How to Lose Your Facebook Followers in 1 Day

Everywhere you look there are political campaign posters, signs, commercials, tweets, messages on Facebook – a never ending barrage of political campaigning to assault the senses.

It seems harmless right?  I mean I should have the freedom to express my opinion.  Well, you may be surprised to know that a huge percentage of the people following you on Facebook do not want to hear about your political interests.  The Pew Internet and American Life Project found that a sizeable chunk of the population will “un-like” or leave social sites with political content that offends them.

The numbers are huge, 4 out of 10 people had a “serious” political disagreement with a friend.  The results of the disagreement caused 1 in 5 users to take action.  (Amongst passionate liberals, that number rose to over 1 in 4 users).

What did they do?

* Blocked posts from this friend
* Unfriended the person
* Ignoring posts and marking them as SPAM

There are two topics which have extreme emotional effects on people, religion and politics.  The country is pretty much divided.  If you are not in the political arena, don’t use Facebook as a platform to express your political beliefs.  Many of the posts that I’ve seen involve mud-slinging and derogatory remarks about a candidate.

Think about this, you are insulting another person’s opinion, their intelligence and values.  Facebook, Google+ and Twitter are a powerful extension of your brand.  As a dentists or professional provider, you may not only run the risk of losing a single patient, but perhaps an entire family.  Remember that 9 out of 10 times it is a ‘woman’ that is scheduling the appointments.  It is a woman deciding on the practitioner.  In the 2012 political campaign there are some very controversial issues surrounding women’s rights.  Before you decide to post something of a political nature to your page remember – 73% of social network users “only sometimes” agree or “never” agree with their friends’ political postings.

Use your social brand to empower, inform, educate, entertain and add value to your followers’ lives.  They will stick around, refer you to others and value what you have to offer.

We have noticed some nice changes when it comes to “Checking in” on social media sites lately.  For those of you who don’t know, “Checking in” is a way for you to mark where you are in real time.  Popular social media sites like Facebook, Foursquare, and Google + have a feature on their mobile versions that allow you tell everyone where you are via the GPS on your smart device.  Many of you are probably saying, “Well, that is stupid!”.  Stupid or not, people are doing it by the millions!

Checking in on social media sites offers some opportunities to businesses like dental offices.  Your patients can actually check in to your office, sending out a non threatening, non-marketing notification of where they are.  This is instant word of mouth to all their social media connections. Check ins also show activity at your map location.  It has been hinted that search giants like Google may at some point include this activity in their search algorithm.  (Pure speculation of course!).  Check-ins also allow you or your staff a chance to show off your office when you are at work.  Many of the check-in providers like Foursquare also allow you to attach offers to check ins.  You could possible offer a bleaching special to those who check in to your office.  You give them a deal and they tell all their friends (the average person has over 100 friends on Facebook) about your office.  Adding your practice information to sites like Foursquare also create links and citations back to your website and Google listing, so why aren’t you checking in?

Recently we noted that Foursquare has started to use the open map display system.  The Open Map project is a open source map much like Mapquest or Google maps.  The recent changes in Foursquare also accompanied larger displays on Facebook.  A Foursquare user can opt to feed their check ins to their Facebook wall.  This will not only show their Foursquare friends, but their Facebook friends too!

Jason T. Lipscomb D.D.S. checkin

This is an example of a Foursquare check in on Facebook.  You can see that it is quite large and has a nice visual pop.  Successful Facebook posts almost always have a nice visual aspect to them, so these are great.  What a great way for you or your patient to spread the word of mouth about your practice.

What many people don’t know is, Google + actually has a check in feature on their mobile application.  It is very inconspicuous but very important.  Google + checkins actually use listings form Google places and maps.  One could speculate that these check ins could become very important to the Google local search algorithm because you actually have to be near the location to check in.  Google places great importance on real people interaction with map and review content.  I would encourage all of you to get a Google + listing as well as a Google + page for your business.  Once you do, check in every day!!!!

Lets take a look at the Google + check in process.

The check in feature can be seen in the upper right hand corner.  Hint, it is a check.

Google + mobile interface

When I hit the check in button a list of nearby places are presented.  I choose my office and either add a picture or a quote.  I like to keep them funny or informative, but something that will make other people comment!

List of places to choose

The Check in shows up on my Google + feed.  If you examine the post further, it is actually a link to my Google places listing.  What a great way to share my listing!!

Give it a try today, and come visit our Facebook page for more tips!!  http://www.facebook.com/socialmediadentist

What does the new Facebook Timeline mean to your business?

Facebook’s new Cover Photo

Many businesses were surprised to find out that Facebook was completely changing the way their business appeared.  Suddenly the entire top of the Facebook page is changing.  This is an incredible opportunity for businesses to expand and solidify their brand on Facebook.  Think of this space as a prime piece of real-estate to convey your message.  Just how much space? 852 pixels wide by 315 pixels high.

