Running a dental practice is no different from running any other kind of business. The same rules apply. You should focus on offering the best services to your patients, value them as primary assets for the success of your business, and constantly try to get ahead of the competition.

But with so many practices fighting for the same patients, gaining an advantage might prove to be a rather difficult task. You’re probably always asking yourself: How can I reach more patients and increase my profits?

Well, one solution would be taking a swing at Facebook ads. True, this is probably the last thing on your mind. You are running a full-time business, after all, and you have more on your plate than you can easily handle. How do you find the time to conceptualize and implement a successful Facebook campaign?

The good news is that it’s not that hard.

Here are the steps you need to take to attract more qualified patients from Facebook ads.

Step #1: Build Your Online Presence

First things first: create a Facebook page for your dental practice. If you already have one, then great! Now comes the fun part – trying to attract potential patients and build a lucrative relationship with them.

Start building your audience by asking your existing patients to like your page and leave a review. That will help prospects get a better idea of what your practice offers. Post consistently, and try to provide your audience members with useful information that is valuable and relevant to their needs. Also, while building your online presence is a surefire way to grow your dental practice, please note that it will take time to show results, and if you are eager to see improvements, then investing in Facebook advertising is the way to go.

Step #2: Establish Your Budget

Now that you’ve decided to give Facebook advertising a try, the first thing you need to do is to set up your budget. Remember, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to generate great results. Especially if you’re using it for the first time, it’s best to start slowly and test to see what your audience responds to and what works.

Step #3: Focus On Mobile Devices

Statistically, patients are more likely to see your ads on their mobile devices than on their desktop computers. Think mobile when you’re planning your campaign. Pay close attention to the preview of the ad Facebook will be showing you, and tweak it until you find the perfect version.

Step #4: Learn How To Create The Perfect Ad

Now that everything is up and ready, it’s time to create the ad. But, where do you start?
The first thing you need to remember is that an ad isn’t a marketing strategy, but merely a small part of one. In other words, you need to integrate Facebook advertising into a larger plan with clearly defined objectives.

As for actually creating the ad, keep these five tips in mind:

Make the Most Important Information Visible: It’s good to catch attention with something, but a lot of ads leave out one vital thing – business information. Make sure your practice’s name is clearly visible.

Create Good Copy: Ads perform a lot better with shorter texts, so your copy needs to be straightforward and catchy. You don’t need to provide every detail in one single post, but try to focus on sparking the potential patients’ interest.

Don’t Forget to Add Visuals: Your ad will reach a lot more people if you combine your copy with a picture, video or a gif. However, make sure that the visual is relevant to your message and of high quality.

Write a Catchy Headline: First of all, don’t use clickbait headlines. People dislike them and will deem your business as unprofessional if you use them. Your ad’s headline should be about five words long and contain a simple message.

Include a CTA: When you set up your ad, Facebook provides options to insert a Call to Action, so make sure to take advantage of the ‘Learn More’ function.

Step #5: Make It Easier For People To Contact You

Patients will not spend a lot of time looking for contact details. If they cannot find a phone number or email address as quickly as possible, they will give up and move on.

Make sure that your contact information is visible both in your ads and on your Facebook page. Remember also to include multiple means of contact in case some of your patients dislike talking on the phone.

Facebook Helps You Move Ahead

For dental practices especially, Facebook is the best tool to attract new patients. It allows you to reach a broad audience and get ahead of the competition, so it is in your best interest to dedicate some time to building a presence on the platform. Use the five tips presented above to ensure that your ads bring long-term patients into your practice.