There is no denying the power and popularity of social media. In a country of just under 40 million people, a whopping 33 million (or 87%) of Canadians use social media.

Social media can be used for many things, from building and maintaining friendships, keeping in touch with family, dating, selling products and services, building brands, and attracting clients.

With so much interest and investment into social media, it’s no wonder the world of social media is constantly changing. Just when you think you’ve mastered Facebook, the world obsesses over Instagram. And once you’re comfortable with your Instagram strategy, Snap becomes the next big thing.

In order to win the social media game, it’s important to keep up-to-date on the emerging trends. Here are five trends we expect will gain momentum in 2023.

1. The rise of TikTok

TikTok is a relatively new social media platform that is focused on bite-sized video content. TikTok really took off during the pandemic, with tweens around the world recording dances and sharing them with their peers as they stayed home during Covid 19 related lockdowns.

TikTok harnessed that popularity and released a host of new features throughout 2022, and became an important platform for advertisers looking to target its 1 billion users.

As the company continues to expand across the globe, it’s important to jump on this trend now. If your business does not have a TikTok handle yet - today is the day to claim one. Better late than never!

2. There’s no avoiding reels

The use of Instagram reels skyrocketed in 2022, with 220 million additional users jumping on the reel train between July and October alone. 62% of Instagram members use the platform to research brands and products, and the popularity of video content like reels has never been higher.

This means that to really take advantage of the power of Instagram, you’re going to have to create and distribute reels. Make your reels fun, and keep up-to-date on what’s going viral. Use those trendy songs and dances that are going viral to make your reels relatable and relevant.

3. Diversification in LinkedIn

LinkedIn isn’t just about job postings anymore. If you’ve spent time on the professional social media network lately, you’ll see many of your contacts using this platform as a way to build their own professional brands, positioning themselves as thought leaders and subject-matter experts.

This is a great opportunity to highlight the knowledge and expertise that exists within your business. Encourage your ownership and executive team to build their LinkedIn presence to develop a community that likes, shares and otherwise engages with your content. You’ll be amazed at how impactful your LinkedIn strategy can have on building your brand.

4. The replacement of hashtags

Adding hashtags to your social media posts used to be one of the best ways to ensure your content got in front of people who were searching out the topics relevant to you. Social media users once relied on hashtags to sort through the masses of information and images available to find the ones most relevant. This has changed.

Google reports that 40% of people aged 18-24 are now using social media as a search engine to research topics, news, brands, and services, but they’re using the search function, not just hashtags.

To stay ahead of this trend, make sure your social media captions are optimized with the keywords you want to show up for. For example, if you’re a cosmetic dentist looking to provide more crowns and implants, post about those topics on social media and mention those services in the captions.

5. Closed captioning for the win

Social media is becoming a more accessible world and social media users are increasingly choosing to consume video content on silent, especially when they’re out in public.

This highlights the importance of adding captions to your video content. Not only does this make your content accessible for the hearing impaired, but it also does what every marketer should be trying to accomplish – serving the right content to the right people, in the format they prefer.

Inevitably, there will be dozens more social media trends that arise in 2023 and we’ll do our best to keep you updated on which ones to watch.

If your social media strategy needs a refresh, contact our team at Vitamin D Marketing & Design today. We’d love to discuss the many ways we can work together to build your brand and create a social media presence you can be proud of.

Marketing trends are constantly changing and it’s important to keep up to date on emerging trends, especially when it comes to the use of social media to attract new patients. Most dental practice owners and practice managers are busy with their day-to-day work and patient care and realize that aligning themselves with an expert in the field will help their practice grow.

Here are some activities you can integrate into your social media strategy for 2023.

1. Video, video, video

If you’re going to spend time and resources creating social media content, shouldn’t you make sure to focus on building engaging content that people will actually consume? If you’re concerned about capturing the attention of your audience and holding onto that attention long enough to deliver your message, short-form videos are the way to go.

The average person has an attention span of 8 seconds, so make sure the videos you create do something interesting and engaging in the first few seconds to encourage your viewers to stick around long enough to hear your message.

2023 is the year of Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube shorts.

2. Stay on top of it

We live in a society focused on instant gratification. People have grown accustomed to accessing information and connecting with a business the very moment they decide the time is right. This includes reaching out to companies via their social media accounts.

In order to provide a positive customer (patient) experience and build trust with your audience, be sure to keep on top of any messages coming into your social media inboxes and respond as soon as you can. Whether it’s responding to comments, reviews or direct messages, having a person responsible for monitoring your social profiles is the key.

3. Go live

While live streams were popular before the Covid-19 pandemic, the years 2020 and 2021 really put live streams into the spotlight. From the introduction of live streamed weddings and funerals to the popularity of video meetings for those working from home, the past few years have made live video a part of most people’s everyday lives.

In the first quarter of 2022, social media users consumed almost 9 billion hours of live streaming content. Live videos are a great way to engage your patients and give them a tour of your office, introduce members of your team, or show off your new equipment and technology.

4. Build your brand

Social media creators are getting more sophisticated and social media consumers are expecting more from a brand. Be sure to craft your social media calendar and messaging with brand consistency in mind and write your posts using a cohesive brand voice.

