Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms out there, but it takes more than having an account to be succesful.

Okay, you know you need to be on Instagram, and you want to use it successfully for your dental practice. But how should you do it? If this is your dilemma at present, you’re not alone. Many businesses are present on social media simply because they feel pressured to be present on every social platform. They create a profile without thinking through their marketing strategy.

Instagram is a powerful visual social platform and with a well thought-out strategy, it can help you grow your online presence. Here are some of the marketing touch points that you need to keep in mind while creating your brand’s Instagram promotion strategy:

Know Your Audience

This is the most crucial aspect of any marketing strategy. Who do you want to showcase your dental services and products to? Determine who your audience could be, their age, gender, location, profession, etc. This research will form the backbone of your Instagram marketing efforts.

Try to assess the demographic profile of the people at your practice or your competitor’s. What are the kinds of posts your patients like and share on Instagram? What do they comment on? You can also start by monitoring popular events and interest hashtags relevant to your dental practice. Check out people using and engaging with these hashtags. This will give you an insight into their needs, and over time you will gain deeper marketing insights towards your audience.

Know Your Competitors

Now that you know who your target customers are on Instagram, next important thing you would want to consider is who your competitors are and how you can outperform them. Remember, a thorough competitor analysis is paramount if you want to dominate your local market.

If you already know your top competitors, start by searching for their Instagram profiles. Or simply, search for terms related to your business or niche to find similar accounts. Conduct a quick audit of related accounts to seek the following answers:

• What kinds of posts are getting maximum engagement?
• What popular hashtags are they using?
• Captions used?
• Frequency of posting?

Do a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis of your key competitors to identify any opportunities they might have missed, which you can then capitalize on. These insights are essential for your dental brand’s success.

Plan your Instagram Content 

Once you have determined what you want to post and how frequently you want to post on Instagram, the next thing is to plan a schedule for the content to go out. Brands on an average post 1.5 times a day, a schedule you should mimic then make you own. This can all end up being time consuming, and it can be difficult to keep a track of all content you want to post.

So, the best way to do this would be to create a social calendar so you know what to post and when on your Instagram account. There are a number of automated tools available which help you schedule your posts. This saves both time and effort for you to manage your presence effectively.

Consistency is Key

Lastly, you should be consistent in your postings on Instagram. Whatever you post, the broad message and vision should remain the same. Random or disjointed content will only confuse your audience and will be detrimental to your dental practice.

Introduce variety into your Instagram content, but keep it relevant to your professional practice. The idea is that the audience should be able to visualize your dental brand through your posts and feel connected with it. This will invite them to not only try out your services, but keep coming back because they feel a connection to your practice.

Article written by: Naren Arulrajah