Social media marketing has become such an integral part of business, that I would not be too bold to predict that most of our dental, chiropractic and veterinary clients will be making their ROI in social media a much higher priority next year.  With the technology and techniques used in social media changing so rapidly, it is easy for a small business owner or single Dr. practice to stay focused or really improve their results without a little help. Here is a quick social marketing "How to" guide we use to coach our small business clients. 

1. Mistaking social media sites for an advertising forum:  This whole social media thing is not about you, so stop talking about how great you or your products are.  Instead say how you can solve people’s problems.
2. Not being consistent: If you want to get results from you efforts and create relationships, you need to have a consistent presence on your social media sites.  Posting a few messages once in a blue moon will not get you anywhere.
3. Being boring:  If you want to be noticed, give people something interesting to read. Share your expereiences.  Don’t be part of the noise or lurk in the background. Be the source of the signal in your market!
4. Whining:  Staying positive on social media sites is an absolute must.  Constantly whining about Mondays, how unmotivated the people in the office seem to be, or that you passionately hate a given policy or insurance provider tend to turn people off pretty quickly.  Negative practices attract negative patients. Your goals is to be health advocates, leaders, motivators, problem solvers and empathizers. Do that and you will attract patients who want to be healthy.
5. Constantly feeding people links without holding any conversations:  If you are not talking to people, engaging with them, then you are wasting your time.  After all, it is called “social” media, isn’t it?
6. Not having your own blog:  It is beneficial to provide useful information for clients or patients that origninates from third party sites.  If you want to establish yourself as an expert in your field,  however, you have to provide your own content and add your perspective.
7. Not having a content strategy: This goes hand in hand with the idea that social media is about your audience and relating to them.  There has to be a strategy in place to make sure that the content you post is something people want to read.  The same thing applies to your blog.
8. Keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result:  In order to perfect step 7 above, you need to experiment with different content. Observe what content your friends and fans are engaging with and repeat it. Engaging customers and clients is where the "money" is in social media.
9. Not using any metrics tools: Doing some sort of social media and blog success metrics are essential in generating return on the time you invest on social media marketing. 
10. Having the wrong person doing your social media marketing:  The word “social” is so often ignored in social media.  Being able to socialize with someone or a group of people requires common ground and understanding.  If you plan to outsource your social media marketing efforts, then pay close attention to who you are hiring.  Don’t hire a Gen Y to interact with a baby boomer audience, or someone with no interest or experience in cars to make connections with a group of race car enthusiasts, you get the picture.