Twitter can be a fun place. However, an increasing number of brands are finding this micro-blogging site to be a great platform for engaging with their customers. Dental practices can use Twitter to drive patient engagement, give their practice brand greater visibility, and for building reputation as a credible source of industry information.

5 Ways your Twitter Influence can go wrong

Twitter is a massive social platform with a very large active audience. You need to keep in mind that any content you post is not only going to viewed by potential patients, your competitors, and other industry experts, but also that it becomes a part of your digital footprint. So even a simple error can quickly undo all the hard work you have put in for building your dental practice reputation.

Tweeting about Polarizing Topics

Rule number one, and this goes for any social platform, Twitter included, never get embroiled in controversial topics. Posting incredibly polarized opinions over public platforms is only going to get you into trouble. Your potential target audience, your competitors, and other industry peers/leaders are watching you on Twitter and there is every chance that they might think differently and your readers might end up judging your entire brand based on this one post or opinion.

Getting Involved in Negative Exchanges

This one follows close on the heels of steering clear of controversial topics. As a dental healthcare professional you are bound by a non-disclosure agreement and your patients trust you to keep their information private. Twitter is a public place and you are bound to come across disgruntled or unhappy customers/patients. It might even be the other way around; you might have had to deal with a difficult patient or professional. However, taking your negative feelings to a public platform is the last thing you want to do. Getting your license revoked and lawsuits aside (worst case scenarios), engaging in negative exchanges simply amounts to unprofessional mudslinging.

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Tweeting Mindlessly

Twitter offers immense opportunity for dental practices to establish industry expertise. So while you might be tempted to develop a well-rounded Twitter personality, maintaining a presence without a specific focus in your area of expertise can dilute your influence. People will come to you if they know you have an expertise in a particular area; they are also more likely to share you with others. However, tweeting mindlessly can make you seem unfocused. More than anything, if you have personal opinions to share over multiple issues, it is best you reserve those for a more private setting.

Getting Ahead of yourself

Twitter audience is global in more ways than one. So predicting how your posts will be viewed can be difficult. What sounds like a simple joke to one person can sound offensive to another! Anytime you sit down to tweet, keep in mind your core audience and also the fact that your posts can and will be seen by a large number of people. Even if it sounds like a lame attempt at humor, stop to think about it before you Tweet. If there is even the slightest chanced that your post might sound offensive to even a very small group of readers, rewrite your post.

Excessive Tweeting

Don’t you find it annoying anytime you come across someone who tweets just about anything and everything all the time? It is the same when you come across people on Facebook who update their status by the minute; does make you wonder if they have a life outside social media! If building a robust brand presence for your dental practice is your main aim, then excessive Tweeting is not going to cut it. Tweet about topics that are highly relevant to your core audience, showcase your expertise in your area of specialization, and build a name as an industry expert. You don’t need to take to Tweeting excessively to do this; as they say, pick and choose your battles.

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