3 Ways to Increase Facebook Engagement

Solutions By Design

Social media has become an important tool for orthodontists to connect with patients, bring valuable updates to their patients, give tips and showcase their incredible work. Facebook for orthodontic practices is becoming small community hubs, sharing not only orthodontic related content but content outside the office walls, from community outreaches, fundraisers and community updates.

Social media is a necessity in today's digital age, especially for businesses. More than 40% of digital consumers use social networks to research new brands or products. Allowing your business to be discoverable on social media by crafting a social media strategy is important for business growth.

Facebook is a great tool for orthodontic practices to reach potential patients and new audiences. Here are 3 ways to increase Facebook engagement for orthodontists.

1. Go Live

Facebook Live is a great way to get your audience engaged and keep their attention. Facebook changed their algorithm in 2018 to focus on meaningful interactions. “the public content you see more will be held to the same standard -- it should encourage meaningful interactions between people,” said Mark Zuckerberg. According to Facebook “Page posts that generate conversation between people will show higher in News Feed. For example, live videos often lead to discussion among viewers on Facebook – in fact, live videos on average get six times as many interactions as regular videos.”  

The Facebook Live video view count climbed to 2 billion viewers last year and it is continuing to grow. 

2. Contests

One way to grow your social media following and engage organically is through contest through social media. Contests a great way to create engagement on social media, especially if your social media is stagnant or has fallen behind. Contests are a great opportunity to build a following in your community, especially if you are just starting out. Social media contest allows your patients and community (past or future patients) to get involved and participate. 

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. Read our blog on “4 Social Media Contest Ideas for Orthodontists,” for some inspiration. 

3. Video 

 

Video is a big way to get your audience engaged on Facebook. Upload your videos onto Facebook: Videos uploaded onto Facebook have, on average, 110 percent higher engagement rate and 478 percent higher share rate than YouTube links. 

Video is a perfect way to engage your followers through announcing events, contest winners, creating a demonstration or simply showcasing some smiles. Jernigan Orthodontics uses Facebook video to show a behind the scenes of their office, showcasing their fun team. 

Bunn Orthodontic Group has used video in the past to announce contest winners, which has been effective in getting comments, shares and reactions, all leading to Facebook to rank them higher, among news feeds. 

Social media is integrated into our daily lives and rapidly evolving. 69% of U.S. adults use at least one social media site. The chances that your target audience and ideal customer is on at least one social media platform is highly likely. Download selfie signs and a social media calendar of fun holidays for free here. This will help you stand above your competitors and help create new content for your social media platforms.

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.

A Week of Social Media Ideas Just For You

Solutions By Design

Social media is a necessity in today's digital age, especially for businesses. More than 40% of digital consumers use social networks to research new brands or products. Allowing your business to be discoverable on social media by crafting a social media strategy is important for business growth.

Capitalize on online marketing and social media services for your business. Social programs are very much like any other specialized task or responsibility in your business. There is a steep learning curve that requires full-time attention and a continual focus on changing technology.

Here is a week of simple easy social media ideas for orthodontists, that can be applied to any business in any industry. These are simple ways to keep your followers engaged and even show your business personality online.

1. #MondayMotivation
Try posting an inspiring quote, a branded graphic, or even a video of your doctor or team members giving an inspirational message for those going in for orthodontic treatment for that week.

A video or branded graphic will showcase any business personality and who can go wrong with the hashtag MondayMotivation, which has over 17 million users using the hashtag.

2. National Holidays
There is always a national holiday to celebrate. From National Donut Day to National Boss’s Day, celebrate with your staff and showcase on social media. Download our holiday calendar and never miss a national fun holiday again.

3. BTS Wednesday!
Build trust among your community by showcasing behind the scenes of your office, patients and team members. Share your daily routine and a different side of your business to build trust among your current followers and potential customers.

