Social Media for a Practice, Without the Cringe

The practices that do well on social media aren't the ones with the biggest followings. They're the ones a prospective patient checks the night before a first visit and comes away thinking: these seem like real, competent, kind people. That's the whole goal. Everything below serves it.

What works for

Real people. The team, by name, with permission. A short introduction of a hygienist and what she loves about the work will outperform any stock graphic you could design.

Real rooms. The reception area on a sunny morning. The treatment room with the window. The new chair. Patients want to see where they'll be sitting.

Plain education. The same questions that make good blog articles make good posts: one fact, one sentence of why it matters, one photo. Link to the article for the full answer.

The practice's rhythm. Holiday hours, a new service, a team member's anniversary, the fact that you're accepting new patients. Small, true, current.

What each network is for

Facebook is the local community's noticeboard. It's where reviews live, where an event gets shared, and where a mention of the practice from a neighbor carries weight. Posts with a photo and a plain caption do well; links are fine.

Instagram is the visual first impression. It's where a nervous patient looks at the rooms and the faces. Photos and short videos, and remember that captions aren't clickable, so the link lives in the profile and the caption should stand on its own.

Google Business Profile isn't really social. They appear on your listing when someone searches for you, so one post a month there keeps the listing looking alive and is worth more than it looks. If you can manage to post three to four times a month here, even better.

LinkedIn matters if referrals from other providers matter to you, or if you're hiring. It's where a physical therapist follows a referring physician's practice, and where a good hygienist looks before applying.

How often a practice should post

Two or three posts a week is plenty, and consistency beats bursts. A month of daily posts followed by silence reads as a practice that gave up. Plus, daily posts are a bit much for your average follower. A steady two to three a week for a year reads as a practice that's paying attention and cares for their community.

The short list of things a doctor's office should never post

• A patient, or anything identifying one, without a signed authorization that names the use. That includes "look who came in today," a photo with someone visible in the background, and replying to a comment in a way that confirms someone is a patient.

• Before-and-after photos without authorization and without checking your state board's rules on them.

• Anything promising a result, or using words like painless, guaranteed, or best.

• Reviews or testimonials you paid for or screened.

• Health advice that goes beyond what the practice would say in the chair.

None of these limit a good feed. The best practice feeds are almost entirely people, rooms, and plain answers, which need none of the above to be effective.

Turning a post into a booking at your clinic

Every few posts, make the next step explicit and easy: "We're accepting new patients this month. The request form takes two minutes," with the link. Not every post, and never pushy, but regularly enough that someone who has been watching for a month knows what to do when they're ready.

At DoctorBrand, social posts are drafted from the same calendar as your articles, reviewed and approved by the practice in the portal, and scheduled from there, so the feed stays steady without anyone at the practice having to remember to post or to run to 4 different locations to get your message out. Ready to start?