Featuring an interview with Dr. Isaac Shuster
What’s the difference between dental marketing and a dentist’s personal branding?
Your brand is made up of your identity, your message, and the emotional bond between you and your patients. So your brand identity is the “why” behind why patients pick one dentist over another, meanwhile, marketing is the “how” to draw clients into the clinic.
Meet Dr. Isaac Shuster…
Before writing this blog, we consulted Dr. Isaac Shuster. For us, he resembles the perfect example of how a dentist should utilize his professional Instagram feed. We have watched Dr. Isaac’s feed grow over the last few months, and we thought we would share with you his journey and what he got out of building his personal brand.
Dr. Isaac is a restorative dentist with a niche focus on cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry. Dr. Isaac is based in New York but has managed to grow and connect with dentists all over the world.
Now, let’s get onto the blueprint you need to become a renowned name on social media in your field:
01. Knowing your goals!
First thing a dentist should establish is, ‘what do you hope to achieve through social media?’. Have a moment with yourself to identify your personal goals as a dentist. If you own a dental clinic, then make sure to separate your goals for your clinic from your goals as a dentist.
By knowing what it is you are working towards, you can clearly set your content pillars. Content pillars guide you to post with intention, making sure that all the content you produce feeds your end goal. For example:
- ·Are you hoping to grow your network in the international dental community?
- Then you should aim to produce shareable content to increase your exposure.
- You should also concentrate on having a unique personal brand to really stand out among your field and compete on an international level.
- Are you looking to position yourself as an expert in your field, or as an educator, and hopefully begin online courses for other dentists?
- Your content should be video-heavy to really showcase your knowledge.
- You should show up more on lives or do story Q&A’s to build an audience of dentists that looks up to you.
- ·Are you looking to attract new patients through your feed, or become the brand for your clinic to attract more patients for the clinic?
- ·Are you looking to eventually become a keynote speaker at various dental conferences?
For Dr. Isaac, his goal is to reach a wider audience and show dental patients what modern dentistry can do. He believes that patients should be aware of how much dentistry has evolved:
“it’s a world of difference from even 10 years ago. Amazing things are possible that patients just aren’t aware of”
When asked if his goals were to reach attract new patients, Dr.Isaac said;
“Yes and no. I’m a firm believer that if you love what you do and are good at it, people will find out and seek you. So yes, I am looking to grow my patient roster but not by advertising slogans, but rather by showing the work I’ve done and the work of those who inspire me.”
This isn’t his only goal, he also aspires to share his experience and maintain transparency with his results and outcomes, because he believes this will “help both patients and practitioners” . With that in mind, he focuses on sharing his day-to-day cases and often shares any difficult or challenging cases.
He has also been sharing a lot of his colleagues’ work and has found Instagram a great platform to meet new dentists and grow his network.
“Don’t be afraid to share the work of others, we are not in competition with one another! I enjoy celebrating and sharing the beautiful work of my colleagues. It is a sign of mutual respect and way to educate both patients and dentists of what modern dentistry can do for you.”
02. Incorporating your personal content or hobbies!
“I was nervous to share my personal life, hobbies and face! Before starting this Instagram page, I hadn’t posted in 8 years. Now I aim to post 2-3 times a week, when able. So, this was definitely a culture shock, but it has paid off in so many ways. Between meeting influential people and new patients, it has been quite a trip.
The account has reached an ever-growing audience which has resulted in a steady influx of new and eager patients, that are also excited about dentistry.
I also feel that a brand needs a face. I’ve watched other dentists on Instagram over the years and I feel like I know them (I trust them, if I were to walk in their office for treatment, I would feel safe in their care) and that is exactly… what I want my patients to feel, so I adopted similar methods.”
As a new dentist on social media, once you have decided your content pillars you are going to want to decide the style of content you want to post. Share your hobbies and passions, and let your feed represent you in every way!
What most dentists don’t understand here, is that their professional Instagram doesn’t have to only be dentistry focused! That’s the difference between your dental clinic’s feed and your own personal brand or personal feed.
Dr. Isaac is very passionate about photography, especially dental photography. Not only does this ensure he has quality content, but it also gives his feed a unique personality. He sometimes shares great shots he takes on the street and shares a story with it, this makes his feed ‘human’. More recently he has started showing his face which was also a great step in his journey that has allowed him to build a real relationship with his patients online, now that they can put a face to his amazing work. It also really shows in his work, that Dr. Isaac enjoys the process of documenting his journeys. That makes his content that much better, it really helps when every little part of your profession gives you joy.
