Why Most Dentists Don’t Make It Big On Instagram

Is Instagram worth your time?

One of the popular questions we are asked by potential new dental clients is “can you make us big on Instagram?” – in short our answer is ‘no’. In today’s blog I’ll take the opportunity to explain why we can’t do that for you and why, probably, you won’t be able to do it yourself either.

So why that “negativity” – surely Instagram is where it’s at and offers a huge potential for dentists seeking new patients? That’s true but the missing link is how much effort does it take to gain the traction you need on Instagram before you start seeing the rewards? Unfortunately the answer is a huge amount of effort and way beyond the team at a typical dental practice.

This may contradict some of those glossy books you may have seen about dentists making it big on Instagram, but whilst it is possible, those examples are very few and far between. They are the exceptions and not the norm unfortunately.

What do you need to do to make a big impact on Instagram?

Before we explain further, it is very important to remember that the majority of the content you publish on Instagram isn’t going to be seen by anybody, very much like Facebook. Even where you’ve managed to get a decent number of followers, in itself a huge task, relatively few of these people will actually see your content. This is because the ‘organic reach’ of your content is deliberately curtailed by the platform to encourage you to buy ads instead.

Whilst this curtailment of reach is currently worse on Facebook, it’s going the same way on Instagram too – perhaps unsurprisingly so as Facebook and Instagram are both part of the Meta organisation. Why would they make it easy for you to promote a dental business on their networks when they can make money from you via advertising instead?

Why can’t agencies do all the work for you?

Whilst some agencies can guide, virtually none of them can provide the resources and content you need to be successful on Instagram, even though they may claim differently. So think hard before tying up your cash with them. The few dentists who do achieve a breakthrough are spending a huge amount of time and money developing and publishing content and then promoting this continually. They have people dedicated to the task and also professional help with images and video production. Please do not underestimate this if you really do want to give it a go.

Is it actually worth bothering with Instagram?

The answer to this would be ‘yes’ but only if you can dedicate some time to reasonably regular posting. Whilst this isn’t going to get you a lot of traction and new patient enquiries directly, many people will now investigate your social channels as well as your website before approaching you. So having some good, up-to-date content there is always worthwhile.

How can you leverage Instagram to acquire new patients?

Given the issues we’re just explained around reach and the resources required to get traction organically, unfortunately the only way to really exploit the potential from Instagram is to advertise. Whilst this does need realistic budgets and probably also some expert assistance from a third-party, the results can be very worthwhile.

Placing your content, in this case ads, in front of thousands of Instagram (and Facebook) users is quick to do and way more effective than hoping to achieve it via organic reach alone – but of course you pay for the privilege.

Summary

Hopefully you now have a little bit more transparency around Instagram and what you really need to do and expect, as a dentist, hoping to gain new patients from it. Unfortunately for the vast majority, the only realistic way is via the advertising route.

If you need help getting started with promoting your practice on Instagram and Facebook and what it really entails, please get in touch with the social team at Dental Media on 01332 672548.