Branding

Why Hashtags are Part of an Effective Dental Marketing Strategy

by Dr. Jessica Emery | Mar 24, 2019 | Branding, instagram, Social Media

Whether you love them or hate them, there’s no denying the power of the hashtag. Posts with at least one Instagram hashtag average 12.6% more engagement than posts without a hashtag, so if you want to get more likes on Instagram and get on the Instagram Explore page (where people outside of your own network can find you and follow you), hashtags are essential. They are an absolute MUST when developing your dental marketing strategy.

Hashtagging 101

Instagram hashtags are the best way to get your Instagram posts (and your dental practice!) discovered by a new audience, and because you choose the hashtags you want to tag, you can target them to attract the right kind of patient. If your dental practice focuses more on orthodontics, you can target people looking for that kind of content using hashtags. Similarly with pediatrics, cosmetic dentistry, more high-end dentistry, whatever you want!

Since hashtag research can take a bit of time and effort, it can be tempting to just add some common ones to your post and move on. But hashtags like #smile or #teeth are way too popular to be effective. You might think that because a lot of people use these hashtags, they’re good ones to add to your post, but that’s not automatically the case. Because so many posts have these general hashtags, your post will be buried minutes or even seconds after you hit the publish button.

On the other hand, you don’t want to use hashtags that are too niche, either. Hashtags like #fundentistsinmiami probably don’t have any posts, so while you would be easily found if someone did search for that, the odds of someone typing in that exact hashtag are pretty slim… unless you start using it on all of your content and promote it as a branded hashtag for your practice. However, if you’re going to do that, you’re much better off using your dental practice’s name in the hashtag (more on this in a minute).

Find the Sweet Spot

Instead of using the most popular Instagram hashtags, it’s better to use the top Instagram hashtags for your industry that have an engaging community behind them and are specific to your audience. You can use Instagram’s search function to search hashtags you want to use. This will show you how popular the hashtags are. We have found that hashtags that have 10,000 – 400,000 uses perform the best. For example, #miamidentist might be a better one to use than #fundentistsinmiami because 19,922 people are using it. People are searching for it, but not so many people that your post won’t be visible in the top few spots for a while.

This can be a time-consuming process, for sure. We recommend sitting down every few months to create a few sets of hashtags that you can mix and match with your photos. Unfortunately, Instagram does not necessarily “like” it when users attach the same exact set of hashtags to every post. There is a rumor out there that it actually causes your posts to be seen less, which is definitely not what you want. Be sure to switch them up and add relevant hashtags to each post.

Looking for a Shortcut?

If you’re thinking all this sounds like way too much, you’re not alone. We hear this from dentists all the time! Building a dental marketing strategy is a lot of work, but having one is absolutely necessary for growing your brand and your business. If you’re looking for a shortcut, we can help! We offer a monthly membership over at our sister site, Soiree Stock. As a member, you will get unlimited downloads from our styled stock photography website. We create content specifically for dentists, so you’ll find lots of photos that you’ll love. You can use them on social media, on your website, your blog, whatever!

In addition, we’ve recently decided to include the Soiree Bundle with all Soiree Stock memberships. The Soiree Bundle includes 30 social media captions and 30 researched and targeted hashtag sets each month. You can mix and match them, tweak them as needed, and post away. Your dental marketing strategy is literally as easy as copy, paste, post. Our memberships are affordable, and there’s no obligation. You can cancel anytime. If this sounds like it could be a lifesaver for you and your practice, you can get more information on the Soiree Stock website!

What People Are Saying About Our Most Popular Dental Marketing Package

by Dr. Jessica Emery | Feb 21, 2019 | Branding, Dental Soiree, Social Media

At Dental Soiree, we are ALL about getting amazing results for hard-working dentists. We are owned and run by a cosmetic dentist, Dr. Jessica Emery, so we know first-hand how challenging it can be to stand out from the crowd on social media. Dentists are absolutely necessary, but they’re often not the most exciting accounts to follow online. That doesn’t have to be the case! We love creating gorgeous imagery and engaging content for dentists, and our dental marketing packages get great results for our clients!

