Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

Y ears ago author and so- cial media guru Gary Vaynerchuk said, “Once the marketers infiltrate Fa- cebook, they will ruin it.” Many of us held hope that Fa- cebook, unlike other media, would be different. Turns out it’s not. Just like radio, television and email, our be- loved Facebook is getting ruined with the bombard- ment of unwanted messaging. What’s worse it’s messaging that we as consumers choose to receive. Hostage Since the beginning of media, consumers have been held hostage to marketing and ad- vertising. Before the inven- tion of the DVR and subscrip- tion radio, we were forced to listen to paid adverts in order to enjoy the benefit of view- ing or listening to what we re- ally wanted to hear and see. For this reason, it’s easy to forget we have choices on what we opt to read and see on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. So, what does this mean for your practice? Note that fans that dislike the top- ics or frequency of your posts can easily un-like or hide you. While the ads in Facebook sidebars - and oc- casionally in newsfeeds - ex- ist regardless, your follow- ers still have total control over the majority of what they read and see on Facebook. This is why it’s so important for your Facebook community manager to be conscientious about what and how often they post. An unfortunate trend oc- curring on Facebook is the alarming number of busi- nesses that are resorting to messaging that completely abandons their branding and core values. An example of this in dentistry is a high end aesthetic practice in one of the most exclusive areas of the world posting juvenile photos and a never-ending amount of nonsense “fun facts”. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to watch your con- tent mix. Rather we should look to industry leaders like the Mayo Clinic, one of the top hospi- tals in the US and regarded as pioneers in healthcare social media. The Mayo Clinic has never lost sight of their core values and they continue to succeed on Facebook. With over 125,000 fans, they have avoided the trap of over-post- ing and never have they re- sorted to posting things incon- gruent with their brand and values. In return Mayo Clinic enjoys a lively, high quality social community. In fact this year at the World Health Care Congress, Dr. Farris Timimi, cardiolo- gist and Medical Director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, told delegates that social media is not an option, it’s a requirement. Dr. Timimi sees multiple ben- efits in social media. Firstly as a way to help promote services and secondly to connect clients and doctors to advance and further health- care. Dr. Timimi has been quoted as saying, “This is not marketing; this is the right thing to do.” Revisit your mindset When the leaders in health- care social media say that social media is not a market- ing tool, what does this mean for your practice and your social media strategy? It may mean that we all need to revisit our mindset. It’s time to see social media more like communication tools and communities rather than marketing tools. Social me- dia communities are two-way communication channels, not just one-way channels to push out marketing mes- sages. Right? If you have treated your Facebook and Twitter com- munities more like market- ing and sales tools, the good news is you can change your strategies if needed. Learn to be thoughtful about how often and what you post or tweet. Note I have always recommended, and still do, conservative amounts of light and positive con- tent - show your human side and a bit of personality - yet that should never mean aban- doning your core values. Lastly, a reminder to all of us that we have a choice on how many annoying im- ages, rants, or disturbing or useless material we view on Facebook. Likewise we have a choice to decide who we want to follow on Twitter. If all you are seeing in your social media newsfeeds is rubbish and ridiculous content, then it’s time for you to reevaluate who you are following. Re- member: what we read, see, listen to, and most impor- tantly, the people we interact with in social media is our choice. These media chan- nels can be extremely ben- eficial and loaded with rich, valuable content—or they can be rubbish. It is completely our choice what we wish to see, read, and fill our minds with. Be mindful about what you choose to post and view on Facebook and Twitter. I choose to protect my psyche, enhance my intelligence, and grow relationships with peo- ple I respect and enjoy—in real life and on Facebook. You and your practice can ei- ther contribute to the benefi- cial rich content being shared on social networks (and help social media thrive) or you can contribute to the noise at risk of being shut off. Which will you choose? Are you acutely aware of what you both consume and post on so- cial media? DT If Traditional Marketing Is Dead - Is Social Media Next? About the author Rita Zamora is an international so- cial media market- ing consultant and speaker. She and her team actively co-manage dozens of dental practices’ social media pro- grams. Her clients are located across the United States and internationally. She has been published in many professional pub- lications. Rita is also Honorary Vice President to the British Dental Prac- tice Managers Association. Learn more at www.DentalRelationshipMar- keting.com or email rita@ritazamora. com. Is social media marketing dead? ‘Now more than ever, it’s crucial to watch your content mix’ Rita Zamora looks at how not to lose your following ‘Dr. Timimi has been quoted as saying, “This is not marketing; this is the right thing to do’ November 26 - December 3, 201212 Social Media United Kingdom Edition