4. Throwback Thursday
#TBT / #ThrowbackThursday is one of the most popular social media hashtags on different platforms. This is a perfect opportunity to showcase past photos or videos and even give a history of your orthodontic practice (or business).

5. FAQ - Fridays
Everyone loves Fridays! Use this opportunity to answer questions. Bonus points if you include a video or use video when answering these questions.

6. Saturday Tips
Give some health tips and ways your followers can keep their smile healthy. Use this opportunity to tell your audience a tip, and describe your products and services.

7. Sunday UGC 
User-generated content is content posted by your patients or customers. These are usually photos and reviews that are directly from your patients, raving how fantastic you are. Always ask if you could ‘repost’ and share their content on your social media sites.

Social media is integrated into our daily lives and rapidly evolving. 69% of U.S. adults use at least one social media site. The chances that your target audience and ideal customer is on at least one social media platform is highly likely. Download selfie signs and a social media calendar of fun holidays for free here. This will help you stand above your competitors and help create new content for your social media platforms.

4 Instagram Stories Tips for Orthodontist

Solutions By Design

Instagram Stories are one of the most popular features on Instagram. You could argue that Instagram Stories is a social media platform in and of itself, separate from Instagram. Approximately 1 billion people use Instagram each month. Instagram Stories usage is 500 million people, according to Hootsuite. One-third of Instagram Story views are attributed to business accounts of all types. That could include your favorite coffee shop to your hairstylist to your orthodontic practice.

Launched in 2016, Instagram Stories quickly became a staple component on Instagram. If you are not using Instagram Stories, then you are missing out on an important marketing opportunity on Instagram. Instagram Stories are another great way to showcase information and reach a new network of an audience who may not be following you. You can do this by using hashtags and tag locations on the Stories. It is also a great way to showcase fun, behind the scenes of your business.

Here are 4 Instagram Stories tips for orthodontists. Be sure to check out our Instagram tips here.

1. Showcase Behind the Scenes:
Showing your orthodontics practice culture and personality can help make a potential patient feel better about orthodontic treatment. It can also be the deciding factor whether they choose your orthodontic practice. Parigini Orthodontics showcases a behind the scenes of fun with Dr. Parigini, the team, and patients, all giving a glimpse of what a patient's appointment will entail.

2. Your Patient’s Bright Smiles on Display:

If you're not sharing your patients' smiles on social media (of course with parent permission), you're missing a big marketing opportunity. Patient smiles not only showcases the doctor’s work, but it also gives an opportunity for potential patients to see their possibility. 

Sharing smiles also allows the patient and their parents to share your social media content to their networks. Showcasing your smiles on Instagram Stories allows you to highlight your smiles through Instagram Stories Highlights. That way anyone who visits your profile can view them anytime. 

3. Use Location Tags and Hashtags! 

Use location tags and hashtags to reach more people. 63% of Instagram users log in at least once per day and 42% check multiple times per day. Creating and sharing content on Instagram Stories is a great way to reach a larger audience who are in one specific location. Using location tags and hashtags will allow you to appear on the city highlights and any hashtags that people are searching for. 

4. Post about Your Events! 

Instagram Stories is the perfect social media channel to post about an upcoming event or even post about an event, using a story highlight to share with your audience. You can share your team and office celebrating a fun holiday or showcasing a fun event in the community. 

Instagram Stories are another social media vehicle to showcase work, reach your current and new audiences while building a reputable orthodontic practice online. Instagram will reach 112.5 million U.S. users in 2020. That’s a 5.4% increase over 2019, as estimated by eMarketer, which also predicts the network will reach 117.2 million U.S. users in 2021, according to Hootsuite. Instagram Stories is a staple component on Instagram. If you are not using Instagram Stories, then you are missing out on an important marketing opportunity on Instagram. 

Solutions By Design can help you make professional and intelligent decisions that will be advantageous in setting the fate of your overall digital marketing efforts. Never miss a fun holiday, by downloading our yearly calendar of fun holidays here. 