Our most popular dental marketing package is our Socialite package. This is our full-service creative branding package and it includes a full day photoshoot in Chicago where we create branded photography for your practice! We do your hair and makeup, gather customized props and help you develop a social media strategy. We’ve also traveled to other cities to do photoshoots in some of our clients’ hometowns! It’s so fun to give people the full soiree treatment and deliver several months’ worth of content that they’re able to use to instantly transform their online presence.

So What Do Our Clients Think?

We could talk all day about how much value is included in our Socialite package, but we thought we’d let our happy clients do the talking for us 😊

These are direct quotes from some of the amazing dentists we’ve been lucky to serve in the past few years:

Working with them is one of the best decisions I have made.

“As a busy entrepreneur running a dental office, we have long looked to share who we are as an office to potential clients via social media. Despite the number of dental marketing agencies out there, we haven’t found any that catered to our individuality. Then we found Dr. Emery, the founder of Dental Soireé. They have surpassed our expectations! Their visit to your office and understanding of your office’s vision is so amazing… they really want you to succeed. The whole team is very responsive and you are in constant communication with everyone. They are a pure pleasure to work with – like having an extended family for your practice.”

I would recommend them to everyone!

“Dental Soiree is a group of professional, fun, and innovative people! They really know what they are doing. They helped our business with many tricks of the trade in the social media world. And as we were having a new website created, they helped us with videography and photos that were outstanding!”

Dental Soiree is ahead of its time.

“BEST team ever!!! Unlike every other dental marketing firm out there, Dr. Emery and her team assure all their services are completely customized. They took their time to get to know our practice and we identified specific goals for our marketing plans. I traveled to Chicago for a full day of content creation, with an amazing photographer and videographer. The session also included a professional Stylist and a hair/makeup artist. WHAT A FUN FUN DAY!!! The team took care of every single detail of the day! The team exceeded all my expectations!! Their energy and creative vision inspired me to bring unique advertising ideas back to our team. I feel blessed and truly honored to be part of Dental Soiree’s journey. The experience was unforgettable!!!!”

Let’s Talk About YOUR Dental Marketing Goals!

Want to experience the Socialite dental marketing package for yourself? We’d love to chat about it and create a custom experience for you! You can contact us here and we can have a no-pressure conversation about the investment and timeline for this package.

Choosing the Perfect Image for a Facebook Ad

by Dr. Jessica Emery | Dec 17, 2018 | Branding, Social Media, Technology

Online marketing is constantly evolving, and something that worked perfectly last year might not work for you this year. It can be so frustrating, but it’s part of the job and reading up on the latest news and advice is key! When it comes to choosing an image for a Facebook ad, this is especially important, because the rules seem to change even faster!

Did you know the image is actually the most important part of your Facebook ad? Images are responsible for 75%-90% of your ad’s performance, according to Consumer Acquisition. Don’t let that overwhelm you, though. A few basic “best practices” can have you feeling confident instead of paralyzed the next time you advertise on Facebook.

Image Size

Facebook recommends that your image be at least 1200 pixels wide but no smaller than 600. Going any smaller than this will result in a pixelated or grainy image which does not reflect well on your brand. They prefer landscape rather than portrait when it comes to orientation.

Color, Color, Color

You’re spending money on your ad, so you want to make sure people actually notice it, right? Choosing the perfect image for a Facebook ad means considering the environment it’s going to live in. If you choose an image that is too similar to Facebook’s colors (mostly white with some blue), it could get totally lost. Consider using images that have bright colors that compliment your brand– think bright pink, orange, red, or turquoise.

Adding Text

While Facebook doesn’t allow ads with a lot of text on the image, you can add a few key words to help entice your audience. When planning your ad design, make sure there’s a logical place to add text that isn’t going to cover up a vital part of your image, then use Facebook’s Text Overlay Tool to make sure you don’t have too much text on your image.

