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Dental Marketing

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5 Online Marketing Hacks for Dentists

by Naomi Cooper September 7, 2016

You went to dental school, not business school. You specialize in exams and extractions, not marketing and social media. So how do you even begin to build a savvy online presence for your dental practice?

Online marketing hacks for dentistsHere are 5 tips to demystify online marketing for every dentist:

  1. Perform an online audit – Google your name and then your practice name. What comes up? Take note of where in the search results your website appears, as well as bookmark any sites with incomplete or inaccurate information to go back and fix sooner rather than later.
  2. Claim online profiles – Business listings may already exist for the practice on sites like Google and Yelp without your knowledge. Be sure every online profile has up-to-date practice and contact information.
  3. Update the practice website – If you haven’t touched your practice website within the past 18 months or more, schedule an appointment with your web designer to talk about updating the site for modern convenience (responsive design, SEO functionality, user-friendliness).
  4. Actively ask for patient testimonials – It NEVER hurts to ask! In fact, asking patients to post online reviews actually helps spark word of mouth for the office.
  5. Don’t forget about social media – Build your presence on sites and apps like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram…and encourage patients to check in and tag the office.

To dive deeper into these strategies, and discover 5 more simple yet effective methods of improving your online marketing, check out my recent article in Dental Products Report to ensure you stay in the driver’s seat of your online reputation.

video

How to Ask Patients for Online Reviews

by Naomi Cooper July 6, 2016

How to ask patients for online reviewsYou’ve likely heard of sites like Yelp, Google and Healthgrades and you’re probably aware of the prevalence of patient reviews in today’s online culture. However, knowing that you should ask patients to leave reviews and actually asking them are two different things altogether.

Watch this video to find out why dentists actually need to have positive reviews and learn the best ways of asking your patients to post their comments online.

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Marketing to General Dentists: What Specialists Need to Know

by Naomi Cooper May 16, 2016

 

I had the opportunity to speak at the annual meeting of the American Association of Endodontists last May, and the ideas we talked about then still ring true today.

Specialist to GP Marketing Strategies

No matter your specialty, your business wouldn’t be as successful without your GP referral sources. If you’ve been using the same old marketing tactics for years, now is the time to spice it up! And when you’re coming up with a new plan, put yourself in their shoes – what would you want from a specialist? Here are 5 ideas to get you started:

  1. Have your team members “adopt” a referring practice & be responsible for improving the relationship, increasing referrals and making their GP office feel appreciated year round.
  2. Communicate in a way that is convenient for the GP. Ask if they prefer email or phone conversations, or if there is a specific day/time that is best for them to connect with you.
  3. Have a secure “dentist login” function on your website to easily share patient info/records/notes.
  4. Acknowledge GPs on social media and in blog posts. Don’t mention patients by name but you can express appreciation for their partnership or something specific you appreciate about them/their team.
  5. Take the GP out to lunch or for coffee – and actually talk to them about the challenges or learning opportunities involved with a common case.

These are just a few ways to improve the relationships with your GP referral sources, which can have a big impact on increasing business from now and into the future. And for a closer look at the GP- Specialist relationship, check out a recent article I contributed to, Serving the Endodontist, published in First Impressions Magazine.

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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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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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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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