Create a Veterinarian Social Media Calendar

Solutions By Design

Did you know this month is "National Love Your Pet Day"? How are you celebrating "National Walk Your Dog Day"? You may have seen all these wacky, fun holidays people are celebrating on social media. It is a perfect opportunity to encourage your followers to never miss a chance to hashtag a holiday again!

These holidays are a great opportunity to encourage your followers to engage and you are able to create opportunities for great content to share. From #EmojiDay to #NationalPuppyDay, keep your social media up-to-date with our free social media holiday calendar.

• Create A Fun Environment
• Show Support For National Events & Holidays
• Encourage Customers To Get Involved In Your Office
• Connect With Customers On Social Media
• Take Fun Staff Photos
• Create Social Media Content
• Grow Your Followers
• Increase Your Visibility
• Build Relationships

The challenge is to continue to create engaging content and engage with your followers. Download selfie signs and a social media calendar of fun holidays for free on the Solutions By Design website. This will help you stand above your competitors and help create new content for your social media platforms.

Free Social Media Calendar

Solutions By Design

Did you know January has a National Pie Day? A Backwards Day? You may have seen this on social media and all the wacky, fun holidays people are celebrating on social media. Never miss a chance to hashtag a holiday again! From #EmojiDay to #NationalPuppyDay, keep your social media up-to-date with our free social media holiday calendar.

• Create A Fun Environment
• Show Support For National Events & Holidays
• Encourage Customers To Get Involved In Your Office
• Connect With Customers On Social Media
• Take Fun Staff Photos
• Create Social Media Content
• Grow Your Followers
• Increase Your Visibility
• Build Relationships

The challenge is to continue to create engaging content and engage with your followers. Download selfie signs and a social media calendar of fun holidays for free at solutionsbydesign.com. This will help you stand above your competitors and help create new content for your social media platforms.

Social Media: Instagram “Likes” are Disappearing

Social media likes may soon indefinitely be a thing of the past, at least on Instagram. It seemed like 2019 was full of updates for all social media platforms. From Facebook to Twitter banning political ads to Instagram’s various updates, social media is constantly changing and evolving.

One noticeable social media change happening to users of all kinds is the disappearance of “likes.” It was first announced that Canadian users would experience their likes disappearing back in April 2019. In July 2019, the same changes applied to users in Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. Facebook began testing hidden likes on its platform for some Australian users in the Fall.

“The new feature hides users’ public like counts on videos and photos in the Feed, on the web, and within profiles.” Instagram announced that it wants followers to “focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get.”

“As you scroll through your feed, there are no like counts,” explained Mark Zuckerberg at F8. “You can see who liked a photo or video, you can tap through to see [the list], and if you have the time you can add them all up yourself.”

Instagram is one of the most popular social media apps with more than 1 billion monthly users and about 500 million daily users on Instagram Stories. There is no opt-in or opt-out to hiding Instagram likes and only time will tell if this feature will altogether be removed for everyone on the popular platform.

Zuckerberg said as much during his keynote, stating: “We want people to be less interested in how many likes a post gets, and focus more on connecting with other people.”

Here is what it looks like when the likes count is gone:

Photo: CNN

What does this mean for users and businesses altogether? The challenge is to continue to create engaging content and engage with your followers. Download selfie signs and a social media calendar of fun holidays for free here. This will help you stand above your competitors and help create new content for your social media platforms.

4 Instagram Updates You May have Missed this Month

Social media is constantly changing. New platforms emerge, new algorithms throw away what once worked and new updates change the way we can create engaging content. With all these changes happening in real-time, you may have missed these four essential updates for Instagram.

There are more than 1 billion monthly active users of Instagram worldwide and that number is only growing as more people are using to share and interact with the businesses and brands they love. 90% of brands use social media to increase brand awareness and reach a potential audience through a strategic approach and curated unique content.