Build a brand that’s seen as a trusted resource for dental care advice by sharing helpful information that provides value to your patients without constantly selling.

4. Trust an expert.

There’s a lot of work that goes into building a social media strategy and calendar, not to mention the creation and distribution of the actual posts. Consider partnering with an expert that knows the dental industry and the unique nuances involved with marketing to dental patients.

The team at Vitamin D Marketing & Design has 17 years of experience providing marketing support for dental practices across Canada. We’ve seen many great campaigns, and many campaigns that were not-so-great. We’ve learned lessons from both and can share and apply that knowledge to a custom-built social media strategy that will generate new patient leads and increase your brand awareness.

Are you ready to discuss the social media needs of your dental practice? Contact Vitamin D Marketing & Design today and let’s chat about growing your practice.

In August 2022, Google made changes to the algorithm that determines how websites rank in search results. If you are a business owner, content creator, or website manager, keep reading to learn how to make this update a positive one for your business.

This update, which Google refers to as the “helpful content update,” was launched to ensure that the information showing up in people’s search results is fresh, original, and, above all, helpful, and that it was written by a human rather than an AI-driven bot.

In order to write content that ranks well under this new update, here is what to focus on when you’re planning and writing.

Write for people, not search engines

You’re a person, so write for other people. It may sound simple, but there is a lot of content floating around on the Internet that was written for the simple purpose of improving the searchability of a website instead of providing knowledge to readers. Don’t do that. Instead, write content that provides value to the reader – content that answers the question that people are turning to search engines to ask.

Wondering how to do this?

It’s simple:

• Before you write, define the audience you’re targeting – the group of people your content is meant to help. Then, make sure that every sentence you write is written specifically for this group.
• When choosing your topics, avoid subjects that you already have content to cover. Some creators will write about a single topic from many angles in hopes that some will perform well in the search engines.
• Choose topics that you know something about. Avoid choosing topics just because they’re popular.
• Highlight your first-hand experiences in the area you’re writing about in order to showcase yourself as a subject-matter expert.
• Take a new angle, or a fresh perspective when you write your content, rather than simply re-writing what’s already out there.
• Ensure your website has a clearly defined subject or focus.
• Write content that teaches people something – ensure that after reading your content, people walk away having learned something about a particular topic. They turned to a search engine because they had a question. It’s your responsibility to answer it.
• Stay up to date on Google’s core updates and product reviews and integrate any information that’s relevant to your work.

If you’re ready to review your content strategy and talk to the experts about how this update will impact your business specifically, call our team at Vitamin D Marketing & Design today. We’ll schedule a consultation to review the current status of your website and content, and work with you to build a content strategy that works for your unique business objectives.

Social media trends and algorithms are constantly changing. What’s crucial one month can be forgotten the next, so, when setting your social media strategy, it’s important to leave space for continuous evolution and the opportunity to make changes.

Hashtags are part of every comprehensive social media strategy, including the way you plan to market your brand on Instagram. When you maximize the benefit of hashtags, your Instagram posts will be seen not only by more people, but by the right people – the people you are targeting with your social media marketing efforts.

According to Instagram, there are nine different types of hashtags you can use for your business.

These are:

1. Hashtags that describe your product or service, like #yoga or #florist
2. Hashtags that go deeper and call out the particular niche your business falls under, like #infraredyofa or #weddingflorist
3. Hashtags for an industry-related community, like #yogastudiosofinstagram or #instagramweddingflorists
4. Hashtags that highlight a specific event or time of year, like #sundayyogainthepark or #springweddingflorals
5. Hashtags that focus on a particular location, like #yogaintoronto or #calgaryflorists
6. Hashtags that call out the day of the week, like #malasanamondays or #floralfridays
7. Hashtags calling out exactly what you do, like #dailyyogapractice or #stoptosmelltheroses
8. Hashtags that use popular acronyms, like #tbt (for throwback Thursday) or #pov (for point of view)
9. Lastly, hashtags with emojis, like # 🧘♀️ and # 💐 🌺

Every audience is different, so test out a variety of these hashtags to see what works the best for your specific audience and the followers you are hoping to attract.

Here are some tips on using hashtags to attract more followers:

1. Check how popular the hashtag is but remember that more usage doesn’t always mean it’s better. Searching a hashtag will give you clarity into how often it’s used. By using hashtags with varied levels of popularity, you can reach different audiences with the same post.
2. Use a variety of hashtags in list format. Try incorporating examples from a few of the types of hashtags listed above into your posts. For example, if you own a yoga studio in Winnipeg you could add: #yogisofwinnipeg, #yogaeveryday, #yogabecauseyolo, #yogaretreatwinnipeg etc.
3. Keep things fresh. You probably have a few favourite hashtags that you use on nearly every post. Next time you’re setting up a new post, try entering one of those hashtags into the Instagram search function and see what alternatives auto populate. Give those a try. They may just become your new favourites.
4. Measure the performance of your hashtags. Instagram provides you the opportunity to objectively measure how your hashtags are performing – just tap the ‘view insights’ tab to see the number of impressions your post generated through its hashtags.

If your social media strategy is due for a refresh and you’re ready to talk to the experts, call the team at Vitamin D Marketing & Design today. We’ll set up a consultation to discuss your goals and build you an Instagram strategy that will take your brand to the next level.