New Facebook Timeline - Changes March 30th

Facebook has created some guidelines that should be followed when you create your cover photo.

Facebook’s Rules for the Cover Photo

1.  You cannot include price or purchase information or discounts.  Example: Visit our website at ‘www.mywebsite.com’ and receive a 50% discount.

2.  Contact information that would already be listed in your ‘about us’ section.  So that means don’t include your web address, your phone number and email address.

3.  Don’t ask for user interaction meaning – do not use this space to ask people to ‘Like’ or ‘Share’ your page.  The image should not contain “Calls to action”.

Custom Landing Pages

Custom designed tabs or Fanpages will no longer show up as tabs along the left side, but will display beneath the new profile image.  The custom pages (Fangates) can now be 810 pixels wide instead of 520 pixels.  Facebook did remove the ability to create a default landing tab;  before the changes, you could specify a ‘landing page’.  You can however link directly to the new tabs.

This will give app designers an extra 300 pixels to create amazing landing pages for your practice.  The opportunities are endless.  Facebook will allow you to have 12 (applications like this) for your page.

You are quickly able to see all of your new notifications,  people can ‘message you as a page’ and you can respond directly to those messages, you can see all of your new likes, your insights and share promotions.

Facebook Admin Update

Facebook will be adding a feature in the Admin panel that allows you to assign certain privileges to people that are Admins on your page.  For example you will be able to assign privileges that ‘only’ allow them to post to your page.  Currently Admins can delete a page, delete other Admins etc.  Dentists, you need to make sure that “YOU” set up your page with your own credentials.  If one of your staff set up the page and is the Admin, they can delete your page at any time.

Who currently sees your page?

According to Facebook, currently only 16% of your fans see your page.  Facebook has announced the Facebook Reach Generator guarantees to show 75% of a page’s fans over the course of a month.  Facebook said that this new premium advertising solution enabled ‘Ben and Jerry’s’ (A test group) to reach 98 percent of their pages fans.  This type of advertising is not for the faint of heart, but for large practices that want to invest with Facebook.  To enable this feature you have to join their premium advertising program.

Professional Timeline Cover Photo

One thing to remember is you ONLY HAVE UNTIL March 30th, before Facebook automatically switches your site over!

You can get a professionally branded timeline for your practice from Timeline Design Pro which specifically designs Facebook Timelines for dentists and medical professionals.  You can sign up for a timeline at http://www.timelinedesignpro.com

Professional Facebook Cover Photo Design

Earlier this week I wrote a blog about the feature of Pinterest that could be interesting for dentists.  Awesome Pinterest Blog.  Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social media platforms out there.  After finishing the blog, it occurred to me that I should do a follow up about pictures and how they are presented.  A website like Pinterest actually pulls pictures from your website to create content.  I have been trolling many of my favorite websites and found that using Pinterest isn’t always the easiest thing to do.  Many websites including, including my own, don’t present pictures that are favorable to Pinterest.  So let’s look at some ways you can make your pictures more Pinterest friendly.

1. Be sure to have some nice static pictures available on your website.  Pinterest and other sites don’t pick up pictures that run in slide shows or other code heavy productions.

2.  Name your photos for SEO!  When you upload a photo to your website make sure that it includes some nice descriptive keywords.   A file should be named “richmonddentist.jpg” instead of “70779607-8-434-8–.gif”.    Properly named files will help Google decide which category they fit in.   Also, give each photo some nice keyword rich titles and meta descriptions!

3.  Do a Google image search for your favorite keywords.  This will let you know if your images can be found.  Just like Google places you should strive to have your photos show up first on the Google image search.

Fredericksburg Dentist Jason T. Lipscomb Google image search

4.  Add pictures to your blog!!!  Blogs are great places to add extra content to your website!!!  They also make great items to share on Facebook and Twitter.  Now, they can even be an easy place to add Pinterest worthy photos.  Include several photos in every blog to make the content pop and to be more interesting when shared.  Studies have shown that people will click on a Facebook shared link more often when a picture shows up.  The picture that is presented with the link depends on the content.  Which would you rather click on?

This:

or This:

The second link pulls in a much better picture to share with the link.  Make sure you have at least one exciting picture in your blog even if it doesn’t relate to the story!  You may not get any links if you don’t.

5.  Create picture content on many different pages.  The great thing about Pinterest is that it creates a link back to the website from where the picture was selected.  This is a great opportunity to share links from your “Implants”, “About the doctor” or “Smile Gallery” pages from your website!  You just have to make sure that the pictures are ready to be shared!

Be sure to “Like” Social Media for Dentists on Facebook!!   http://www.facebook.com/socialmediadentist

Every 5 minutes a new social media platform comes along….just kidding.   New opportunities in social media seem to pop up all the time, but few can match the biggies like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  A new social media app is bucking the trend and showing some promise by using pictures.

