Promote Your Dental Practice With The Help of Your Patients
User-generated content (UGC) is any content created and shared by your customers or patients online. This includes reviews, testimonials, social media posts, photos, videos, etc. For dental practices, UGC can be an extremely valuable marketing asset if used correctly. Establish trust with new patients with the Now Media Group content team’s guide to user-generated content. Call (858) 333-8950 to schedule a meeting with our helpful representatives.
Encourage Reviews
Reviews are one of the most influential types of UGC for local businesses like dental practices. After each appointment, ask patients to leave an online review on sites like Google, Facebook, and Yelp. Send follow-up emails with links to make leaving a review quick and easy. Respond professionally to all reviews, negative and positive alike. This shows you value patient feedback.
Monitor review sites regularly. Look for trends in feedback to improve weak areas of your practice. Having a steady stream of recent, positive reviews builds trust and drives new patients your way.
Showcase Testimonials
Collecting video and written patient testimonials is another way to leverage UGC. Highlight them on your website, in emails, on social media, and in your office lobby. Seeing real patients describe their positive experiences lends authenticity. Make giving a testimonial part of your checkout process. Educate patients on how reviews and testimonials help other people find you. Provide easy ways to submit testimonials, like sending a follow-up text/email with a link.
When showcasing testimonials, get consent, stick to what the person said, and keep them short and relevant. Rotate different testimonials to keep your marketing materials fresh.
Share Patient Photos and Videos
User-generated photos and videos from patients can also improve your online presence. For example, before-and-after photos of smile makeover treatments. Or a video testimonial of a patient describing their experience at your office. Ask patients’ permission before taking and sharing their photos/videos online or in your practice’s marketing. Make patients comfortable by explaining how the content will help prospective patients choose your office.
When publishing patient photos or videos online, don’t reveal identifying information like full names without explicit consent. Stay compliant with HIPAA regulations around patient privacy.
Repost Relevant Social Content
Pay attention to social media mentions and hashtags related to your practice. If a patient leaves a positive review or checks in at your office on social media, consider reposting that content to your social profiles.
This serves as social proof by showcasing real patient interactions on your pages. Of course, always ask for permission before reposting someone else’s content. Make sure to credit the original poster.
Credit Content Creators
When leveraging UGC in your marketing, always give proper credit to the creator. This builds trust by showing the content comes directly from a real patient, not created by your practice.
Whether it’s a testimonial, social post, or photo, make sure the patient’s name or social media handle is displayed. Ask permission before publishing any identifying information. Properly sourcing UGC gives your dental practice an authenticity that builds credibility and relationships with patients.
Optimizing Your Website
Your dental practice’s website is a crucial marketing channel that must be optimized to convert visitors into patients. Here are some key ways to incorporate UGC on your website for maximum impact:
- Display patient testimonials prominently on your homepage. This builds credibility right away.
- Create a reviews page with excerpts and screenshots of the best reviews from around the web.
- Include a smiling patient photos gallery showing genuine before-and-after treatments.
- Embed social media feeds to showcase recent posts from happy patients.
- Create a case studies page with in-depth written and video testimonials from patients.
- Optimize UGC elements for SEO by using strategic keywords in file names, alt text, etc.
- Update website content frequently with new UGC to give visitors fresh, engaging content.
Leveraging UGC well on your website alongside other solid SEO and conversion rate optimization practices will help drive more high-quality leads your way.
Engaging On Social Media
In addition to your website, make social media a priority when showcasing UGC. Here are some tips for optimizing UGC on social:
- Re-share positive patient reviews, check-ins, and social mentions to your practice’s profiles. This shows community engagement.
- Use UGC-like patient photos and videos in social posts when relevant. This makes content more authentic.
- Run social contests for patients to create UGC around popular events, holidays, etc. Then re-share this content.
- Ask happy patients to tag your practice when they post positively about their experience. This exposes new audiences to your brand organically.
- When patients interact or create UGC on your pages, be sure to like, comment, and share it to boost visibility.
The more you can natively incorporate UGC into your overall social media strategy, the more authentic engagement you’ll drive.
Grow Your Audience Through User-Generated Content
The right UGC strategy can amplify your marketing and provide tremendous value to prospective patients. But ultimately, the quality of UGC comes down to the quality of care at your dental practice. Listen to your patients, encourage two-way communication, and address feedback promptly. With their experiences front and center, you’ll never run short on authentic patient stories to showcase.
The Now Media Group team is excited to collaborate to help your practice grow! Contact us at (858) 333-8950 to speak with a representative today.