Dental Relationship Marketing

Posts Tagged ‘dental marketing resources’

The number one best way to market is referral marketing. First and foremost, “relationship” marketing is a proven win-win for both patients and dentists. Patients won’t refer if they feel they were not treated well, and dentists who strive to provide the best patient care experiences will receive the most referrals.

The second best way to market right now is online. Online marketing is green… websites, video, online resources and social media won’t waste paper (unlike masses of direct mail, a tactic commonly used in dental marketing). Most importantly, studies show over 73% of consumers already perform online research before they make purchase decisions- which includes purchases from shampoo to cars to health care. This means it’s extremely important for you to be found online. Further once found, you’ll want to have a variety of information about yourself available. In other words, make it really easy for someone to see how great you are.

Referral and online marketing can work hand in hand for your practice. Online marketing will allow new patients to research and “shop you” before their first visit and referral marketing will help ensure a good patient experience- and, hopefully, a long term relationship built on trust (the type that motivates referrals).

So, what are you waiting for?  Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, blogs and more await you. Don’t let the options overwhelm you, instead just choose one tactic to explore for now- and remember to have fun with it!

Have questions for Rita? Email rita@tangiblemarketing.com.  Get a copy of the Referral System How-To Guidebook for Dentists.

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Remember when people were saying, “Someday every business will need a website”… or someday everyone will have a cell phone and email account?

Today, the new “must have” is a Facebook page. Are you on board yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Here are the statistics:

Growth

• More than 175 million active users
• More than half of Facebook users are outside of college
• The fastest growing demographic is those 30 years old and older

Engagement

• Average user has 120 friends on the site
• More than 3 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide)
• More than 3.5 million users become fans of Pages each day

If you haven’t yet embraced Facebook then you probably don’t know that other dentists, health care practices and even hospitals are getting established as we speak. The cost is free, plus your time or a team members time to maintain.

Set up a page, post photos, practice events, etc. Show some personality; however be sure to keep your postings and content consistent with your practice philosophy or brand.

Need help with referral marketing?  Email rita@tangiblemarketing.com or call Rita (303) 807-3827. Oh, and look me up on Facebook!

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Once you’ve mastered the basics in marketing (reference Part One of this blog article if you missed it), then you are ready for Level II marketing activities. Here are a few Level II marketing activities that consistently deliver.

Get A Website Already – if you still don’t have a website, get one. Experts say about 70% of consumers today will shop the web before they make a purchase decision. That means if people have a choice between you and someone who does have a website, they may choose them over you. Patients want to learn about your team, see a photo of the doctor, tour the practice, review payment options, etc. Need I say more?

Be Found On The Web - an internet marketing guru friend of mine said, “A website is like a giant billboard in outer space that no one can see if you can’t be found online”. Be sure to do some research before you invest in search engine optimization services, check their client testimonials or get a referral from a trusted source.

Advertise in Community Papers – these are newspapers or newsletters that your neighborhood or local community associations produce. Search for those within 5 miles of your practice. These papers typically get read cover to cover, as people want to know what is going on in their neighborhood. Advertising rates can be fairly inexpensive and the big benefit is the ads are well targeted geographically.

Stay tuned for Part 3 and more advanced marketing tips.  Need help?  Contact rita@tangiblemarketing.com or call (303) 807-3827.

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Good or bad economy, small or large team, old or new practice… Here are a few great marketing techniques that never go out of style. First, marketing should be segmented into two categories, basic and advanced.

Start with the basics first. You wouldn’t consider enrolling in a Level II foreign language class without first learning the basics- marketing is the same. If you move right into advanced marketing without mastering the basics you risk wasting both time and money. Here are a few basics. I’ll cover advanced topics in a future blog post.

1) Referral Programs- implement systemized programs that are easy to manage. The key here, as with most marketing is consistency… Ask for referrals regularly, verbally and in writing. Note: Practices likely to get the most referrals provide top notch client care (notice I didn’t say top notch dentistry, because it’s not about the dentistry).

