Facebook 101

For personal use, Facebook is a great place to keep all of your closest friends and family (and everyone you’ve ever met) updated on the important happenings your life – what you had for breakfast, how long you ran for, and that funny squirrel you saw. For businesses, Facebook is one of the most powerful marketing tools available today, and it’s completely free! (For the most part.)

Facebook is a 1.65 billion member marketplace, and counting (well done, Mark). According to Parse.ly, a digital analytics company, 41% of referral traffic to a new website comes from Facebook – that’s more than Google! So while other practices are stuck in the 20^th century, brushing it off as “just social media” you can stay ahead of the game with these insider tips and tricks on how to maximize your Facebook reach and grow your online practice.

How does Facebook work?

Facebook uses only the most skilled and experienced wizards with advanced training in the ancient art of Facebook Magic…just kidding. Facebook uses a complex and ever-changing algorithm to determine what content shows up in your News Feed, and who gets to see your Page posts.

The most recent update features limited reach of posts from businesses and media outlets – not the best news for businesses. On the surface, this update was designed to better align with Facebook’s core value of “Friends and Family First” – but ultimately the goal here is to get businesses to pay for advertising.

The Life & Death of a Post

When you post to Facebook, your post will go out to 3-5 people who have Liked your page or past posts. If any of those people Like, Comment, or Share your post, Facebook sees this as engaging content and will send it out to another 5-10 people. As long as your post is being actively engaged, it will keep spreading. If the post does not get that active engagement, it dies.

So what does this mean for your Page? The organic reach of the content you share on your Page will likely drop. Your content now must get Likes and Shares in order to show up in the News Feed, otherwise it will be filtered out.

What should I post?

When it comes to deciding what to post on your Facebook business Page, we recommend using the 60/20/20 Rule.

60% Personal

The content that your patients and followers are most likely to enjoy, to engage with, and to share is personal. This is internal content from your practice, including:

• Photos and/or videos of the office, team, patients, events, etc.
• Important updates & reminders
• Patient testimonials & smile stories
• Upcoming events or sponsorships
• Holiday greetings

20% Promotional

This is the type of content that is going to get patients to pick up the phone and schedule an appointment. This is where the actual marketing incentives come in, offering a special value and a specific call to action:

• New services or technology
• Special offers & discounts
• Contests & giveaways
• New patients welcome
• Leave us a review

20% Informational

This is the type of content that PDA posts to your blog twice each month (if you have a Foreversite™ with us). This should be educational information to help patients learn more about oral health:

• Educational blog articles
• Facts & statistics
• Dental industry news
• New techniques or technology
• The oral systemic link

One thing to remember before you hit that Post button and it’s too late (it’s never too late, you can always go back and edit a post if necessary), please be sure to proof and proof again. There’s no bigger faux pas than spelling and grammar mistakes that make you look less than qualified to be posting on Facebook, let alone working on someone’s teeth.

This week we learned how Facebook works and what type of content you should be posting, and we encourage you to give it a try for yourself! In the next parts in our Facebook series, you’ll learn when and how often you should be posting, and how to increase engagement to make the most out of your Facebook Page. So keep an eye on your inbox, and get out there, snap some photos, shoot some videos, and encourage your team and your patients to Follow along!