Pinterest is gaining popularity by neatly organizing the pictures in your daily web travel.  The platform allows you to share and organize pictures of your own or just ones that you see on the web.  It is a great way to upload a picture and share it or tell your friends about the interesting things you see on the web.

What some of you may not know, is that every picture you see on the internet has its own web address.   For instance, the picture of my Fredericksburg office on my website has the address fred.jpg.  The same goes for those pictures that you see on Facebook or Twitter.  Pinterest allows you to use those links to share the pictures that you like, while still giving the host website credit.    This is much different than the Facebook method of having to upload a picture.  It is very quick and streamlined.

Pinterest calls each picture post a “Pin”.  Multiple “Pins” are posted on a “Board”.  For instance, a board named “Dogs” may have various pins showing many different types of dogs.  A dentist may have a board named “Cosmetic work” showing many pins of different cases.  A pin can be formed by uploading a picture, much like Facebook, or by letting Pinterest do the work.   Simply click “Add a Pin” and you will be asked to enter a website.

Once you enter the website, Pinterest will search the site for available pictures which you can toggle through until you find the desired one.  If you can’t find the right one, enter the distinct URL for that picture.  As you can see, I chose this picture and I created the board “Fredericksburg Dentist”.  Fredericksburg Dentist is one of my desired keyword phrases.  I can now type in a nice description.  

The picture is now part of the board “Fredericksburg Dentist”It is now a searchable item and can be seen by other users.

Now the big question.  ”Why would dentists use this?”

1.  Photos have been a proven educational resource in the dental office.  They have also been integral in case acceptance.    Why not share them on any platform possible?

2.  Pinterest is using these photos based on a link to your website.  All photos used on the site provide a link to the host website.  Do we want links to our website?  Duuhhh, of course we do!

3.  Pinterest is a searchable database of pictures.  Do you want your pictures found if someone is searching for a dentist?   Yes again!

4.  The links and picture coincide with a customizable header.  I named my Board “Fredericksburg Dentist” showing my pictures and links to my website.  Google eats this stuff up!

5.  Pinterest is growing by leaps and bounds.  This recent article shows that it has been a powerful brand building tool  http://gigaom.com/2012/01/31/pinterest-referral-traffic-google-plus-twitter/

6. It offers you a new way to share the photo content from your website our blog.   Instead of saying “please go to our blog to see our new pictures”, say “Hey, here are pictures of our latest veneer case”

7. The format allows you to be creative and build a nice catalog of pictures.  Imagine having a Board organized with all Invisalign pictures, or a board filled with cosmetic dentistry pictures, or..you get the point.  Heck, you could even display pictures from other websites in your board.  The pics are still linked to the source, so you aren’t doing anything wrong.    Can you imagine saying “Hey, check out our cosmetic dentistry board on Pinterest”?  I definitely see it in the future.

8.  Your content has followers just like Facebook.  Get folks to follow your boards and they will see all the new content you post.  Your patients will see your new veneer case.  What’s wrong with that?
Be creative!  Any time something new comes along, people always say “I don’t see how dentists would use that”.  Explore the possibilities and the science behind successful social media.  Think outside the box and feel free to explore.  Share your passion in any way you can!

Even dentists need a little laugh too!  Here are some “inspirational” posters I came up with today.

Dental Stock Photos

Don't let your teeth flap in the wind

A world without OSHA

Dr. Jason Lipscomb is a dentist in Richmond, VA and is available for parties and weddings.

I had a new patient come in today.  The hygienist informed me that they had found our office on the internet.   I introduced myself as a I entered the room to check him, and brought up his method of locating us.  Playfully he said “It was because of all your fake reviews!”  I said “Oh no, not here.”  He said “I know, but I was looking at another dentist and I discovered that he had fake reviews.”

My hygienist jumped in and said “How do you know that they are fake?”  The patient replied, “Well you click on the name that left the review and you can see where that person has reviewed.   Funny how some people have been to four dental offices in one day! I dont’ think that is very honest.  Do you?”

This patient was deterred from another practice because of a dishonest review practice.  As consumers become more internet savvy they will start to investigate their decisions more and more.  They will also become familiar with how the review process works and when to spot a phony.

Gaining reviews can be an arduous task, but it is a necessity in this day and age.  Consumers base many of their decisions on online reviews.  A nice body of reviews can also dilute the occasional bad review.

Leaving fake reviews or hiring a SEO company to leave fake reviews can land you in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission and even the local Board of Dentistry.  Do you want to face possible fines, jail, or loss of license just for some reviews??   NO!   Don’t believe companies who tell you that fake reviews are alright, because they aren’t!

This person was quite busy, they went to New Hampshire, Delaware, Florida, and Canada all in one day!  

