ads helps seamlessly target patients across demographics.

– Low CPA
Running Facebook ads on Instagram is extremely helpful in reducing the cost per acquisition. Placement optimization is an excellent feature that helps deliver Facebook campaigns in placements with the lowest CPA. Dental ads bring in more results when both Facebook and Instagram audiences are targeted together, rather than using a single platform alone.

– Extensive reach
You can make the most of your social media marketing budget if Facebook and Instagram ads work together. Integrating both ads allows one to scale campaigns effortlessly to reach more audiences. Dental practices can reach prospects where they are most active with a single campaign. If you need help to set up a new campaign across both platforms, consult a dental marketing company with expertise in Facebook and Instagram dental marketing.      

 

Learn about 11 Instagram marketing tips to boost your dental practice growth

 

 

5 Handy Facebook and Instagram advertising tips

You may have some creative dental Facebook post ideas to keep your audience engaged and interested, but you must execute them flawlessly. Suppose you have a social media marketing company by your side. In that case, you will access experienced professionals who know the ins and outs of Facebook and Instagram promotion for dental practices. Here are a few tips that you must follow to attract the right audience and conversions.

– Test multiple ads
Testing ads before launching them on a large scale helps determine how different variables affect ad performance. Test dental ads with various copies, designs, and CTAs to understand which combination works the best. The ad that garnered maximum positive response is fit to be launched on a wide scale. Testing helps avoid pitfalls and leads to enhanced ROAS and better ROI.

– Mobile-friendly content
As research shows, Over 98% of the users’ accessed Facebook via mobile phone in July 2021. Make your content mobile-friendly to tap into the growing percentage of mobile users. Vertical format video ads can give a full-screen experience to your audience without compelling them to tilt the phone, reducing hassles and resulting in faster conversions.

– Effective CTA
Always include an effective CTA button or a landing page for dental ads. The placement of the CTA button also influences the audience’s decision-making process. Make sure the message is clear, and the CTA button is unmissable. 

– Keep a check on the competition.
Chances are that your competitor in your market is also running social media ads. Analyze your competitors’ strategies and engagement on their posts. This will help you refine and fine-tune your Facebook and Instagram campaign for dental practice and outsmart competitors.

– Create video ads
Video marketing has opened opportunities for dentists to capture interest and attention. Create videos showcasing your dental office, equipment, facilities, staff, etc., to instill trust and establish a connection to encourage them to become patients. 

 

 

How to find the right social media marketing company?

Instagram and Facebook advertising for dentists has enormous potential to take your dental practice to the next level. To realize this potential, you need to have a social media company that is the right fit for your dental practice. Here are a few things to look for in an agency:

 

1. They must have a proven track record.
Confirm if the agency is a dental marketing company with experience serving the dental industry. Find out whether they have substantial records of past successful dental campaigns. Make sure the agency has an impressive portfolio before signing the contract.

 

2. They must have a deep understanding of the dental industry.
Working for a dental practice differs entirely from other profit-oriented businesses. A deep understanding of the dental industry is a must for the flawless execution of marketing campaigns. In addition, devising dental marketing strategies requires the marketing personnel to be aware of HIPAA laws and regulations as a minor error could hurt the dentist’s reputation.

 

3. They must offer customized dental marketing services, not cookie-cutter packages.
You need a marketing agency that can cater to your unique needs. Ensure that the agency offers solutions after understanding your objectives rather than selling cookie-cutter packages. Customized services mean the agency is capable of solving your specific pain points.  

 

4. They must be transparent about pricing and their processes.
Several dental practices fall prey to ‘hidden charges’ and are left with no option but to pay a hefty amount. Ensure that you only pay for what you get and enquire about any hidden terms and conditions before signing the contract. A bona fide agency will always be transparent about its pricing and processes so clients know what to expect once the work begins.

 

5. They must do regular reporting.
Regular reporting keeps you well informed about how the agency utilizes your resources and is crucial to evaluating your progress over time. Depending on client expectations, the agency must be willing to provide a weekly, monthly, or quarterly report. Verify beforehand what kind of reports the agency will provide to avoid misunderstandings later. Reporting is key to maintaining a good client-agency relationship.

 

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Dental Marketing Agency 

 

Conclusion

Facebook and Instagram marketing for dentists can push on-the-fence leads down the funnel faster. It helps define the audience size and characteristics and even remarket to those who didn’t convert when they were first exposed to your ads. Instagram and Facebook ads for dentists are powerful tools to increase the patient base instantly. It can drive traffic to your website, ultimately leading to more conversions within an abbreviated period.

 

Let’s quickly go through the crucial points discussed in this article.

1. Facebook and Instagram advertising is a vital ingredient of every dental marketing plan.
2. There are a variety of ad formats to choose from, depending on the brand objectives. 
3. Creating a social media marketing plan tailored to your dental practice goals is the first step to your dental social media marketing. 
4. The next step is to determine the budget. The cost of Facebook and Instagram advertising differs from one dental practice to another. However, it is recommended that every dental practice invest between $500 to $1500 on social media marketing, depending on the market size, competition, and other factors.
5. Combining Instagram and Facebook ads can maximize benefits for dental practice by ensuring low CPA and greater reach.
6. A deep understanding of social media platforms and the dental industry is key to success in dental marketing. Hiring a reputable marketing agency is the best way for dentists to focus entirely on their core competencies and stay ahead of the competition. 

 

A social media marketing company with refined expertise in creating a compelling Facebook and Instagram dental marketing strategy should be hired for long-term sustainable success. While you may feel tempted to hire ones offering the lowest price options, it will cost you to acquire new patients in the long run, owing to poorly executed campaigns. So be smart about who you pick; use the tips in this article. 

Partner with an agency that will make you more money and not one that will cost you less.