Shattering Social Media Excuses for Dental Startups
Social media can feel like a moving target. Just when you finally understand one platform, another trend, feature, or algorithm shift pops up and changes the game again. It’s hard to know where to show up, what to post, or how often you’re supposed to be online.
The good news? Nobody has it all figured out. Every creator, business owner, and marketer started with zero followers, spent two hours making first 15-second Reel, wondered if they were posting "too much," and felt like the black sheep at the "cool kid table" making their first LinkedIn post. And at some point, every single person has thought, “I don’t really have anything worth sharing.”
But you just start moving.
And it gets better. Pretty quickly, actually.
Social media is the first impression you’ll make on your patients, but in the startup phase, it’s also how your community is gauging if they should trust you. But in order to make that great first impression, you’ve gotta show up.
So, let’s make this short and sweet, shall we? You’re probably not posting on social media for one of three reasons:
- I feel overwhelmed.
- I don’t have the time.
- I don’t know what to say.
“I feel overwhelmed”
Yup. Normal. Social media is a lot. It’s a lot of content and comparison that we’re absorbing all day. Why bother trying to keep up, right? Wrong. Social media is a free, organic way to advertise your new practice simply by bringing people along in the process with you, and you’re going to take advantage of it. But you’re going to need to focus your efforts and get strategic.
PRO TIP: Choose 1-2 platforms to focus your efforts on (based on where your best patients are hanging out and where you’ll most enjoy creating content). Pick ‘em and reserve your handles or names.
“I don’t have the time”
I won’t lecture you with “if you have time for Netflix, you have time for this” because you made it through a whole lot of school, training, and general life experience, so I know you’re capable. It’s more about knowing how to optimize the time you do have. Once you’ve chosen the platforms you’re going to focus on, you’re going to spring clean ‘em up, because once you start creating content (and therefore traction), the consistent appearance and messaging across the board will take the heavy lifting off of you. The best hack for optimizing time is time-blocking.
PRO TIP: Time-block 2 hours every week to create content in a space or place that inspires you and where you’ll be able to focus. We’ll get to what that content is in the next section.
“I don’t know what to say”
Ohhhh, buddy. Don’t even get me started. You went through how many years of school? You’ve been alive how long? You’re starting a business? You’re following your dream? You. Have. Something. To. Say. This is the space you get to choose who you want to be and how you’re going to show up, which will ultimately become part of your brand (and if you need help creating your brand, we’ve got you covered there, too). The best content usually falls into four categories: emotion, education, entertainment, and connection.
• Some posts make people feel seen or inspired.
• Some teach them something useful.
• Some simply make them laugh or keep them engaged long enough to stop scrolling.
• Some help build real connection by showing the human side of your brand, starting conversations, or inviting people into your world.
PRO TIP: Choose several well-rounded categories that you want to post about, then rotate through the content types consistently (ideally 3-5 posts per week). Check out the sample content calendar for a few specific ideas.
“Well that’s great, but what if I still feel stuck?” Fret no more, I’ve created a sample content calendar for you to post 4 times per week for an entire month to get the hang of this “on the line” life.
No more excuses.
Show up and share what you’ve got.
Grab it below and if you’re still needing help with social media or building your brand as a startup, we’ve got a whole team ready to jump in and help you get off to the best possible start. Up, you go, now. (See what I did there?).
