Guest Post – Kay Wynarsky, Social Media Holiday Efforts For Dental Practices

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Give this Holiday Season to Receive a Boost in Your Social Media Efforts

heartWith the holidays upon us, your practice might be wondering what it can do to give back to your community. Carving time out for a good cause can reward your practice exponentially, if you market your efforts carefully.

First, talk to your staff about what cause you would like to support. Does your practice already work with a nonprofit? Is one of your employees passionate about a specific cause? If not, look to something either in your community or a dental-related cause, such as Smile Train for cleft palate surgeries, or Dentists without Borders. Set up a food drive, an angel tree or a fundraiser for your favorite cause and start spreading the word! Make your messaging known on your website, social media accounts and in your office. The way you choose to convey this messaging can make your break your event, so be creative and be sincere.

Any of these charitable efforts can really help get your followers engaged. Asking them to give to a good cause is a personal call to action that benefits people in need and also creates strong interaction with your patients online and in the office.

If you are already supporting a nonprofit, include it in your website’s content, preferably in the About Us or Mission Statement sections. If your mission statement includes service to others but you are not working with a nonprofit yet, starting a holiday charity drive is the perfect way to integrate your practice’s beliefs into its actions.

Setting a goal for your charitable drive sets the stakes higher and gives people more of an incentive to help your practice achieve success.

Help spread the message online by posting pictures of your office setting up a box for donations, take a picture when someone is donating to your cause, keep followers updated with how much money, food or donations your practice has collected and how much further you need to go to meet your goal. Setting a goal for your charitable drive sets the stakes higher and gives people more of an incentive to help your practice achieve success.

After the holidays, keep the goodwill going by reminding people of the nonprofits your practice works with regularly by giving them a plug, even if there is not a special event going on. A good Facebook sample post could be:

A friendly reminder to all our patients that we are proud supporters of the Smile Train, who work with impoverished children around to world to give them the cleft palate surgery they desperately need. Donations are always appreciated, no matter how small! Visit www.smiletrain.org to learn more.

It can be tricky to communicate with followers that you support nonprofits without sounding boastful or like you are plugging your practice. Write your messaging to be centered on the nonprofit and not yourself.

Austin Bluffs Dental is a Colorado Springs general dentistry that regularly works with the nonprofit Mission of Mercy.