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To others in the dental profession, online self-promotion can run the risk of coming across more as grandstanding than effective self-branding. By Seth Adamson
There’s a saying in the social media world—content might be king, but context counts for everything. Our linkedIn account is a case in point.
In today’s digital professional landscape, LinkedIn isn’t just an online resume; it plays a critical role in—and is the preferred platform for—both personal and professional brand building, and as a networking tool for making connections. It also helps with creating a referral network and is a terrific resource for training and development prospects, and new business opportunities and recruitment.
But there’s a fine line to negotiate when creating an online presence that gives the right impression to the business community. What might be your intention to simply promote your engagements and achievements may instead come across as a none-to-subtle exercise in self-aggrandisement.
Perception counts for plenty, consultant Carolyn Dean of My Dental Marketing, says, adding that how you promote yourself requires careful consideration.
“The most successful LinkedIn posts aren’t just about broadcasting your achievements and the latest in your practice; they have to be about providing value to the reader,” Dean says.
“If you want an online presence that connects you with others in the profession, then think of your LinkedIn profile as a calling card that shows who you are and how involved you are in a range of ways across dentistry, rather than a hard-sell sales pitch.”
Dean says succeeding in this quest means asking yourself certain questions such as: Do your LinkedIn posts offer genuine insights and industry perspectives? Are you sharing meaningful professional experiences that others can learn from?
“The posts should demonstrate your expertise without seeming like a self-promotion,” she says. “Basically, you need to be clear before you do anything about why you are posting this material in the first place, and what kind of impact you want it to have on the people in the industry reading it.”
Dean recalls an experience with a previous client whose approach to impressing his peers (or so he thought) was to flood LinkedIn with a series of posts consisting of photos of the practice team sipping champagne on a super yacht.
“That is just grandstanding and does not wash,” she says. “It does make an impression, but probably not the one you want and yet there are many businesses that do that. They think it shows just how successful they are, but it adds no value for the reader.
I try to keep my posts short, simple and to the point, so people feel they have learned something useful from reading it. In the end, I focus on what’s the impact on improving oral health outcomes.
Dr Gavin Quek, vice chair, ADA Federal Oral Health Committee
“That kind of thing may work as an end-of-year celebration post on Instagram but not for professional brand-building on LinkedIn, and that’s why knowing the differences between your social media channels is so important.”
To achieve the right tone when posting to the profession, there are some basic rules that need to be followed, marketing lead Belma Cancar of Olinqua says. First check your ego away and second, always consider what’s in it for the person reading the post.
“In terms of the tone and language you use in a post, it should be similar to how you engage with another person when dealing with them offline,” she advises. “You never want to come across as bragging; rather you want to be seen as a person who is engaging, has credibility in what you are stating, and has ideas and insights that others find interesting and want to engage with.”
To clients posting on LinkedIn, Cancar gives some examples of how not to annoy one’s connections. If attending a conference, mention who the other impressive speakers were and what they spoke about. If your practice has won an award, humbly describe the likely reasons why so others can learn from your experience. And if you have completed professional training, share what you have learned.
“You need to think about the consumer and what is the value you create for them in terms of the information you’re offering,” she says. “And be authentic so if another practice has scored a great achievement, be sure to comment with congratulations but also ask them to share insights of how they did this. In that way, you are seen as someone celebrating the profession.”
Hobart dentist Dr Gavin Quek has become one of the emerging leaders of Australian dentistry in recent years, named Tasmania’s Young Achiever of the Year and the current vice chair of the ADA Federal Oral Health Committee.
Dr Quek has an impressive online professional presence on LinkedIn, and says he follows some basic guidelines in how he presents his range of work. “It comes down to considering who the audience is for these posts, and in my case that’s other dentists, health professionals and allied health workers. I know for a fact none of them have a lot of spare time, and what they want to know from me are updates on the various organisations I am involved with, so I ensure that’s what is in my posts.”
Dr Quek explains he uses LinkedIn as another way of keeping professional colleagues abreast of the work being done by various organisations and professional working groups he’s involved with.
“I try to keep my posts short, simple and to the point, so people feel they have learned something useful from reading it. In the end, I focus on what’s the impact on improving oral health outcomes and I figure if you keep that as your focus, you are less likely to put yourself at the centre of the message—and possibly lose your audience while doing so.”
Belma Cancar says not all LinkedIn posts have to be strictly professional. Sometimes including more lighthearted, even personal content such as sharing a career milestone, is fine and helps achieve a good balance.
“Creating a mix is a good thing as you should occasionally include content that allows your personality to shine and adds to your personal branding. But if your professional posts take on a tone of constant bragging or almost demanding attention for something you have done, then you’re probably better off keeping those to yourself.”
