Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

R4Practice Management Software GIVES YOU MORE AND KEEPS ON GIVING constantly improving constantly developing constantly delivering For more information or to place an order please call 0800 169 9692 email sales.uk.csd@carestream.com or visit www.carestreamdental.co.uk Carestream Dental © Carestream Dental Ltd., 2012. featuReS of R4 R4 Mobile Direct link to PIN pad Patient Check-in Kiosk Care Pathways Communicator Steritrak E-Forms Patient Journey On-line Appointment Booking Text Message and Email reminders Clinical Notes Appointment Book Digital X-Ray Managed Service Practice Accounts More features, More benefits, More time, More support, all of which can help you achieve More patients and More profits ...and there’s still more to come February 27-March 4, 201210 Social Media United Kingdom Edition The movement of social metrics W hat was your most pressing social media challenge in 2011? Chances are you might say it was one of the following: 1We weren’t really sure what we were supposed to be doing 2We didn’t have the time to manage it 3We didn’t know if our efforts were working Let’s look at each challenge, as well as solutions. Problem number one: We weren’t sure what to do If you aren’t sure what you are doing on Facebook or Twitter, know that you are not alone. Everyday new practices join these social media platforms and find their own way... or not. Because social media is a “free” tool to use, often practices struggle with the idea of spend- ing money for help with social marketing. However, remember that time is money. Investing in a course or some coaching can not only help you get ahead, but it can also help to save hours of time and frustration. Solution First and foremost, consider your goals. What results would you like to see from your social marketing efforts? By answering this question, you can determine which social marketing plat- forms you should be working with. Note, not all practices are cut out for every social media platform. For example, if you said your primary social mar- keting goal is to network and connect with other businesses in your community, I’d recom- mend you utilise Twitter. On the other hand, if you said you wanted to increase word of mouth referrals and grow re- lationships with patients, then Facebook would be an ideal tool to use. It can be frustrating not knowing if you are doing the right thing on social media, and even more nerve wracking to learn you aren’t even using the proper platform. So, begin with the end in mind. What are your goals? Once you know your goals, you will discover which social media tool is best for you. You can then start or focus on that one platform and master it. Problem number two: We didn’t have time to manage it Now that you know what your goals are, and which social tools are best for you, we can address challenge number two: finding the time to manage social mar- keting. Many practices are strug- gling to keep up with creating content for their Facebook page, finding time to tweet on Twitter, or make video for their YouTube channel. Not to mention we now have Google+ pages as well. The best way to survive (and thrive) in social media management is to have a plan. Your plan may in- volve partial delegation of your activities or hiring someone to manage your activities inter- nally. Either way, without a plan you are planning to fail. Solution: Put a basic strategic plan in place You wouldn’t get into a car or hop a train without knowing where you are headed. If you don’t have a plan for your social Rita Zamora talks about how to thrive in social media