By ERNIE WRIGHT
After the mad rush to sign up to Twitter two or three years ago, loads of dental practices now find themselves in a slightly uncomfortable position – they have acquired a totally visible soapbox but probably don’t have the time any more to give it the thought and attention it needs. On top of that, anyone who goes to their Twitter page sees an embarrassing series of sporadic non sequiturs – the last one a month old.
The problem is, once you’re on Twitter, you’re on. If you’ve been struggling with it, there are a few simple things you can do:
- Shut it down. It’s better to have no social media presence than something that’s obviously unloved.
- Plan your publishing. Think of a few key subjects that you’d like your business to talk about. The obvious one all dental practices go for is tips about oral health, but a nice way to engage your local community and potential new patients is local news. Some businesses have gained thousands of followers through a faithful and witty daily report of local weather. People love reading quirky details about where they live, so if you report every morning how many workmen are actually working on those annoying roadworks you always get stuck at (something like: “1 today with beard, sat down smoking, reading Sun”), you’ll be onto something. Other topics could be talking about your team, with things about their holidays and families – that way there’s always going to be something to post. Or something idiosyncratic like a sport or hobby you’re personally into. A Twitter feed is guaranteed to feel genuine when you see someone posting photos of the waves at dawn, or shots of their morning walk with the dog week after week, year after year, because that’s their passion. If you want to post about something like current affairs, it’s a good idea to stick to an area within it so you don’t sound like you’re just spouting what you see every time you open your laptop.
- Attach photos. Twitter users are far more likely to retweet and favourite tweets with an image.
- Be quirky, be human. People like humour, lightheartedness and originality. They don’t like corporate speak.
Good luck! If you have any questions, feel free to tweet them to us @BreatheBusiness