Working in an environment where it is commonplace to be dazzled by beautiful smiles, it’s fair to say that our team revel in visual imagery. It’s not just us either, we’ve noticed that in recent years and with more advanced technology (and faster broadband!) online content has become more and more image-led, whether photography, graphics or video. Studies suggest that the human brain processes images and video 60,000 times faster than text and that 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual.
Digital socialites
We have had a Twitter profile since early 2013 and more recently acquired a Facebook profile, Instagram account and the new, fun ‘behind the scenes’ twitter profile @LLOCgirls which was set up by the team. Like many businesses, we were very happy when social media matured so that we could include video and photography which showcases our clinic. The drive for more image-led content has brought about more visual social platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest. Both are very popular but for a busy orthodontic clinic, we had to decide which was best to add to our social media bow?
We investigate!
Both Instagram and Pinterest are image driven and are a great way to share moments, ideas and inspiration. But after some research, the first thing that we identified for the Instagram versus Pinterest evaluation is that their target audiences differ. Pinterest is a free online, social media platform that comes in the form of a virtual collage board. It enables users to pin and share inspiring images and pictures and like Facebook and twitter before it, does now come in the form of a smart-phone app. It’s a great place for creative minded people wanting to create a mood board-esq profile. Looking at online demographics, users are said to be 70% female and also of a slightly older age bracket. When they say this they seem to mean above and beyond 20 so this makes us feel very old! Interesting, recent data* says that 88% of Pinterest users also bought a product that they had pinned or looked at on Pinterest. There are also lots of companies with great profiles on there, including dental and orthodontic practices! A recent study said that the site has over 100 million users.
Instagram is a free app for iPhone and Android that lets people share photos and videos with their followers. It encourages users to get creative and add photo filters that can change the colour and tone of their image. Instagram seems more personal and has now reportedly overtaken twitter in terms of global users. Followers can see what’s happening in a persons life or in our case, what’s going on at the clinic. Instagram also enables users to upload video content. What began as a trendy photo-sharing app has turned into a fully functioning social network akin to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. According to a few sources online, the app is favoured by those under 35 years old and the famous. (I have to admit that I’ve heard it mentioned in a few pop songs recently!) A recent article in The Guardian states that it now has over 400 million users.
Our verdict
We are lucky to see a wide range of patients at our clinic and feel that having a presence on both platforms would be useful. Sharing inspiring images on Pinterest seems like fun and sharing moments and photos of our clinic and surrounding area on Instagram also has its benefits. We are lucky to be based in one of the most trend-setting cities on earth and feel that we have quite a few opportunities to get creative. With this in mind, we find ourselves swaying more towards Instagram. Of course, this is just our verdict for today. Like social media, which is constantly moving on, our minds could change.
Take a look at our instagram profile here
