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1 Can’t Miss Tip for Managing Your Facebook Feed

by Naomi Cooper November 4, 2015

1 Can't Miss Tip for Managing Your Facebook FeedIt’s no secret that Facebook helps you stay connected to your patients, colleagues and community. It is an invaluable marketing tool for your dental practice, providing a universal platform to connect to anyone, anywhere, anytime. You can use Facebook to share so much about who you are and what your practice is all about, and communicate unique insights and content that your website and other online profiles can’t in a more quick and efficient manner.

 

But what if someone in your Facebook community is sharing too much? Do you have a Facebook friend that posts things you just don’t care about or want to see? Are you tired of seeing the irrelevant, the ridiculous and the completely inappropriate? Everyone knows at least one person who continually posts articles, videos and comments that make you squeamish, leaving you to wonder if there’s a way to keep this person as a “friend” but free yourself of the constant barrage of inappropriate and irritating posts.

While some are content to just scroll on, there is a way to remain friends on Facebook without having to see their posts. Mashable has a fantastic blog post that details how to curate your Facebook feed.

The blog details how to easily unfollow someone on Facebook, thereby keeping him/her in your friend network, but keeping their annoying posts out of your feed.   It also provides four additional tips for improving the quality of the time you spend on Facebook. Check it out!

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Transitioning the Dental Practice: What’s in a Name?

by Naomi Cooper October 21, 2015

Transitioning Your Dental PracticeThere are three basic roads a dentist can take to retirement:

  • Sell their practice,
  • Find associates, OR
  • Reduce office hours and production until they end up closing shop.

One option dentists don’t have is to cross their fingers and hope for the best. It is essential to be proactive and start planning for retirement a minimum of five to 10 years ahead to fully maximize the value of your practice!

Transitioning the practice is a process full of many variables, but dentists nearing retirement age can make this process easier by focusing on one key area of the business ahead of time: Branding.

What’s in a name?

While it may seem logical to leave the rebranding process up to your successor so he or she can do whatever s/he wants with the practice name after taking it over, this is a flawed approach. In this scenario, a potential successor will see no value in purchasing YOUR practice over any other. You need to figure out how to maximize the value of your practice and develop a transferable asset that has a positive, recognizable identity within the community.

Imagine the fictional Dr. Rob Roberts, who is 30 years old and is looking to buy a practice. There are two practices up for sale in town with nearly identical locations, patient bases and facilities.

  • Practice A is named Dave Davis DDS after the long-time dentist/owner. The practice’s website URL is drdavisdds.com and its signage and business cards all reflect the retiring doctor’s name. The practice’s Facebook page and other social media profiles, as well as all of its overwhelmingly positive online reviews, are also all listed under Dr. Davis’ name and worthless to the young dentist, as a result.

Dr. Roberts knows if he is to buy Practice A, the cost of a new logo, internal and external signage, a new practice website and printed materials like business cards and letterhead alone will easily rise into the mid-five figures. Add to that the cost, including the time and energy, of rebranding the practice, building a new website and starting the practice’s social media and online review profiles from scratch and putting the necessary marketing infrastructure into place for this practice starts to feel like a part-time job the new dentist won’t have time for.

  • Practice B, on the other hand, was rebranded several years ago as Harmony Dental Care. Its website needs a simple update to the doctor’s photo and bio page to be perfectly good for Dr. Roberts’ immediate needs. The practice effectively has all of the necessary marketing assets already established in an easily transferable brand, and it’s easy to imagine how much more attractive Practice B appears to Dr. Roberts as a result.

As the scenario illustrates, a potential successor must be able to see themselves benefitting professionally and financially from purchasing your practice. Plan ahead in order to develop a transferable asset that has a positive, recognizable identity within the community. Investing in branding your practice appropriately now will pay off in dividends upon retirement.

For more information on branding and preparing for retirement, including must know tax implications for dentists, click here to read my latest Dental Products Report article co-written by industry expert J. Haden Werhan CPA/PFS.

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4 Ways to Keep Dental Patients Happy in the New Consumer Culture

by Naomi Cooper October 7, 2015

Happy dental patientTo paraphrase Chaucer, if “time waits for no man,” then it also stands to reason that time waits for no dental practice, either. Thanks to tech-savvy consumers and consumer rating sites like Yelp, Healthgrades and Angie’s List, patients now have a plethora of information about your practice, all just a click away.

Make sure what patients are saying online about your practice is positive, and it all starts with patient satisfaction. Since keeping consumers happy is often a game of “what have you done for me lately?”, make sure you’re continuously doing things that show patients that they’re your top priority.

Dr. Marvin W. Berlin discusses this “new consumer culture in dentistry” in great detail in the August issue of Dental Economics. Dr. Berlin dives deep into the “consumerism shift,” discussing its causes and many effects. There are many ways to successfully navigate the intersection of dentistry and today’s online world, but the following tips are at the top of the list.

