How specialty dental practices can leverage LinkedIn

When it comes to social media marketing, Facebook and Twitter are the obvious choices, followed closely (and in ever-increasing numbers) by Instagram. But where does LinkedIn fit into your dental practice marketing strategy?

Is LinkedIn really a social platform?

Originally a business-to-business platform, LinkedIn was long considered to be an online business card and partial CV. It was useful for networking with other professionals and for making connections with job hunters and recruiters. Over the past five years, however, LinkedIn has expanded to allow more interaction by making it easier to publish content and reach a wider audience.1

How can LinkedIn help grow your specialty dental practice?

Dentists in rural areas and dentists who only treat basic dental needs may not have as many reasons to leverage LinkedIn as part of a social marketing strategy. For specialty practices, however, LinkedIn can be a valuable asset. Here’s how you can leverage it.

Build your dental network. LinkedIn can be the perfect way to connect with other dental professionals who can help you grow your practice through referrals.

Recruit the best talent. Looking for a new administrative assistant for your front desk or a dentist in another specialty to join your practice? LinkedIn is a great recruitment tool that allows you to handpick from professionals in your area.

Showcase your skills. With LinkedIn’s tagging option, specific skills like “dental implants” or “full-mouth rehabilitation” can now be added to your profile. With correct use of keywords in your description and geographic accuracy, people can find your practice through LinkedIn’s search. According to one survey, 41% of social media users say that social media affects their choice of health provider.2

Attract patients with a high lifetime value. LinkedIn allows professionals in other sectors to find you on their most respected platform, build a one-on-one relationship with you, and select you as their dental care provider. When you attract patients seeking the best care regardless of dental insurance, the likelihood of retaining them as a patient is increased, and their lifetime value to your practice goes up.

Gain recommendations and endorsements. Unlike many other online platforms, reviews on LinkedIn skew toward the positive. Patients can share their experiences with you and endorse you for your dental skills.

Advertising your dental practice
on LinkedIn

LinkedIn may be less trafficked than Facebook or Twitter, but the platform’s value for conversions is undisputed. In a recent survey of more than 5,000 businesses, LinkedIn had the highest conversions rate at 2.74%, nearly three times higher than either Facebook or Twitter.3

According to statistics from DMR, LinkedIn has 128 million users in the United States and 500 million overall.4 Of them, 90% make household decisions, and 14% don’t use Facebook.4 However, only 106 million of the 500 million accounts are active, and only a fraction of those are using LinkedIn advertising.5

With thousands of users who may prefer LinkedIn over other platforms, this creates a potential patient pool in a space currently underutilized by dental practices, let alone those marketing specialty services. Targeting these potential patients with LinkedIn ads can increase your ROI when it comes to advertising on social media.

Targeting prime patient pools on LinkedIn

For many specialty dental practices, attracting a specific kind of patient is the primary goal. LinkedIn can allow practices to target CEOs, business owners, professionals, and other individuals likely to have an interest in premier dental care. Esthetic and restorative dental services can be marketed to such prospects with a higher chance of conversion.

While LinkedIn may not be appropriate for every dental practice, a niche marketing opportunity is definitely available for specialty practices seeking patients with a high lifetime value and fewer restrictions when it comes to insurance limitations in today’s competitive markets.