Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Interview Guides
| Opening questions | Probing questions |
|---|---|
| Can you describe your experience using social media platforms to search for clinics offering orthodontic treatment ? | I’m interested to know what have you seen on social media when searching for orthodontic treatment ? |
| Are there any individuals/ groups/ posts that would influence your decision in choosing a clinic ? | Can you elaborate how do they influence your decision? |
| These are two social media pages that you might came across on social media (Template 1 & 2). How would you choose from which clinic you would prefer to seek treatment? | Do the contents on these pages contribute to your decision in choosing that clinic? |
Frequency of sub-themes and representative quotes showing perceptions of young adults towards orthodontic marketing through social media
| Themes | Sub-themes and frequency cited | Examples of quotes |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | Source of information N = 13 | “I think nowadays, not only clinics, but every kind of business uses social media. It’s a way to inform people informative things… for example promotions, operating hours, changes, or anything really… even emergencies! (IDI 8, 30-year-old Chinese female) |
| Marketing Strategy N = 13 | “I think it’s good… I don’t have anything against it. They’re doing their own marketing strategy on how they want to do it. And it shows how good the clinic is” (IDI 4, 24-year-old, Indian male) | |
| Convenience N = 12 | “Internet is the easier way in this current world. Easy to do. Like once we type in one word, we can get everything (Laughs)” (IDI 6, 24-year-old Indian female) | |
| Connection and Communication N = 9 | “I judge the doctor’s character based on how the doctor replies my DM (Direct message). Even though I am not meeting them in person, that interaction will give me a bit of hint on weather I should really go to this doctor or not…” (IDI 11, 25-year-old Indian female) “Build the brand. And then build the relationship with your patients” (IDI 3, 28-year-old Chinese female) | |
| Negative | False and Misleading Information N = 14 | “…to get a good review, you can ask your staff or friends to write the reviews for you.” (IDI 3, 28-year-old Chinese female) |
| Ingenuine Profile N = 9 | …it is risky because, for example, if there is a fake dental clinic on Instagram, selling fake braces or whatever, people can easily believe it. They appear to have an established [clinic] but are actually selling fake braces. We wouldn’t know. So, I think that is one of the disadvantages” (IDI 1, 22-year-old Malay female) “I think some do the reviews themselves. Maybe they took [the photos] from Google… Stole the photos to attract people’s attention.” (IDI 5, 26-year-old Malay female) |
Frequency of sub-themes and representative quotes showing factors affecting the decision-making process of young adults in relation to orthodontic marketing through social media
| Themes and frequency cited | Representative quotes |
|---|---|
| Social media features N = 15 | “… reviews from other customers influence me the most. Because no matter how good they advertise their services, at the end of the day, feedback from the clients is more reliable.”(IDI 10, 30-year-old Chinese male) |
| Treatment costs N = 15 | “As for me, I already have a budget, let’s say around RM 5000 only. So, I can’t go for treatment costing higher than that.” (IDI 9, 28-year-old Malay male) |
| Third parties N = 13 | “I trust my friend. Because my friend has already finished his treatment. So, I trust him.” (IDI 2, 25-year-old Malay male) |
| Location N = 13 | “Social media is helpful in terms of location as well. Sometimes we don’t realize about a newly opened clinic. So, when they market on social media, I think it’s helpful because most people want to do their braces nearby their house because it is convenient for them to go” (IDI 5, 26-year-old Malay female) |
| Current trends N = 8 | “…What kind of dental clinic people prefer ? I mean, which clinic is famous ? This is what t I have searched for before.” (IDI 15, 26-year-old Indian female) |
| Uncertainty and lack of knowledge N = 14 | “We don’t know which one is fake, which one is real… we don’t know how to differentiate that” (IDI 6, 24-year-old Indian female) |
| Information Availability N = 12 | ““ I think it’s still lacking, the information on the knowledge-sharing part… they are more keen to sell their services rather than share information”” (IDI 10, 30-year-old Chinese male) |