  1. Be willing to do what others won’t. This may be obvious, but it is essential for your practice to try things that make you stand out from your competition online. Whether that means having a flawless, user-friendly website, shooting videos or generating chatter via social media contests, you always want to be sure that your practice is one step ahead of the rest by doing things that other practices in your area aren’t.
  1. Provide patient education. “Shopper culture,” as Dr. Berlin puts it, has given rise to more comparison shopping: consumers are always looking for the most cost-effective, time-saving option. Now that everyone has instant access to a world of information online, it’s important for your website, social media and online profiles to be a patient’s best resource for dental information. Not only should your content be informative and accurate, but it should detail the services you provide and why they’re important to short- and long-term health. Also, by utilizing online tools such as streaming video and slideshows, you can show patients exactly how you can benefit them, and not just tell them.
  1. Stay active online. Other than dispensing valuable information in a crisp, good-looking package, your website and social media pages should act as hubs for your dental community to interact. Spice up your online presence by sharing interesting articles, facts or even dental-related jokes. Simple posts like these don’t take much time and can help generate conversation and make your patients take an active interest in your practice.
  1. Provide modern accommodations. For many, a trip to the dentist’s office is considered a chore. Anything you can do to make your patients feel better about the whole experience the second they walk in the door is greatly appreciated. Providing free access to WiFi and charging stations for smartphones and tablets can go a long way toward making your patients feel at home and cared for.

With so many opportunities available to leverage technology to help grow your dental practice and keep your patients happy, there’s no excuse not to use them. Being unique, user-friendly and accessible online takes a bit of work, but it will all be worth it just to see the smiles on your patients’ faces – emoji or otherwise.

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The Secret to Attracting More Baby Boomers to Your Dental Practice

by Naomi Cooper September 21, 2015

What's your online marketing strategy?Did you know that the fastest growing demographic on social media is adults ages 55-64? While you might believe that online marketing is just for the younger population, it turns out that online tactics can be an effective method for attracting patients at or near retirement.

The first step to using social media for reaching the baby boomer population is to determine what site(s) you wish to use. Facebook is an obvious place to start, with more than half of all online adults 65 and older using the social networking site, representing almost 1/3 of all seniors.

Next, keep your profile updated with interesting content and informative posts that cater to the baby boomer population. You could write a blog with tips on preserving their smile, or post an article from an industry expert on the oral-systemic link. And it doesn’t have to be all about dentistry. Including non-industry content will help keep patients engaged while providing a well-rounded social media profile.

For more additional tips on how to use social media to reach patients of all ages, check out my recent Dental Products Report article.

Even if traditional tactics like telephone book ads are still apart of your Baby Boomer marketing plan, don’t be short sighted. After all, as the population ages, your strategy will eventually need to shift online. Getting started now will keep you ahead of the game in the coming years.

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5 Quick Tips for Eliminating Holes in Your Dental Schedule

by Naomi Cooper August 20, 2015

5 Quick Tips for Eliminating Holes in Your Dental ScheduleAre no-shows and cancellations wearing you down? Do you feel like there is a better system for recall, but you just haven’t found it?

Filling holes in the schedule is a huge obstacle to overcome on the way to building a successful – and productive – dental practice. And when I’m working one-on-one with my dentist clients, it’s a common problem that continues to plague dental offices large and small. All the marketing in the world isn’t going to do much good if your current patients believe it’s okay to cancel last minute.

It’s a twist on the age-old adage – cancel on me once, shame on you. Cancel on me twice, shame on me. Unfortunately if your office allows patients to cancel without rescheduling, or if you continually accommodate habitual no-shows, you’re feeding into a negative cycle and causing your practice to run in state of chaos.

Dental administration expert Mary Beth Bajornas wrote a piece, When Donkeys Fly, on her blog where she outlines several ways for dental teams to reduce cancellations. Here are just a few:

  • Building better patient relationships
  • Improving patient communication
  • Implementing e-communication
  • Increasing phone availability
  • Working from “smart lists”

Her blog is full of good ideas & practical advice for anyone struggling with scheduling issues. Stop the madness and take back control of your office’s schedule!

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Top 25 Women in Dentistry 2015

by Naomi Cooper July 23, 2015

Top 25 Women in Dentistry 2015

When I first started working in the dental industry in December 2000, cellphones were more a luxury than a necessity and social media was barely on the horizon. Back then, I couldn’t have dreamed where my career would take me. Yet after working with dentists and dental companies for the past 15 years, I can’t imagine working in any other industry. The relationships I have formed have left indelible marks on my life, and I can truly say that I enjoy the opportunity I have each day to get up and work with my friends, mentors and colleagues in this unique field.

For these reasons I feel incredibly honored to have been included as one of Dental Products Report‘s Top 25 Women in Dentistry for 2015. The women nominated in this year’s field are all making a positive impact across the industry as a whole, and I feel humbled and fortunate to be a part of it. Check out the complete list  and stay tuned for Dental Products Report‘s October issue featuring a profile of each winner. The future for women in this industry is crystal clear and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.

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