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Naomi Cooper

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Instagram: Use This Powerful Platform to Promote Your Dental Practice

by Naomi Cooper February 15, 2016

Instagram’s popularity has skyrocketed over the past two years and it continues to soar, with online adult usage growing from 13% three years ago to 28% today. With this explosive growth, now is a great time to incorporate Instagram into your mobile marketing strategy.

Initially, Instagram was simply an app that allowed users to share photos with followers, but it has proved to be an effective marketing tool. Below are 3 ways to leverage Instagram to increase engagement and build awareness online for your practice.

  • Contests – Create photo contests. Ask patients to tag their photos with a specific hashtag to be entered into a raffle. Or have staff post photos of themselves in Halloween costumes, for example, and have patients vote for their favorite.
  • Feature Your Followers – Highlight happy patients and personalize your relationships with them by taking their pictures and featuring them in your posts. *Always be sure to get written consent before posting photos of patients online*
  • Promotions – By including promo codes in your posts you can keep your patients engaged and excited about their next visit.

The above methods are only a few of the ways to use Instagram to market your practice. As Instagram grows in popularity, you’ll be able to create an even more personal experience with your patients that’s engaging and accessible.

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Dental Practice Marketing: Can You Really Afford to Opt Out?

by Naomi Cooper February 1, 2016

Naomi Cooper Minoa MarketingWord of mouth can only take a practice so far. It’s essential for dentists today to have a modern marketing strategy. If you’re not sure where to begin when developing a strategy for your practice, check out this video & discover the 5 key areas every dentist should focus on…

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Yelp: The Good, the Bad and the Reality for Dentists Today

by Naomi Cooper January 13, 2016

In 2016, Yelp will continue to be the go-to website for millions of people looking for local services and that includes dental patients. According to the company’s website, during the second quarter of 2015, the Internet giant had a monthly average of 83 million unique visitors who accessed Yelp using their mobile device. In addition, as of Q2 2015, “Yelpers” have authored over 83 million reviews. There is no denying that Yelp is a major player in the dental marketing landscape. However, it is important to know the realities of how Yelp can help – and in some cases hurt – your business.

The Good

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Yelp automatically creates profiles for all businesses, even if the business owner is unaware. It is up to the business owner to claim their profile, update it with the correct contact information, business hours, photos and description, and monitor and respond to reviews as necessary. Positive reviews by your patients can boost your Yelp rating and help improve your overall online presence. Encourage your patients to leave a review of your practice and be sure to check your Yelp profile regularly.

The Bad

Unfortunately, there can be pitfalls to Yelp for small business owners. Some business owners have accused Yelp of manipulating reviews, however, Yelp firmly denies they filter reviews based on whether a business advertises on Yelp or not. According to Yelp, the reviews posted on a business’ Yelp page are written by members of the public and then filtered by Yelp using “automated software to recommend the most helpful and reliable reviews for the Yelp community among the millions we get. The software looks at dozens of different signals, including various measures of quality, reliability, and activity on Yelp. The process has nothing to do with whether a business advertises on Yelp or not.

The Reality

The only way to earn more patient reviews is to ask your patients! When you make a concentrated effort to collect positive reviews from satisfied patients, you are able to build up a strong base of good reviews. These “prophylactic reviews” protect you from future potential negative reviews.

And it’s important to remember that Yelp is just one tool in your online marketing arsenal. Make sure you have a diverse presence online including profiles on sites like Healthgrades, Google, and Angie’s List, in addition to social media sites. Don’t depend on any one site to be your magic bullet as you work to build – and maintain – your online presence in 2016.

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Smart Strategies for Dental Practice Leadership

by Naomi Cooper December 30, 2015

P551_DentTeamMgmt_WebReady2015 was a big year around the Minoa offices. Between traveling across the country to lecture & work with my Pride Institute dentists, speaking at the AAE conference in Seattle in May and then in November at the ADA conference in DC, being named to Dental Products Report’s annual list of the Top 25 Women in Dentistry – to say that the year flew by is an incredible understatement!

One opportunity I’m extremely grateful and humbled to have been a part of is the latest ADA publication, The ADA Practical Guide to Leading and Managing the Dental Team. As any dental practice owner already knows, dentists wear many hats within the practice, and perhaps the most significant role is that of leader and manager of the office.

