In order to run a successful social media strategy, orthodontists need to measure their performance regularly. Social media platforms provide a wealth of data that, when properly analyzed, can reveal valuable insights into what is working and where improvements are needed. This chapter will explore how to analyze and measure the success of your social media efforts, the key performance indicators (KPIs) you should focus on, and the tools and strategies you can use to refine your social media approach for continuous improvement.
To evaluate the effectiveness of your social media efforts, you need to define clear, measurable goals. These goals will align with the broader objectives of your practice, such as increasing patient bookings, enhancing brand visibility, or improving community engagement. KPIs are the metrics you track to determine whether you are achieving your goals.
Here are some essential KPIs for orthodontic social media marketing
Engagement Rate
Engagement rate refers to the number of interactions (likes, comments, shares, and saves) relative to your total number of followers or impressions.
This is one of the most important KPIs because it measures how well your content resonates with your audience and is a direct reflection of your audience’s interest in your content. By tracking engagement metrics, you can identify which types of content perform best and tailor your future posts accordingly. For example, if you notice that educational content (like tips for oral hygiene or behind-the-scenes videos) receives more likes and comments than promotional offers, you may want to increase that type of content.
Why it matters: High engagement indicates that your content is interesting and valuable to your followers. Engagement fosters relationships and builds trust, which can ultimately lead to patient acquisition.
How to calculate: Engagement rate = (Total Engagements / Total Followers) × 100
Reach and Impressions
Reach refers to the total number of unique users who have seen your content, while impressions track how many times your content has been displayed, regardless of whether it was clicked or not. Both metrics give you an understanding of how far your content is spreading.
Reach gives you an understanding of how many unique individuals are seeing your content. This metric is especially important for building brand awareness. To increase reach, you can experiment with different posting times, use relevant hashtags, collaborate with influencers, or boost posts through paid ads.
Why it matters: Reach shows how many people are being exposed to your practice’s brand, which is especially important for building awareness. Impressions, on the other hand, show how often people are seeing your content, indicating the frequency of exposure.
How to calculate: :Reach is generally provided by social media platforms (e.g., Instagram, Facebook Insights), but the impressions count refers to the total number of times your post was displayed.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
CTR measures how many people clicked on a link in your post (such as a link to book an appointment or read a blog post) compared to the number of impressions or engagements.
Why it matters: A high CTR suggests that your audience finds your content compelling enough to take action. For orthodontists, this could mean clicks to schedule a consultation, sign up for a newsletter, or read an educational blog post.
How to calculate: CTR = (Total Clicks / Total Impressions) × 100
Follower Growth
This KPI tracks the increase or decrease in the number of followers across your social media platforms. A growing follower base suggests that more people are discovering and trusting your practice.
Why it matters: A steady growth in followers is a good sign that your practice’s social media presence is expanding, which can lead to increased awareness, new patients, and opportunities for organic engagement.
How to calculate: Follower Growth = (New Followers / Total Followers) × 100