Consider Carousel Ads

When you set up your Facebook Ad, you’ll get to choose from a number of different ad options. Consider going with a carousel ad (the kind with multiple images that is displayed like a slideshow). According to some experts, these ads perform better, and they also give you a chance to feature multiple images. Choose contrasting colors, or play with the sequence element of the ad to get people to stop and take notice!

If you need stylish images for your Facebook ads, we’ve can help! Our sister site, Soiree Stock, offers some very affordable membership options that include unlimited downloads from multiple photo libraries! We even have photos that are specifically geared toward dental professionals! You’ll find exactly what you need, and you won’t have to rely on those boring, cheesy stock photos that are out there… you know the ones we mean!

5 Questions for Your Year-End Marketing Audit

by Dr. Jessica Emery | Dec 10, 2018 | Branding, How To's, Social Media

Here we are, at the end of another year. Did you reach your goals this year for your dental practice? I sure hope you did, but if you fell short, don’t despair. There is still lots of good information and productive takeaways you can learn from failing. It’s probably the reason C.S. Lewis famously said, “failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.”

In this blog post, we want to go over five questions you should ask yourself as you do your year-end marketing audit:

What was your biggest success?

Why not start with the good stuff! What do you think was your biggest success when it came to marketing your business? Can you tie that success to any one decision you made about your marketing strategy? Examining what worked (and why) is a very important step to making sure you can replicate it moving forward!

Has your target market changed?

A year is a long time, and in that time, many changes can happen. Your business or your community may have shifted in such a way that the target market you started the year with is not the same target market you have today. It’s important to know who you are trying to reach with your marketing so you can tailor your strategy to reach the right people. Otherwise, you’re just shouting into the void and hoping that someone will hear you!

Who was your biggest competitor?

Sometimes we get so busy we are just focused on keeping our heads down and doing our best work. Nothing wrong with that! However, the end of the year is a great time to finally come up for air and assess what’s been going on in the industry. Who do you consider your biggest competitor? Knowing this will help you as you think of creative ways to differentiate yourself in the new year.

What was your most popular service?

Did any one service rise to the top this year? If so, you might want to consider putting a little more advertising dollars into promoting it over the next year. Your customers are showing you that what you are offering is something they need and want — which is VERY valuable information that you’re getting absolutely free! During your year-end marketing audit, make sure to consider your most popular service and assess how (and how often) you posted about it on social media.

Which social media post performed the best on each platform?

Every year, it’s important to sit down and spend some time auditing your social media profiles. Make sure everything is up-to-date and accurate, but also pull up those analytics! See which posts performed the best on each platform and see if you can identify a common theme. This will help you clearly see which content your followers want to see more of so you can start the new year off on the right foot.

If you decide to outsource your dental marketing in the new year, we would love to help! Dental Soiree specializes in creating engaging social content for dental practices with the specific goal of helping them grow and become more profitable. Learn about our packages or get in touch with us to discuss your needs by filling out our contact form. It’s time to kiss traditional marketing (and the non-stop hustle) goodbye!

How a Dental Marketing Agency Can Change Everything

by Dr. Jessica Emery | Dec 3, 2018 | Branding, Dental Soiree

When it comes to hiring an agency to help with your digital marketing, you have a few choices. You can hire a local marketing agency, a digital marketing agency, or a dental marketing agency. What is a dental marketing agency? At Dental Soiree, we’re proud to call ourselves dental marketers and we using our first-hand knowledge of the dental industry to come up with creative content for your social media feeds!

A talented dental marketing agency can do wonders for your practice. They know exactly what it takes to stand out from the crowd and make patients (and future potential patients) eager to come through your doors — not always an easy thing to do considering how most people feel about visiting the dentist!

What Does a Dental Marketing Agency Do?

Dental marketing agencies offer a range of services, but for the most part, they will help you create and execute an online marketing strategy. They may help with content creation (to varying extents) and they may also handle posting content and engaging with followers. Some dental marketing agencies work more on strategy and provide you with a marketing plan and content calendar so you can execute it on your own.

