4 Social Media Contest Ideas for Orthodontists

Solutions By Design

Having a presence on social media for any orthodontic practice is important to grow, reach potential patients and gain credibility. Especially for orthodontists, social media can be a powerful tool to give information, showcase the amazing smiles and reach someone who is on the fence on receiving orthodontic treatment.

Most practice have trouble getting started using Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Check out our blog posts on Twitter and Instagram marketing tips for orthodontists. Finding ways to utilize these social media platforms is the first step in creating a great social media strategy for your practice. If you are using social media for your practice, you may be wondering how to take your social media strategy to another level. If you do not have a social media budget, growing and engaging organically can be just as effective on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

One way to grow your social media following and engage organically is through contest through social media. Social media contest allows your patients and community (past or future patients) to get involved and participate. Here are 4 social media contest ideas to take your orthodontic practice to the next level.

1. Giveaways - A giveaway is a great easy way to gain followers on either social media platform while reaching new potential patients. Depending on the prize, how someone will enter and determine eligibility will be up to each practice, the actions should be simple and clear. You want to make the process of entering your contest as clear and simple as possible.

For example, TLS Orthodontics designed a giveaway with the goal of increasing their Page Likes on Facebook. The instructions were clear, like the post, share the post and tag 2 people on the contest. Tagging people in the post encourages additional entries from those who were tagged and expose your practice to someone new.

2. Encourage Patients to Share Photos - What is better than having patients leave raving reviews and letting us know how amazing their appointment went? Sharing photos of their smiles and the work the orthodontic team has created. Encouraging patients to share selfies or smile photos as contest entries is a great way to receive content you can share and be shared among your patient's friends and followers.

Bunn Orthodontics did a successful contest that encouraged their patients to share photos wearing their merchandise. This gave Bunn Orthodontics a wider reach in growth, a strong engagement and an increase in followers all organically.

3. Action Contests - Action contest can have participants do something to enter. In this example, Beim Orthodontics provided a small 8 x 10 cutout of Dr. Beim. The contest encouraged patients traveling around during their summer vacation to take a picture of the cutout at their destination. Other contest have had patients create a jingle for an orthodontic practice. This is a great way to get creative and think outside of the box.

4. Holiday Themed Contests - Creating a contest around a holiday or theme can be the perfect opportunity to engage your audience and grow your following. This can range from Halloween to Christmas to national events such as the Olympics and the Super Bowl. There is always a holiday or “national something day” the internet is always celebrating.

Hinesly Orthodontics surrounded their holiday season with “elf on the shelf” photos around the office while encouraging their followers to submit photos of their “elf on the shelf.” This created a strong engagement on Facebook. Another example is another practice that made the Super Bowl a fun game before it had begun. Contest participants had to submit their game predictions through Facebook, and the winner would win the grand prize. This can go for other events such as award shows and major sports such as the World Series.

Ultimately, contests are a great way to grow your following and keep your followers engaged across all platforms. Most orthodontic practices have trouble getting started using Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Check out our blog posts on Twitter and Instagram marketing tips for orthodontists. For those who are ready for their practice to step up their game on social media, contests are great for engagement.

Need additional help or tips on social media? Contact us for more information at info@solutionsbydesign.com.