You need to stay above board at all times.  Risking your practice for something so simple is just not worth it.  To learn how to generate honest reviews and maintain your Google listing, visit http://www​.missingbu​siness.com​/google-re​views.php.

Many of us have been scrambling to generate Google reviews since the Google places policy change this summer.  As you might remember, Google no longer showcases 3rd party reviews from sites like Demandforce or Yelp.  These reviews have not disappeared altogether.  They still play a very important part in generating citations.  Citations are the building block of local search and have a HUGE influence on local search rank.

It is always a good idea to generate as many positive reviews as possible, and to spread them around to different websites.  A nice well rounded Internet presence should consist of multiple reviews from multiple sites.  This practice is also a safeguard to prevent total loss of reviews.

Most of us know that Google is the big daddy of search and that we all want our practices to show up near the top of Google search.  Appearing near the top is the first step and having Google reviews to display is the next step.  Sometimes generating Google reviews can be difficult because not everyone has a Google account.  You must have a Google account to leave a review or rating.  Don’t fear!  When you come to a “lack of Google account” roadblock, just try a different tactic.  Direct these patients to a site like Citysearch that uses a Facebook log in to gain access.  Over half of the US population has a Facebook account, so the odds are pretty good!  Citysearch reviews may not be a Google review, but they still count as a citation.   We love citations!  
Jason Lipscomb is a dentist in Richmond,VA and co-author of Social Media for Dentists a marketing guide for dentists.

Hey everyone!  I wanted to write a quick blog post to everyone about some changes to Google + today.  As many of you know, Google + has been restricted to real people and personal profiles.  Well, today they changed all that.  They are now allowing Google branded pages, much like Facebook did with their business pages.

Google maps branded page on Google +

Above you can see the branded page for Google maps.  They are releasing these slowly, so it may be a little while before you can claim your own.  One of my contacts has created a list of some of the branded pages for you to take  a look at .   Google business list.

aThis will be another big land rush for brands and businesses, but I want you to remember a couple of things before (and when) you claim a page.

1.  Get one!  Be sure to claim a page for your business

2.  Remember the local search basics of naming any online entity.  Take a look at this previous Social Media for Dentist post if you have forgotten.  Wherever you go on the web, make sure the name of your business is listed to match your Google places listing exactly!  This should be the same across the board, even on your Facebook business page!  Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) should be the same in every listing possible.  Google + is part of Google, so we need the tie-ins to be obvious!

3.  Google search can be highly influenced by yours and others actions on Google plus.  See another blog post from Jason Lipscomb.

4.  Google will be releasing tools that will easily join Google search with Google +.  This is an opportunity that shouldn’t be overlooked. Thanks to Jason Kincaid for sharing the news about Google + Direct Connect!

So, keep checking back for updates on the Google + branded pages on our Social Media for Dentists Facebook page.   You can also learn more about us at http://www.socialmediadentist.com or even buy our book!

We are learning some things as news comes out

1.  You cannot get a custom URL yet

2. Only one person can admin the page, so make sure that person will be with the practice forEVER!

Many of us are still learning the nuances of Google +.  I like many of the features available, but still wait to see if it will be a permanent tool.  One of the most promising features of Google + is its integration with Google search results.  We have spoken about how social media can effect search results before, but the new Google + may offer some exciting new opportunities.  Over the years the big search engines like Bing and Google have hinted at social media effecting search results.  The idea is that what your friends like or share on sites like Facebook will personalize your Google results just for you.

Hypothetical situation:  Say your friends like “ABC Bicycles” on Facebook.  You then do a Google search for “Bicycles” while signed in to your account.  Google may present “ABC Bicycles” as one of the top results.  ABC Bicycles may not even appear on the search results if you are signed out of your account or if you are a regular searcher whose friends have no association with “ABC Bicycles”.

It will become more and more important for patients to “like” your Facebook page, and connect with your business on Google +.

Yesterday I did a little experiment.  I posted my recent blog post, “Twitter lands Richmond Dentist on TV” on my Google + Jason T. Lipscomb D.D.S. page. The post obviously has the keywords, “Richmond Dentist” in the title.  After posting, I waited……………………………..zzzzzz………….and two hours later…….

Search for "Richmond Dentist" while signed in

These are the results while signed in to Google.  As you can see, my blog post shows up near the top of the organic results for “Richmond Dentist”.    Now I sign out and do the same search.

Where did it go?

No “Twitter lands Richmond Dentist on TV”.  The results were obviously personalized for me based on my actions on Google + and it only took 2hours!   This is why it is so important to get people to share your links and your blog posts.  It is also important for them to “like” or “+1″ your material.  This will give the trickle down effect in search on their connections.  A follower that shares your link or info will influence the search results of their friends and connections.  It brings the viral potential to search!  Give it at try yourself, and get those shares!