A Method Of Using Instagram To Promote Your Dental Practice

In today’s social media-first world, it’s no surprise that user-driven platforms are growing faster every day. Whether you’re an avid Instagram user or a novice, these visual platforms have now become the primary way in which people share their experiences with friends and followers. This has opened up a whole new realm of opportunities for businesses to build trust, brand awareness, and customer loyalty through visual content. As such, more and more brands are creating custom Instagram accounts to post images of their products, services and even company culture. So how can dentists use this growing network to grow their business? If you own a dental practice, the answer is with using the Instagram highlight feature. Used as a secondary profile that lives directly beside your main account, Highlights lets users upload pre-made videos (known as “Highlights”) from your profile directly onto theirs. This gives potential patients an entirely new vantage point of your business from not only an insider’s perspective but also a visual one. Here’s everything you need to know about using Highlights to grow your dental practice:

What is the Instagram Highlights Feature?

The Highlights feature is a new feature on Instagram that allows users to quickly and easily create a video by selecting and ordering up to 10 images from a single Instagram post. This video can then be shared with any connected social accounts, including other Instagram accounts. This makes Highlights a more native way of sharing content from your dental practice’s Instagram account, compared to simply screenshotting a post or clipping it out. While Highlights can be used on their own as a completely separate Instagram account, it’s also possible to add a second, visual account to give your main account a new perspective. This means that there are two ways to use the Highlights feature: create a new visual Instagram account or simply add it to your existing account. The choice is yours, but let’s take a closer look at both.

How to use your Instagram Highlights Feature

Before you can use your Instagram Highlights feature for your dental practice, you’ll first need to set one up. Make sure to note that this feature is only available to business profiles, so if you’re using your personal account, you won’t be able to use it. Once you’ve selected the account you want to add your Highlights to, simply navigate to your profile and tap the “Highlights” icon at the top of your screen. Here, you’ll be able to choose which posts you’d like to add your highlights to. When selecting posts to add Highights to, you’ll have the option to either select one image from the original post or multiple.

When and how to use the video feature in your Highlights

When creating a video highlight, it’s important to consider your audience and how they’ll receive your message. While many dental practices use their Instagram account to showcase their work, customers often want to know more than just the process you use to create those results. You can use your video feature to highlight your office culture, give a behind-the-scenes look at your team, and even provide useful content like tips, tricks, or patient testimonials. For maximum effect, try to integrate your core brand message into your video. A great way to do this is by using a video template to organize your thoughts and create a script — something that makes it easier to be more natural and genuine during your video shoot.

When and how to use the photo feature in your IG Highlights

As with the video feature of your Highlights, the photo feature can be used to share any aspect of your business. This could be anything from your daily operations to helpful tips and tricks that customers might find interesting. As with your video feature, it’s important to consider your audience when deciding what content to feature in your photo Highlights. Most dental practices will customize their Instagram Highlight cover using Canva.

Why Using Your Instagram Highlights Feature Is Important for Your Dental Practice

There are several reasons why you should consider adding a visual Instagram account to your dental practice. From providing useful content to building brand awareness and customer loyalty, adding a second visual account to your existing Instagram account can help you maximize your reach and connect with more people online. By creating a dedicated visual account that lives beside your main account, you’re able to post content when you’re most comfortable. This lets you preserve your energy for work-related tasks, while still allowing you to connect with your followers. By adding a visual account to your Instagram account, you’re able to connect with new and old followers in a more personal, visual way. Your visual account allows you to post content that may not be suitable for your main account, such as patient testimonials, staff pictures, or a more candid view of your day-to-day operations. By creating a visual account, you’re able to give your followers the opportunity to learn more about your business in their own time.

Highlight Ideas For Your Dental Practice

• Patient Testimonies
• Check-in Process
• About Us
• Practice Tour
• Before & After Photos
• Meet The Team

Conclusion

Instagram’s Highlights feature is a great way to let patients get a deeper look at your dental practice. You can use the feature to share visual content, like photos and videos, from your existing Instagram posts. This lets you provide more in-depth information about your services, while also making it easier for patients to learn more about you. With this information in hand, you have everything you need to get started. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

If you’re wanting to dive deeper into learning more about social media and using the Instagram highlight feature to promote your dental practice, explore Get Social School! Get Social School is our signature course where we teach dental professionals just how to leverage platforms like Instagram to grow and attract their dream patients through social media!