2) Keep in Touch- communicate with patients on a regular basis (quarterly at minimum). Quality of content counts, good communication vehicles include emails, hardcopy newsletters, phone calls, thank you notes, events, etc.

3) Office Environment- observe your office and see what it REALLY looks like. We can become numb to our environment when we practically live in it. Has your office become cluttered? Do you have chipped paint, dirty chairs or stained ceiling tiles? All of this directly impacts your bottom line.

4) Case Acceptance – if you aren’t already, get intimate with your numbers. Know exactly how many cases you present each month and how much treatment is accepted. Once you know where you are, you can determine if you are in need of a case acceptance tune up- or praise yourself for how well you are doing.

More marketing tips that consistently deliver… to be continued. Check back soon!  Need help in the meantime email rita@tangiblemarketing.com.

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If you’re like most dentists today you’re probably wondering how you can get more quality new patients without having to invest thousands of dollars. In one of my most popular blog posts “Recession Marketing for Dentists, What’s Hot & What’s Not” I shared the following recommendation:

Invest in referral marketing. If you don’t already have an organized referral program, get busy and create one. Actively promote your program- not just twice a year by word of mouth when patients are in your office. Be sure to promote the fact that you want referrals the whole year long. Ask verbally and in writing (No you won’t come across as a pest or seem desperate because most people are busy with life and won’t likely remember the last time you asked, even if you ask them many times per year). Make sure you invite referrals verbally, and also put your invitation in writing. Tangible forms of promotion help visual learners (about 65% of the population) to remember to refer. If you’d like to know more about this, check out my Referral Guidebook and learn step-by-step how to create a successful turn-key system for your practice.

But don’t just take my word for the uberpower of word-of-mouth marketing. Here are a few of my favorite experts, dental marketing gurus, thought leaders and a few non-dental related quotes to help inspire and motivate you today:

Have comments to share, questions to ask or need dental marketing help? Call Rita at (303) 807-3827.

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The correct answer is both mediums used together is best. Why? You might ask, “With so many marketing companies now offering e-newsletters, isn’t digital the best option?” The answer is no, for several reasons. Digital or e-communication (as much as I love it) cannot yet completely replace all the benefits of hardcopy.

Tangible newsletters allow people to experience news in a much different way than e-communication. Most importantly, hardcopies allow us to get away with longer articles, more photos and richer content than digital formats.

There is just something more sincere and warm about holding a tangible note, card or letter in your hands rather than scanning it on a screen… For similar reasons, highly personalized hardcopy newsletters are still key relationship and trust building tools.

At the end of the day, you want to be sure your patients have seen and absorbed all you have to convey. Ensure your marketing communication is achieving every important objective by including both email and hardcopy news in your 2009 marketing plan.

Need help with dental newsletters for yourself or your practice? Email rita@tangiblemarketing.com or call Rita (303) 807-3827.

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Convert your website visitors into patient appointments and referrals… LinkboxTM is a website add-on that provides valuable marketing tools to any existing website. LinkBoxTM encourages website visitors to contact your practice, as well as refer friends. And because it’s a stand-alone product, LinkBoxTM doesn’t integrate with your current practice management systems in any way – so it’s simple to set up and start using right away.

I especially like the way the product opens the door for dialogue. Consumers today have become so accustomed to sharing their thoughts, opinions and requests through their computer keyboards… This tool gives potential new patients one more way to explore you, and gives existing patients one more way to refer you.

Watch a demo and learn more about their terrific no-risk 30 day trial here.

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Where is the absolute best place to market your practice right now? The answer is inside. Before you venture outside of your practice with direct mail or advertising, be sure you are maximizing the business you already have. Start off by seriously evaluating your case acceptance numbers. How many cases of treatment are you recommending, and how many are being accepted? Some practices are busy today despite the economy, and it’s easy to think busy equals profitable. Unfortunately this isn’t always true.

