We know that social networks like Facebook can help connect businesses with their target customer, but what you may not realize is that LinkedIn can also grow your dental practice. However, LinkedIn is different from most social networks. It was built to be a professional network. Instead of targeting your ideal patients, you’ll be connecting with other dental professionals and the dental community.
1. Create a page for your practice
Creating a page makes your practice “LinkedIn official”, which is crucial for a number of reasons. It allows your employees to state they work at your practice, and your logo will be on their pages. If there is not a page, it will have a placeholder image, which will not help your brand.
Your practice’s page will also appear in search results, and users will be able to see employees. You will be able to share company and industry updates, as well as job openings. Other users will also be able to share your page with their network. These elements will help increase your brand recognition throughout the dental field, and if you share relevant content you can build a reputation as an industry leader and add value. (See below.)
2. Join industry groups
Groups on LinkedIn are a great way to connect with others, as well as gain and share expertise. Engaging within relevant communities can open up opportunities for growth, hiring employees, and outreach with those in the dental field.
Don’t forget about learning something yourself, either! Industry groups are an engaging way to keep up to date with industry changes. As a part of the medical field, this is an important facet of your business.
3. Engage with your connections
Without interaction, there is no purpose for your presence. Engaging with your connections on LinkedIn is critical for growing your brand and your presence on the site. This can include responding to comments on posts and messaging new followers and seeing how and if you could help.
4. Share relevant content
Sharing content is easy. Sharing relevant content is where the challenge begins! Is your page primarily targeted towards your employees, or a specific niche within the dental field? Sharing content within those guidelines can help you create a presence that benefits your audience.
5. Employee recruitment
While your LinkedIn goal isn’t to reach new patients, it can be to hire the best employees for your office. Some industries discount the power of LinkedIn for what it was created to do: help people network so they can begin or continue their career.
LinkedIn may not be as glamorous as Facebook or Twitter, but it can be a great way to leverage your business as an industry thought leader, connect employees, and engage with others in the dental community. These five elements together can help you create an enviable presence and connect your practice with the dental community.