1. Eliminating the “Following" Tab

The ‘Following’ tab is being removed from Instagram. The ‘Following’ tab was a feature on the popular app within the ‘Activity’ tab, which would let users see how people they’re following were engaging on Instagram. All activity from people you’re following could be found in that ‘Following’ tab. “The ‘Following’ tab listed which posts and comments were recently liked by people you’re following.”

2. Dark Mode for Instagram

What is ‘dark mode’? Dark mode makes your screen, apps and whole appearance choose a dark system. According to Apple, “In iOS 13.0 and later, people can choose to adopt a dark system-wide appearance called Dark Mode. In Dark Mode, the system uses a darker color palette for all screens, views, menus, and controls, and it uses more vibrancy to make foreground content stand out against the darker backgrounds.” 

Anyone on iOS 13 or Android 10 is able to choose ‘dark mode’ on your phone and Instagram. 

3. New App: Threads

Instagram released its newest standalone messaging app called ‘Threads.’ Similar to Facebook Messenger. According to Instagram's announcement, “a new camera-first messaging app that helps you stay connected to your close friends.”

In ‘Threads,” you can only message your close friends from a list made by you on Instagram. You are able to share videos, messages, photos and Instagram Stories from your ‘Close Friends’ list.

Instagram announced, “for your smaller circle of friends, we saw the need to stay connected throughout the day, so you can communicate what you’re doing and how you’re feeling through photos and videos. That’s why we built Threads, a new way to message with close friends in a dedicated, private space.”

Threads: Instagram

4. Product Launch Stickers

500 million people use Instagram stories daily. As social media introduce more features within their platforms, there will be more ways for businesses to connect with their followers. Instagram specifically, is testing reminder notifications for product launches. 

“Today we’re testing a new way to set reminders about upcoming product launches so people can buy your products the moment they’re available, right on Instagram. From checkout to shopping from creators, this is part of our ongoing investment to make it easier for people to shop.”

Instagram

These reminders will help connect even further with your followers and reach potential customers. Four big updates to one social media platform are huge! Capitalize on online marketing and social media services for your business. Social programs are very much like any other specialized task or responsibility in your business. There is a steep learning curve that requires full-time attention and a continual focus on changing technology. That person has to be accountable for the message and its results. 

Solutions by Design offers affordable social media marketing for a fraction of the cost of what most companies offer. Call us so we can personally assess your needs and build a strategic social media program for you. 

5 Tools to Create Engaging Posts for Orthodontists

There is no denying the power of social media and its effect on businesses of any size. From organic content to social advertising, social media is here, it's not a trend and it’s here to stay in one form or another. 3.48 billion people now use social media. That’s an increase of 9% from last year, according to Hootsuite. Social media is changing every day and fast!

Businesses and brands are on social media adapting to trends, pushing content and converting visitors into customers. Social media can help you reach new potential patients by allowing your content to be discoverable and allowing potential patients to see the work you do. 90% of brands use social media to increase brand awareness, with most businesses maintaining between four and 10 social profiles.

While you don’t necessarily need to be on every social media platform, highlighting and creating great content will work for you, if you are on 1 or multiple social media platforms.

Here are five social media tools to create engaging posts for an orthodontist or in any industry. These social media tools will help enhance your practice and your business, creating a recognizable brand on social media, stand above your competitors and turn visitors into patients.

1. Boomerang

Boomerang is a popular app by Instagram. Boomerang allows users to capture mini videos that loop back and forth. Find something (or someone!) that's moving, or create a video selfie by switching to the front-facing camera. We have seen some incredible uses of boomerang, which create fun content that is shareable between Instagram and Facebook.

Boomerang works if you download the app directly on your phone or you can use the feature within the Instagram app. Either way, it is a fun way to create different types of content that is engaging.

