A Few Social Media Tips
By Poppy Blaseio, M.A., D.D.S.
Do you have a blue check?
I’m no social media expert. In fact, I’m an older millennial who refuses to download TikTok, and I have just over 1,000 followers on my professional Instagram page. So what could I possibly have to offer you about this topic? Well, I have listened to many CE courses by some of the best known dentists and endodontists on social media, and I’ve spent countless hours scrolling my feeds while rocking my babies to sleep. Trust me; that’s A LOT of hours. While I don’t enjoy making content, perhaps you do! I want to offer you this… What is your purpose for your social media page? Do you want to spend time every day or every other day creating content? Who is your target audience? Honing in on these simple questions will help guide your page and naturally grow your social media presence.
If your target audience is patients and the general public, I invite you to browse the AAE Practice Marketing tab on the AAE professional website. There you can find some ready-made infographics that help to make endodontics approachable even for the dental phobic patient. Be cautious about what you post, as most non-dentists find even x-rays to be a little “gross.” If this is your target audience, bravo. We still have a long way to go in mitigating the age-old fear of root canal therapy.
On the other hand, if your target audience includes dentists and fellow endodontists, go ahead and post those endo x-ray trophies. It is fun to see nice cases by my peers. What I’ve noticed however is that the posts that get the most engagement are those that aim to inform, pose questions or start a conversation. This truly brings life to your post, as peers interact to ask questions and discuss. Once again you can lean on the AAE website to guide your content, especially under the Clinical Resources tab.
Whatever your goal is with social media, hopefully reflecting on the above questions will help guide your process and yield the results you’re looking for. Happy posting!
Dr. Poppy Blaseio is a Foundation Trustee and a member of the AAE’s Resident and New Practitioner Committee.