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Minoa Marketing Founder Featured on DentistryIQ

by Naomi Cooper October 20, 2013

Minoa Marketing Founder Featured on DentistryIQEver wonder if there was a meaningful difference between Likes and Check-ins on Facebook? There is a BIG difference, and understanding these differences are what can make your dental practice Facebook Page an even more effective online marketing tool.

DentistryIQ recently reposted my Tuesday Tip from Pride Institute about the Power of Facebook Check-ins.

Do you actively encourage your patients to check-in at your practice? What impact have you noticed Facebook Check-ins have on your overall social media strategy?

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Catch up with Minoa Marketing on Pinfex.com!

by Naomi Cooper September 22, 2013

Catch up with Minoa Marketing on Pinfex.com!Thanks to Pinfex for the mention on their latest blog “Most Compelling Dental Articles of Summer 2013 – Did You Miss Them?“. One of my recent Inside Dentistry articles was included in the Pinfex list, where I touch on the importance of creating and maintaining a dental practice marketing budget. The blog is a terrific resource for dentists, compiling informative articles on all facets of dental practice management. It is an honor to be included amongst other renowned dental industry professionals.

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Tools for Dentists: Sample Press Release Templates

by Naomi Cooper September 22, 2013

Tools for Dentists: Sample Press Release TemplatesOne of the most common questions I get when one of my clients is in the process of planning a big announcement, such as a practice grand opening, a practice website launch or a new practice logo is, “How do we tell our community about this exciting news?”

When it comes to alerting the community at large about the practice’s news, a news release (also known as a press release) is the best format – it can be sent to local newspapers, magazines, websites, radio & TV stations and serves as a standard format for communicating to the media. For a sample dental practice news release template, scroll down and of course, and feel free to copy and paste for your individual use.

1. Sample template for a New Practice Grand Opening:

<<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING

Local dentist, <<DENTIST(S)NAME>>, announces the opening of <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> to provide area patients with top-notch quality dental care

<<CITYNAME>> – <<DATE>> <<DENTISTNAME>> is proud to announce the official opening of <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> at <<PRACTICEADDRESS>>. The mission of the practice is to provide the local <<CITY/NEIGHBORHOODNAME>> community with high quality dental care with a specific focus and attention to patients.

“<<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> is a <<SPECIALTY>> practice, specializing in the <<SERVICESOFFERED>>,” says <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> founder, <<DENTISTNAME>>.  “To celebrate our grand opening, we are hosting an Open House on <<DATE>> from <<TIME>>. We invite our patients, friends, neighbors and colleagues to stop by our practice, meet our team and familiarize themselves with the new location.”

Founded in <<INSERTYEAR>> by oral health expert, <<DENTISTNAME>>, <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> works to enhance the overall health of the local community through each and every patient, and always welcomes new patients.

About <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>>  & Founder, <<DENTISTNAME>>

Insert Bio here. Consider including the following information:

– Year practice was founded and/or length of time the practice has been in operation

– Relevant school experience

– Location of the practice / contact information

– Link to practice website / blog / social media profiles

 ###

2. Sample template for a Dental Practice Website Launch:

<<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> LAUNCHES NEW PRACTICE WEBSITE

Local dentist, <<DENTIST(S)NAME>>, to provide the latest news and updates in the oral health industry to patients and the greater community at large

<<CITYNAME>> – <<DATE>> <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> is proud to announce the official launch of its new website at <<HYPERLINKWEBSITEADDRESS>>. Geared toward current patients and the local community, this website and blog will feature the latest dental industry news and trends as well as insightful commentary with a particular focus on building and maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle.

“The goal of <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>>’s new website is to serve as an online resource where patients, neighbors and fellow dentists can turn to for up-to-the-minute information and advice for all their oral health needs,” says <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> founder, <<DENTISTNAME>>. “ We aim to produce original content of interest to our patients, colleagues and the local community who are committed to learning more about the importance of good oral health habits, while having the opportunity to familiarize our practice with the community at large.”

Founded in <<INSERTYEAR>> by oral health expert, <<DENTISTNAME>>, <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> has become recognized in the local community for high quality dentistry with a special focus on patients. <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> works to enhance the overall health of the local community through each and every patient, and always welcomes new patients.

About <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>>  & Founder, <<DENTISTNAME>>

Insert Bio here. Consider including the following information:

– Year practice was founded and/or length of time the practice has been in operation

– Relevant school experience

– Location of the practice / contact information

– Link to practice website / blog / social media profiles

 ###

 

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Tools for Dentists: Sample Email Templates

by Naomi Cooper September 22, 2013

Tools for Dentists: Sample Email TemplatesOne of the most common questions I get when one of my clients is in the process of planning a big announcement, such as a practice grand opening, a practice website launch is, “How do we tell our community about this exciting news?”

For practices that have over 60-70% of their patients’ email addresses and an automated patient communication system, I definitely recommend communicating news to existing patients via email whenever possible – sending an email blast via these methods is free and can be quite effective! However, for practices that are still using traditional postcard reminders and/or haven’t converted to electronic communication, a traditional letter on practice letterhead also works very well. Scroll down for a sample patient email/letter templates announcing practice news and feel free to copy and paste for your own use.

1. Email blast for New Practice Grand Opening

Email Subject Line: <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> Grand Opening!

Greetings!

We are happy to announce the official opening of <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>>. Our goal is to provide the local <<CITY/NEIGHBORHOODNAME>> community with high quality dental care with a specific focus and attention to our patients.