View this post on Instagram

Brand New Smile hi-fives!!! Congrats, Caleb! #bracesoff - today!! 😁🌟

A post shared by Bright Orthodontics (@bright.orthodontics) on Sep 17, 2019 at 4:04pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

Pediatric Dental Specialists is sending out good vibes to our Dodgers! Let's Go Dodgers!!! 💙⚾️ #LosDoyers #LetsGoDodgers #DodgerBlue #Dodgers2019 #WeBleedBlue #PediatricDentalSpecialistsLongBeach #DrPlanells #DrSanchez #DrCortez #PDSLongBeach #LongBeachDentist #LongBeachCalifornia #LongBeach #PediatricDentist #KidsDentist #Orthodontist #Smile #KidsSmile #WeLoveOurPatients #ITFDB

A post shared by Pediatric Dental Specialists (@pdslongbeach) on Oct 9, 2019 at 1:08pm PDT

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Dab it out for NO CAVITIES! #cavityfree #pediatricdentistry #dancemoves #allsmiles

A post shared by Carolina Ortho & Kids (@mycarolinasmile) on Jun 5, 2019 at 1:11pm PDT

2. Canva

Canva is a highly creative tool that easily allows users to easily create graphics for documents to social media to power points. “Canva is a website that uses a drag-and-drop format and provides access to photographs, images, graphics, and fonts. It is used by non-designers as well as professionals. The tools can be used for both web and print media design and graphics.”

3. Photo Filters

Photo filters are not just for enhancing photos, they make a great way to different types of content, uniform and that complement well with each other.

Filters are a great way to make your content stand out as branded content, specifically to your orthodontic practice or business on Instagram and Facebook. Filters help your photo become instantly recognizable with a specific filter, color palette or gradient used on your photo.

For example, Braces by Benton uses a bright, clean look on each of their photos. Each photo curated, yet altogether as a social media feed looks uniform and unique. Waterhouse Animal Hospital uses bright and blue hue, that makes their entire feed match their branded blue color. It complements well with their website and their content becomes recognizable, without needing a watermark on each photo.

There are various different photo apps that any orthodontic practice (or business) can use such as VSCO, Snapseed, Afterlight or Adobe.

4. Video Apps

Video is increasingly popular on social media. With the ever-changing social media algorithms, video still performs well on any social media platform. Because of its reach video tends to engage more users on each social media platform. Twitter alone gains 1.2 billion total video views per day, just on their platform alone. Live video, is also a big opportunity to engage users. Facebook Live videos get six times more interactions than regular video content.

An effective social media strategy can help you plan out content for videos that can engage potential patients, while also keeping your current audience engaged. Contact us for help with creating a social media strategy that works for your practice.

Video is best used for telling a story, patient testimonials and letting your community see your orthodontic practice or business from behind the scenes. Dr. Castagna uses video to educate his current audience and potential patients on orthodontic treatment. Dr. Wentz has used video to showcase new offices, patient testimonials, and unique orthodontic treatment. Both showcase effective use of video, each on a different platform.

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Check out this star patient! ⭐️ Jake shows us how great he is at wearing his reversible headgear. See what he has to say about his experience!

A post shared by Wentz Orthodontics (@wentz_orthodontics) on Oct 15, 2019 at 6:50am PDT

You can use the built-in video editing apps on your phone to edit content such as iMovie, InShot or we at Solutions by Design use Adobe Premiere Pro on our phone to capture our Montage videos.

5. A Marketing Agency

An important tool that can help create engaging posts for orthodontists is by having a team behind your practice or business. Social media is constantly changing every day, with new algorithm changes, what worked last quarter may not work this quarter. Hiring a marketing agency allows your office team members to do what they do best, and leave the marketing to us.

69% of U.S. adults use at least one social media site. That number is growing every day, as 366 million new people started using social media in the past year. That’s more than a million new people joining social media every single day. Reach your potential patient or customer where they are.

With Solutions by Design, you have a team of web developers, social media managers, SEO specialists, and graphic designers as part of your team. Contact us for a customized plan fit for your needs.