There is only one way to confirm how successful your case acceptance is and that is to read your data. What does your data say? Plain and simple, your key data = how many cases were presented, and how many were accepted? It is very important to point out that low case acceptance does not necessarily mean poor case presentation… in many situations low acceptance can be a direct result of failure to follow up. One of my mantras is, “The fortune is in the follow up”. Especially in this economy when patients are holding off on treatment, and possibly holding off for longer periods of time, it’s critical to follow up with patients regularly. Keep in touch, show you care, continue to communicate benefits, make yourself accessible, etc.

Remember dental needs that don’t hurt are easy for some to defer; however when you are top of mind and someone’s budget finally allows for either a new TV or the crown they need, chances are higher they will think twice before running out to buy the TV (especially if they just read an article in your newsletter about how procrastination costs patients more…). The most rewarding part of case acceptance marketing and training is the win-win benefit. The better your presentation and follow up, the more patients will pursue treatment and gain health and/or beauty- and the more cases accepted, the higher profits you and your practice will enjoy.

Need help? Call Rita at 303-807-3827 or visit TangibleMarketing.com

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Most dentists and small business owners know they need to market… however where do you start? Do you invest a lot of time, money and energy into a comprehensive marketing plan? Should you hire someone to help or go it alone? So many questions arise and sometimes just the thoughts of marketing planning can be overwhelming. What if I told you it would be better not to invest too much time in planning? At least this is what some top consultants and coaches are saying…

A few months ago I had the pleasure of hearing, Douglas B. Reeves, Ph.D., internationally recognized consultant, entrepreneur and Harvard University Distinguished Author, speak at a local seminar. He said, “70% of strategic plans are never initiated.” Instead, he recommended a “One page strategy,” something that will inspire action. This concept seems to be a trend, just this week I heard a multi-million dollar marketing coach say she’s never had a marketing plan. Instead she evaluates her situation regularly and takes action as needed.

This by no means is meant to imply you should never plan or think ahead. If strategic and in-depth planning works for you, go for it. If it doesn’t work for you, if multi-page marketing plans stress you out or make you feel bad, then try the one-page plan strategy. Take at least one healthy action step at a time. One action step alone can be freeing and motivating. Then just keep going, just like riding a bike, if you want to get anywhere you need to keep pedaling and stay in action.

So, what are your plans for marketing implementation this January 2009?

Need help? Call Rita at 303-807-3827 or email rita@tangiblemarketing.com

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5 Reasons You May Lose Patients and What You Can Do About It

Today, more than ever, it’s important to retain patient loyalty, build strong genuine relationships and ensure patients know that you accept and appreciate referrals. Here are a few reasons why patients leave their dental providers and what you can do about it…

Feel like you don’t care (they don’t hear from you anymore and think you probably don’t want them as a patient – perhaps because they didn’t do that new crown you recommended last visit?)

Don’t get the attention they deserve (a friend keeps saying how great her dentist is… and your patient isn’t aware that you offer what her friend’s dentist does)

Think you are fee-motivated (they feel like your practice keeps “pushing expensive” implant treatment. Meanwhile they aren’t aware of the risks without this treatment.)

Keep getting solicited by other dentists (they keep getting postcards from other dentists in the area and begin to think it’s time to switch. Besides, they’re not sure you’d care if they left your practice.)

Never hear from you (They aren’t sure they’re getting the service they deserve… the only time they see you is when they remember to call for an appointment).

Today’s marketplace is crowded and challenging (not to mention our current economic situation), so patients require more attention than ever in order to remain loyal, accept higher quality/fee treatments and continue to refer.

Patient newsletter marketing, when done right, succeeds at:

Building authentic and loyal relationships.

Keeping patients informed with friendly, unique-to-your-practice messages.

Reminding patients about recall, treatment/relaxation options, payment/credit arrangements or end-of-year insurance expirations.

Motivating referrals – patients need to know that you, first and foremost, want their referrals, that you appreciate them and perhaps what they might expect in return.

Want to learn more? Contact rita@tangiblemarketing.com

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