Should Your Orthodontic Practice Be on TikTok?

Gaining and nurturing a solid social media following has become one of the pillars of modern-day marketing. The social media landscape has seen some interesting twists in recent years, namely with the popularization of the platform TikTok. So, is this social media platform worth your time as an orthodontic practice?

Should Your Orthodontic Practice Be On TikTok?

As an orthodontic practice, your main influx of new patients will mostly be preteens and teenagers. And what are people this age doing? They’re on TikTok, and they’re on it quite a lot.

There are currently over one billion active users on TikTok, with the highest portion of these users being people ages 10-19. When it comes to the amount of time people spend on this social media platform, there’s quite a bit of dedication to it. In particular, people ages 4-15 spend an average of 80 minutes per day on the app.

TikTok videos tend to be short, meaning users cyle through lots of videos while using the app. And the platform does a good job of getting people’s videos seen when they use the right hashtags.

So if you’re considering starting a TikTok page for your orthodontic practice, you have plenty of good reasons to jump on it. Not only are your potential patients on the app a lot, but there’s also a good chance your videos will be seen.

How to Use TikTok for Your Orthodontic Practice

While other social media apps are focused on what’s trending (Twitter), what’s going on in people’s lives (Facebook), or what parts of our lives look the best (Instagram), TikTok is focused on having fun.

Most of the videos revolve around dance trends, comedy sketches, and memes, etching their way into the corners of pop culture that satisfy our shrinking attention spans. And that’s not said out of cynicism or spite. The platform keeps things lighthearted, punchy, and relatable, making it a great way to connect with your audience on a human level.

Don’t be afraid to jump on some of the latest dance trends on TikTok, but also don’t shy away from dropping some knowledge on your audience. For instance, some orthodontists have gained popularity by making quick videos on how to take care of your braces, life with Invisalign, and other tips and tricks for making it through orthodontic treatment. With written consent from your patients, you also might consider doing before-and-after videos showing the results of treatment.

Unfortunately, there’s a fair share of misinformation about orthodontics and dental health on TikTok. However, this gives you a good opportunity to clear up some myths with the videos you post.

Don’t Abandon Other Social Media Platforms

While TikTok is surging among younger users, many of the decision-makers for getting braces, which tend to be moms, are still hanging out on Facebook and Instagram. Since both teens and parents are also on Instagram quite a bit, you may want to repost some of your TikTok videos on your Stories or Reels to get some extra content out there.

TikTok is still up and coming and other social media platforms don’t show signs of slowing down, which means keeping a robust social media marketing strategy will certainly pay off.