Patient Communication | Minoa Marketing

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E-Communication Tactics for Dentists

by Naomi Cooper May 12, 2014

One of the major advantages of a modern dental marketing plan is that patient communication and education don’t have to be limited to the two or three times a year a patient comes into the office for their hygiene appointments and annual exam.

Keeping in touch with patients consistently throughout the year will keep the conversation flowing between appointments. Dentists have the unique opportunity to truly build long-term relationships with patients. Communication is the foundation of these relationships, and with good communication, the chances of increased case acceptance and patient retention are exponential.

Here are 4 ways to utilize e-communication methods you need to know about:

Implementing a practice e-newsletter
Using electronic appointment reminders
Creating social media profiles on sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter
Including a blog on the practice website

All of the above serve to reinforce the fact that dentists are their patients’ partners in continually thinking and learning about their oral and overall health.

Vendors such as Sesame Communications, DemandForce, and My Social Practice can be incredibly helpful in leveraging technology for practices that don’t have the time or expertise to do it on their own.

Today, dental patients are looking not only for a competent doctor, but also for a dentist who educates them about their oral health — and above all, someone who demonstrates that they truly care. Whether through verbal skills or electronic mediums, ongoing and effective patient communication is one of the keys that unlocks a prosperous future for every dental practice.

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Adopting the Marketing Mindset at Your Dental Practice

by Naomi Cooper February 18, 2014

The term “Marketing” is often associated with external advertising, or activities aimed at attracting new patients to the practice, and while this is certainly an important part of the marketing process, it doesn’t paint the entire picture. In fact, to start growing your practice, you may not have to look any further than your current patient base. When working with my clients, there’s a common piece of advice I always give: Don’t forget about internal marketing!

Internal marketing is the art of establishing relationships with current patients so that they decide to become ambassadors for your practice, referring friends and family to you. Internal marketing drives word of mouth and while it doesn’t cost a lot of money, it can pay off big time in the form of short-term practice viability and long-term sustainability.

I sometimes hear from my clients that asking their patients for referrals (or online reviews) can be intimidating or even uncomfortable. But when you have the right mindset – what I call the “Marketing Mindset” – asking for referrals and reviews becomes an easy and natural part of the day. And remember – while internal marketing isn’t difficult, it does require training on the parts of the doctors and staff. We all have to remember that verbal skills like asking patients for referrals do not necessarily come naturally, but need to be taught – and that just as with clinical skills, practice makes perfect!

With some practice, asking for referrals will no longer feel awkward or “sales-y”, but instead will become a habit…and a good habit, at that.

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3 Strategies for Generating Online Patient Reviews for Your Dental Practice

by Naomi Cooper January 29, 2014

In today’s digital world, word of mouth has grown from a purely one-to-one communication to a one-to-many model by the increasing popularity of online patient review sites, where any of your patients can become a virtual billboard for your practice by writing a glowing review online. So remember, when a patient gives positive feedback verbally, it is the perfect opportunity to engage them and ask for an online review!

Encourage patients to post a positive review on your practice’s profile on sites such as Yelp, Google+ Local and Healthgrades.com, so that when potential patients are researching your practice online, they will see the satisfied experiences of your current patients.

To make internal marketing most effective, here are 3 “Must-Do’s”:

* Everyone in the practice should ideally be asking for referrals and online reviews every day. The experts at Pride Institute offer terrific training on internal marketing verbal skills for the entire team.

* Have a staff meeting to launch the internal marketing initiative and get everyone on board and committed to the plan.

* Implement a system to acknowledge and reward patients who refer new patients. The Viva Referral System is one solution that automates the referral acknowledgement system, making the internal marketing process easier to track.

Perhaps the most important element of any internal marketing program is consistency. Committing to the growing the practice through word of mouth is the best way to build momentum for the practice and creating patient ambassadors will continue to drive new patients through the front door for years to come.

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Tools for Dentists: Sample Press Release Templates

by Naomi Cooper September 22, 2013

One 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

One 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!

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3 Communication Tips to Build Patient Relationships

by Naomi Cooper October 3, 2012

“Of course I floss everyday”…”I thought I called you to cancel my appointment”…”No, I don’t smoke”.

Sound familiar? These are just a few of the comments that my clients report hearing on a regular basis from their patients. I recently came across this great blog from Dental Products Report on the “13 lies your patients are telling you”. It is an entertaining read only because there is so much truth at the heart of the matter.

Patients want to present themselves to you in the best light possible; however it is quite another thing when they get in your chair and you see what is really going on. The blog got me thinking about patient communication, and how you can foster a trusting relationship with your patients to help minimize these little white lie situations. Here are a few ideas:

Make small talk. You might not think you have that much in common with all of your patients, but certainly you have something in common with each of them. Find that mutual interest.
As you are making small talk, whatever they say, write it down in the file so you have something to talk about on their next visit. It will start to seem like you always remember little things about your patients, and they’ll feel like you really care as a result. That feeling is the first step in building a trusting relationship.
While you are making the effort to build a relationship with your patients, be sure to keep them informed and updated on your office policies. This can be done verbally, at the front desk, as well as included in patient newsletters, emails, e-newsletters and through your practice website. When the payment policies, or the cancellation policies, are well known, it is harder for the patient to be anything less than honest with you.

What are some of the common or memorable excuses you’ve heard from your patients? Do you have any best practice tips on handling those little white lies? Please start a conversation below!

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