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1) Listen
Listen to what is being said by patients and encourage conversations. Facebook is a place to get to know your patients and gather honest feedback. Monitor your 'Digital Shadow' on free tools such as www.socialmention.com or www.google.co.uk/alerts.

2) Interact
Engage with people on Facebook, answer questions, provide information and learn from people. It is important to have fun on Facebook and provide content that your audience will be interested in. Creativity is what sets you apart from competitors so don't be afraid of adding quotes, team pictures and random facts - it doesn't all have to be dental related.

3) React
Be prepared to have conversations on Facebook, people expect Facebook to be a 24/7 communication platform. You must be willing to take feedback on board, promote benefits of treatments and discuss pricing. This is when you may find yourself winning or losing against competitors in your local area. This should be monitored by a dedicated member of staff.

4) Sell
Once you have mastered the points above, you can start selling - This is likely one of the main reasons you are using Facebook for your practice, so make sure it's done correctly. We suggest using plenty of call to actions, asking questions and listening to patients. Always remember that people are on social media:  Reasons people interact with Companies on Facebook (McCallum Layton, 2015).

- To receive offers/competitions - 69%
- To keep up-to-date with latest news - 62%
- To receive info related to personal interests  - 48%
- As a mark of loyalty - 34%
- Like the content - 31%
- To show other people I like them - 26%

Constantly trying to sell may encourage people to leave your page, it is finding the correct balance that is important. Try selling in less forceful ways e.g. use patient testimonials and pictures to showcase your work or introduce which team members work in cosmetic care or nervous patients, show the benefits of certain treatments and promote special offers or competitions.

Did you know?
Facebook is still the leading social network with over 1.44 billion monthly active users worldwide and over 31 million in the UK alone. That's over 60% of the UK population on Facebook. If you need any help with your Facebook page or content generation, get in touch with Just Dental today, call us on 028 9092 3313 or email Imogen on info@justdentalmarketing.com.