I was asked to write a chapter focused on how a dentist’s leadership skills can help avoid drama in the office, and the book touches on a wide range of topics all related to the ideas of how dental practice owners need to lead, motivate and engage, including:

  • Performance & accountability standards
  • Legal issues
  • Conflict resolution
  • Team appreciation
  • Coaching & mentoring in the office

If you haven’t yet gotten your copy – available in both print and electronic versions – click here to learn more.

And to all of my dental industry colleagues, clients and friends, thank you for making this year an incredible one & I look forward to working with and learning from all of you in 2016!

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Dental Patient Communication: 4 Tips for Selling Your Services

by Naomi Cooper December 16, 2015

4 ways to gauge your patients’ interest in cosmetic proceduresAs you work to attract and maintain more patients in the coming year, remember that people respond to different personal approaches. One aspect of the dentist/patient relationship that can be particularly difficult to navigate is how to offer comprehensive care without alienating your patients.

Here are 4 ways to gauge your patients’ interest in cosmetic procedures:

  • When a new patient comes for their first visit, conduct an intake survey. Ask about their interest in the various treatments and products you offer. You may want your patients to retake this survey every so often to be sure you are aware of any changes in their attitude towards elective treatments.
  • Talk with your patients. Ask them one specific question: If you could change one thing about your smile, what would it be? This helps get the conversation flowing and reveals to you what their motivations and goals are. Get a sense of how things are going. And if you get the impression that for whatever reason they may not be interested in a cosmetic treatment, trust your instincts and hold off on the hard sell.
  • Avoid pocketbook diagnosing. Don’t fall into the habit of holding yourself back from talking about elective procedures because you assume to know what they’re capable of spending based on what you know about them (i.e., they drive a luxury SUV or they’re in the middle of a messy divorce).
  • Conduct follow-up surveys with your patients. Find out if their visit was a positive one. Ask for feedback on how to improve their experience and use that feedback to inform how you approach each patient at their next visit.

While your skills as a dentist will bring patients in, it is important to remember that your chairside manner will keep them coming back. Listening to your patients and asking for feedback will go a long way toward improving patient communication, retaining patients and attracting more referrals in 2016 and beyond.

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Giving Back: Top Ways for Dentists to Volunteer in Their Communities

by Naomi Cooper November 18, 2015

Top Ways for Dentists to Volunteer in Their CommunitiesAround this time of year, it’s a good idea to take a moment to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. And at the holidays especially, we’re often reminded of how important it is to volunteer or engage in local community work. However, did you know there is “a strong relationship between volunteering and health: those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer?”

In fact, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service “those who give support through volunteering experience greater health benefits than those who receive support through these activities.*”

So how do you engage with your community in a way that is meaningful to you, your team and the people you are serving? Doing a bit of research and asking the following important questions will help you choose opportunities that will have far reaching benefits.

  1. How do you want to benefit your local community? What would be meaningful to you?
  2. Do you want to give back in your capacity as a dental practitioner or do work that is completely unrelated to your practice? There are many good options for how to spend your volunteer time. No matter what you choose, be sure it is something you will enjoy.
  3. Do you want to volunteer at a specific event or have a more long-term volunteer experience? Assess your ability to give your time and skills in both the short and long terms.
  4. What groups in your community have a positive reputation AND are well organized?  Make sure you vet any group you consider working with to ensure that you are comfortable aligning your name with theirs.

If you choose to use your skills as a dentist to benefit others, check out the ADA’s website to learn about the volunteer opportunities they offer. Your state’s dental association website may have additional, more localized options. A Google search that includes your locale and “dental volunteer opportunities” should uncover some potential options.  And if you are looking abroad for opportunities to give back, there are a plethora of options, including:

http://www.dentalmissiontrips.org

http://internationalvolunteer.ada.org/volunteer-connection/

https://www.volunteerforever.com/article_post/dental-volunteer-abroad-medical-mission-trips-dentists-students

http://www.worlddentalrelief.com/tripopp.asp

http://globaldentalrelief.org

http://cmda.org/missions/

https://americanfriendsofdvi.org

Another idea that may require additional time is to volunteer as a Big Brother or Big Sister. As a representative of one of the most highly paid professions in the country, your service as a mentor to a “Little” could be an invaluable experience for both of you. According to the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ website “81% of former Littles surveyed agree their Big gave them hope & changed their perspective of what they thought possible.”

Finally, don’t forget to tell your clients about your good work in the community. This is not just good public relations; it may inspire them to volunteer as well.

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