We advise dentists to personalize their feed as much as possible, share photos of their families, share stories of how they are feeling every day and so on. Be open to showing up and showing yourself.
If your hobbies include reading, painting, running, share them on your feed. When your feed closely resembles you, you will find that your audience will grow and become filled with more like minded individuals and dentists. Instagram is really all about creating human connections, and the more of yourself you could share, the more you will be able to connect with your followers. Share your hobbies or what you are passionate about, besides dentistry, share your patients’ stories and share your successful cases or what you learned from your more difficult cases.
03. Post with a particular patient in mind
“For me it’s a patient I met while in dental school. We got along and she truly valued the same quality of dentistry that I did. I spent months working on her case, working on every little detail until her and I agreed the veneers fit her face and the esthetic she was going for. I can’t begin to tell you how rewarding the whole experience was. And the payoff was immense, life changing for both of us.
Being a sculptor, I view the face as the ultimate canvas! I want it perfect, and I enjoy the challenge that each face brings. This is the clientele that I think I would best be able to serve. So even though I do extractions and surgery, I choose not to post that because I know that “she” would not appreciate the blood and bone. I want to work with and speak with patients like her. Patients who present the artistic challenge that I can work on and create art with. Moral of the story is post for one person and others with similar interests will find you.”
In terms of content strategy, content that tells a story always wins! So rather than just posting a simple before and after photo, share with your followers all that went into planning the treatment and maybe even let them in on the patients’ story that led them to your dental office.
04. Always work on improving and fine-tuning your skills
“If I could sum up my mentality in a phrase it would be something along the lines of Winners focus on winning… Don’t let anyone or anything distract you from the goal at hand. Avoid the traps.
Be utterly and totally obsessed with your craft. Strive for mastery. Perfection is great, but the pursuit of mastery will take you, your patients, clients, customers, and colleagues to levels beyond.”
Dr. Isaac takes every opportunity he can to upgrade his skills and knowledge and that has really elevated his standard of work and treatment. Of course, for any dentist, especially a practice owner, it is very difficult to find time within your busy work week to take up a new course or attend workshops all the time. Listen to how Dr. Isaac manages to do it….
“Every case of “before and after” I see on Instagram that captures my attention I will take the time during my commute to or from work to sit and redraw/recreate the case using procreate on my iPad. I want to understand in a 3D space the changes that the dentist made. It’s one thing to look at and appreciate the Mona Lisa, but redrawing/painting it, takes things to a new level of comprehension.”
Considering how quickly dental treatments and technology evolve, a dentist must stay on their toes and take very learning opportunity that presents itself to them. Especially, for cosmetic dentists, it is crucial to stay upon its date on the latest trends and be open to learning new techniques.
Dr. Isaac recommends that any dentist seek out mentorship along their journey to guide them in the right direction.
“A mentor is your most invaluable resource. You can work 12-hour days all you want but if you’re not working in the right direction then what’s the point. For me, that was Dr. Ikey Tawil, of Tawil Dental in Brooklyn NY, who is a renown implant surgeon. He is a general dentist who spent years in continuing education to hone his craft and he now lectures around the world.
I also owe gratitude to, Dr. John R. Calamia, head of esthetic dentistry at NYU dental and one of the founding fathers of veneers! No joke, esthetic dentistry would not be what it is today if it were not for this man. It was an honor and privilege to work under his mentorship on even one case let alone the few that I was able to.”
05. Step outside of your comfort zone and build connections.
“Don’t be afraid to reach out to others on IG. I have learned so much from just conversing with followers. Dentistry is rife with personal experiences and exceptions to the rule.
Different schools of thought and different mentors bring different insights and I’ve already had several successes by implementing techniques I’ve picked up through conversations with international dentists (shout out to the middle east, India and south America). There is so much knowledge out there. Go out and find it!”
Dr. Isaac also shared with us that one of the greatest advantages he has gained from social media is “the exposure your work gets and the people you meet”. But of course, you will only see those results with consistency and really showing up and putting a face to your work to really get credit for your amazing content. Thus, the more you put yourself forward and go outside of your comfort zone, it will pay back at the end.
We advise dentists to be open to doing an Instagram live with a fellow dentist to discuss a recent advancement in dentistry or to demonstrate a new procedure you have just learned.
06. Ask for help!
You are a dentist, and you were only taught how to be an amazing dentist, so you aren’t expected to be a wizard at social media. This is why, there is no shame in consulting an expert and receiving guidance on what strategy to use or how to go about achieving your goals.
We have a free discovery call service where we could discuss what would work best for your personal goals. It may be difficult to squeeze it into your schedule, but you’ll be surprised with how much you benefit from it in the end!