Social Media Marketing and Orthodontics

Social media is defined as “the Internet-based applications that build on the the foundations of Web 2.0 which allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content.”  In less techo-speak, it’s the many site through which people and business make posts, interact, and communicate en masse.  These sites may be social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Myspace; blogs such as WordPress, Twitter, and Google Buzz; location-based social networks such as Foursquare, Gowalla, and Facebook Places; multimedia sharing networks like YouTube, Vimeo, Metacafe, Flickr, and Picassa; business review networks such as Google Places, Yelp, Citysearch, and Insiderpages;  microsites such as Squidoo, Hubpages, and Knol.  Didn’t know there were so many, did you?  And these are just a fraction of what we could have listed.

Ingenuity Orthodontic Marketing cuts through the clutter with a strategic social media marketing plan to build, participate, and post on the social media platforms that make sense.  Don’t get caught in the mire of questions, “Is it worth my time and what kind of ROI will the practice see if we jump into the fray?,” “How do we begin and where?,” or “We have a Facebook page, but what now?”.  Ingenuity consults with and educates the practice on the plan, and then launches into the build-out.  Once constructed, Ingenuity becomes the administrator for the individual social network pages and makes posts that help align the “brand” of the practice with its local community.  

We work hand in hand with the practice to make the posts relevant and meaningful.  Our approach to posting is markedly different from that provided by the few orthodontic website companies.  Where they most typically submit posts that revolve around the clinical side of orthodontic care (“how to care for your braces”) we specifically seek to engage with the practice’s patients and friends, and thus build relationships.  Ingenuity therefore becomes an integral part of constructing and promoting the “voice” of the practice, and then delivers this message by way of referral throughout the community.

Social Media increases loyalty because it builds community around the “brand” of the practice.  The reason for such is that social media makes the “brand” of the practice communicable - thus the term “viral”.  In the social media world, one positive review or post will be shared en masse by all of the friends of the poster.  The sharing of the practice is thus not linear, from one person to another, but rather exponential, from one person to a throng of listeners.  

But the key factor in social media engagement is that it is personal.  Your message is not shared by advertising in the traditional “you say it” model.  Rather, it is spread between friends as a recommendation of your practice, marketing by way of “they say it to each other.”  This is the abiding principle upon which Ingenuity engages your community.  We take your message, supply the graphic design elements and coding know-how, and then delivery it in a voice that facilitates sharing and enhances its appeal.