We love creating content, especially creative branded photoshoots! We will storyboard, source props and locations, and tailor the photo session for your brand. You’ll end up with dozens and dozens of unique photos you can use on your social media feeds, website, and all your marketing assets to create a cohesive and fun brand!

Can’t I Just DIY My Dental Marketing?

Of course! There are so many resources out there when it comes to mastering digital marketing for your practice. However, most dental professionals we talk to are beyond busy and unfortunately, their marketing strategy often ends up on the back burner. It’s great to be busy, and it’s tempting to think that marketing doesn’t matter during these busy times — after all, you’re all booked up, right?

However, once those patients are all taken care of, you want to make sure you have more ready to go! That means a continuous marketing strategy, even during your busy times. A lot of dentists prefer to rely on a dental marketing agency to keep things running smoothly so they can focus on what they do best. If you have a team that can help, a dental marketing agency can be a great resource to get everything set up and on track so your team knows exactly what to do so you don’t spend money or time on things that won’t help you reach your goals.

The team here at Dental Soiree will help your dental practice transform and become everything you dreamed it could be. We can help you elevate your brand by showcasing what you do differently and by highlighting your fun personality with branded photoshoots and social strategies that stand out! Contact us to learn more about our services!

How Content Creation Sessions Impact Your Dental Practice Marketing

by Dr. Jessica Emery | Sep 10, 2018 | Branding, Dental Soiree, Photography, Social Media

If I were to ask you what kind of content your dental practice marketing plan should include, “photos of myself” probably wouldn’t be the first thing out of your mouth. You might not even think it’s worth listing at all. So many dentists think marketing their practice has very little to do with who they are as a person. However, what may be missing from your marketing — and what could very well be standing in the way of the growth you want to see — is that personal touch.

People are drawn to the people they know, like, and trust. Because you can’t physically get out and meet every potential patient, social media is your primary way to do this! So, rather than thinking it’s a little vain to share a photo of yourself, think of it as a way to connect with other humans who want to know more about you. Content creation sessions are a great way to get tons of unique branded content you can use as part of your digital marketing strategy!

How Unique Branded Content Leads to More Conversions

Think about it; if you were to refer a friend to your doctor or chiropractor or fitness trainer, you wouldn’t just talk about their top-of-the-line equipment or their techniques. You would probably talk about how that person makes you feel, and what makes them different from other people you’ve seen in the past. You’d talk about the real human things about them that make them special.

Unique branded content helps highlight your personality, style, and approach to life and business. It is so important to included content like this into your overall dental practice marketing plan because without it, you’re just another business. When you showcase who you are as a person, people are going to take notice and start talking to you, getting to know you better, and listening to what else you have to say. It doesn’t take much to turn an Instagram scroller into an actual patient when you take the time to make a real connection.

So What Exactly is a Content Creation Session?

We specialize in completely customized content creation sessions, and we have a blast doing it. Our Socialite package is ideal for those wanting to really kickstart (or overhaul) their dental practice marketing. We’ll spend a full day together in Chicago, snapping photos in front of stunning murals and cool backdrops that we’ll scout and coordinate beforehand. We’ll go shopping for props that speak to your brand and personality, and our team of professional photographers and videographers will make sure you get the highest quality content possible. We even have professional hair and makeup artists on hand as well as a professional stylist to help you select the perfect outfits to wear!

We take the time to get to know you and your practice beforehand so we can prepare and come into the content creation session with specific goals that make sense for your marketing strategy. We’ll give you so many amazing content and advertising ideas, you’ll return to your dental practice feeling energized and eager to implement everything you’ve learned.

Every content creation session begins with a consultation call where you’ll get a chance to talk to Dr. Emery about your specific goals, and you can go over anything that’s been standing in your way when it comes to your dental practice marketing strategy. To set up a call and learn more about how a content creation session can benefit your practice, just shoot us a message!