Located at <<PRACTICE ADDRESS>>, <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> is a <<SPECIALTY>> practice, specializing in the <<SERVICESOFFERED>>. In order to welcome patients to our new practice, we are hosting an Open House on <<DATE>> from <<TIME>>. We are excited to see our patients, friends and colleagues while providing brief tours and information about our new practice.

We are now accepting appointments. Patients may contact our office via phone at <<PHONENUMBER>>, or online at our practice website <<WEBSITEADDRESS>>. And we invite the community to connect with us on Facebook <<HYPERLINKTO FACEBOOKPAGE>>.

We look forward to seeing you in the new practice soon!

2. Email blast to announce new Dental Practice Facebook Page

Email Subject Line: Like the <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> Facebook Page!

Hello Patients!

We are happy to announce the official launch of the new <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> Facebook Page. Our goal is for this page is to be a resource for our patients, offering useful content including:

  • Important updates from around the practice
  • Oral health best practices and tips
  • Links to compelling articles and blog posts on a variety of oral health topics
  • Doctor and team profiles
  • Photos & videos…and more!

Look for regular posts of fresh and relevant content of interest to you, our patients, who place a value on their oral health, and their overall health in general. And we look forward to the opportunity to staying connected with patients throughout the year!

Click here <<HYPERLINKTOFACEBOOK PAGE>> to check out the <<DENTALPRACTICENAME>> Facebook Page, and if you “Like” what you see, don’t forget to “Like” our page!

Thank you in advance!

Blog

5 Tips to Optimize Your Dental Practice Website

by Naomi Cooper September 12, 2013

5 Tips to Optimize Your Dental Practice WebsiteA strong online presence is quickly becoming an increasingly important component of a dentist’s overall marketing plan. Today’s modern patients research a dentist and the practice online before they ever pick up the phone call to make their first appointment. So how can a dentist set their practice apart from the competition? The foundation of a solid online strategy is having a well-designed website.

Ask yourself – how long ago was your dental practice website designed? Even if it was just 2-3 years ago, the online marketing world has changed so much, and so fast, that a good website a few years ago simply won’t cut it in 2013.

Don’t panic just yet. Check out the below checklist to help you get started in determining whether your dental practice may be due for a new website, or a website update.

  •  Is your logo prominent on your website, particularly the homepage?
  • Does your website consistently communicate your practice’s brand through its look, feel and colors?
  • Is there a blog featured on the website? If not, is it possible to incorporate a blog easily?
  • Are social media links present on the website?
  • Is the practice’s contact information prominently displayed?
If your answer to any of the above questions was “No”, your dental practice website may be in need of a refresh. Whether you have been considering launching a completely new website, or merely bringing an existing site up to snuff, it is always important to work with a trusted web design expert, especially one with dental industry experience. A dental practice website can be an incredibly powerful marketing tool when implemented well and designed correctly.
Remember, the practice website is the springboard for a dentist’s online identity, so it’s important to make it  the best possible reflection possible of the dentist and the practice.

For more tips and insight into dental practice website design, check out my recent guest blog for Sesame Communications. 

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Responsive Design – The Latest Website Must-Have For Dental Practices

by Naomi Cooper August 5, 2013

Responsive Design – The Latest Website Must-Have For Dental PracticesIn working with my clients on maximizing their marketing dollars and their online presence, I’m finding that while many dentists are aware of the importance of a well-designed dental practice website, not everyone has heard about some of the most recent advances in mobile website optimization.

A standard website does not always function well when accessed on a smartphone, so changes must obviously be made in order to keep the website accessible on all types of devices. Just a year ago, the best solution was to build what was essentially a second website just for mobile devices, or “mobile-optimized site”. However, the standard today is something entirely new: Responsive Website Design.

A responsive website is essentially a site that reconfigures itself automatically based on detecting the type of device that is being used to access it. A responsive website resizes itself instantaneously for any device, whether desktop, laptop, netbook, tablet or smartphone. And it has the distinct advantage of keeping all of the practice’s site traffic going to one online destination, giving it the potential to have more authority and popularity with the search engines rather than splitting traffic between a “regular site” and a “mobile site”. Google has made it clear that having one site is best for SEO purposes, and has even recently stated on its official blog that responsive web design is it’s recommended solution for mobile optimization.

Here are 4 tips for dentists to keep in mind when optimizing their websites for mobile devices and upgrading their website to one that utilizes Responsive Web Design:

  • Convenience is Key – Mobile websites are all about convenience and ease of use. A dentist’s mobile website needs to be a streamlined version of the desktop website. Smartphone users are looking for specific information and need to be able to find it quickly. The practice phone number, online scheduling features, driving directions and patient testimonials all need to be part of the mobile or responsive designed website, making the information easy to find for the mobile user.
  • Branding is a Must – Appearance-wise, the mobile website should mirror the desktop version. Any branding elements used in the desktop version—a distinct font, the practice logo or color scheme—should remain the same in order for patients to recognize the practice, whether they are on a computer, tablet or smartphone. Having a responsive web design ensures this kind of consistency.
  • Mobile = Opportunity – In 2012, Pew Internet research found that 31% of Americans used their cell phones to look for health and medical information online. If your dental practice website cannot be accessed from a smartphone, the result is countless missed opportunities to connect with potential patients.
  • Work with a Pro – There are many self-proclaimed “experts” when it comes to website design and mobile optimization. I always recommend working with trusted professionals, especially those vendors with a history of success in the dental profession. Sesame Communications has a proven track record of creating standard, mobile and responsive design websites for my clients.

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