Dental Relationship Marketing

Posts Tagged ‘tangiblemarketing’

Marketing is much more than advertising and getting new patients in the door. As you launch traditional marketing tactics, consider these timely suggestions as well. Direct from recent hands-on experience… 

1) Remove negative press from your reception area

If you have magazines like Time, Newsweek, Fortune or newspapers in your reception room, get them out now. Most of the headlines and articles today highlight the bad economy. Patients will be less motivated to accept treatment with poor economic images at their fingertips. Replace negative headlines with health oriented magazines, such as Prevention.

2) Take a look at what annoys you in your office

Now is an opportune time to have that discussion with the receptionist who needs to step-up her casual-Friday look, the sour-apple assistant in the team or the treatment coordinator who can’t seem to find the time to make those follow-up calls. Perhaps you have none of these issues and have retained a magnificent staff? If so, congratulations! Even if your team is top-notch, everyone is able to continue to improve in some way, now is the time to recruit new ideas, implement fresh protocols and boost all aspects of practice.

3) Make sure your financial policies are in order

A few practices I work with are noticing slower compensation from insurance companies, slower paying patients, and more than usual defectors. According to a January 2009 Wall Street Journal article, it’s not uncommon for people to postpone paying in recessions. With this in mind, it’s more important than ever to ensure your financial arrangements are clear, in writing and have patient signatures.

4) Build alliances

Dental practices are not the only businesses seeking more clients. Take advantage of the opportunity to approach like-minded businesses who might want to co-market. For example, share the cost of a direct mail piece or newsletter with another referral based business that serves similar clientele. Then offer a special to each others clients. Note, specials do not have to be discounts… think “bundling,” ie: have your teeth cleaned and receive a complimentary something.

5) Try something different

If you are in the habit of listening to the news every morning, stop it. Try listening to something motivating, wait and watch the news after work, or make a no-recession rule at the office. It is easy to commiserate with your team, but many times this only leaves people feeling worse.

What are you and your team doing to beat the economy and doldrums?

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

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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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To thrive in these economic times it’s best to focus your marketing dollars on retention, case acceptance, word-of-mouth and referral strategies. Concentrate your efforts amongst those who already know and trust you rather than attempting new patient acquisition from unknown and potentially skeptical audiences.

What’s hot: Invest in improving the patient experience. Now is the time to impress patients, as more than ever they will scrutinize everything you do and say. Consumers are paying more attention to everything they spend their money on. Some may question whether they should keep spending their money with you or go elsewhere. Invest in training for you and your team and be sure your patient relations skills are finely honed. There has never been a better time to implement new techniques to increase your case acceptance rates.

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.

Invest in your online reputation. Google yourself regularly and see where your website rates. Also be sure to police yourself… confirm the first few pages of your search come out clean, accurate and don’t contain any negative patient feedback. It makes no sense to invest in search engine optimization if you don’t even know that negative patient feedback could be found alongside your name.

Consider investing in social media. While not for everyone, when done well- and authentically, participating in sites like Facebook and other social spaces gives you an opportunity to get your name and face in front of potentially influential networks. Have fun with it. If you know nothing about social media, ask someone on your team who enjoys this to help you. Again have fun, but at the end of the day be sure whatever you or someone else posts about you maintains your personal and professional brand and represents you well.

In this economy, what’s hot now is the return you’ll get from marketing investments related to customers/patients who already know you.

What’s not hot: Investing in brand building or awareness marketing such as radio, television or expensive magazine ads. The first problem is that these mediums are not generally geographically focused. The second problem is they require much repetition and thus very large investments before they penetrate enough to work. Even in good economies these mediums can be expensive and risky investments. With a population scrutinizing every dollar, becoming more skeptical about who and where they buy from and holding-off unless it’s an emergency, it’s better to avoid these types of marketing vehicles for now.

Have a question or comment to share? Email rita@tangiblemarketing.com. I’d love to hear from you!

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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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Lay-offs, rising grocery bills and a flood of bad economic news in the media are causing consumers to tighten their purse strings… How can dentists help to protect and even grow their practice in times like these? Here are a few smart recession marketing tips for dentists.

1) Be impeccable with the patients you already have. This includes phone, patient relation and case presentation skills. Need to know if you are impeccable or not? To diagnose your performance, try surveys, hire a ghost shopper or get an experienced consultant to observe.

2) Be REALLY impeccable with the patients you already have. How long has it been since you’ve brushed up on your case presentation skills or taken your team to a seminar or workshop about exceptional customer service. Now is the time to invest in learning everything you and your team can do to get more from the customers (patients) you already have.

3) Keep in touch. Follow up with patients- consistently and effectively. Patients will be putting off elective, cosmetic and non-emergency treatments, so make sure you maintain relationships with patients while they are saving up or waiting for some good economic news. Be sure you are top of mind when they are ready to buy dental again. This means calling patients to follow up (phone calls are quick, easy -inexpensive- and effective!), sending customized patient newsletters (consumers are now cocooning— staying home, nesting with family and they have time to read and learn more about you and your services), emailing (use email communication sparingly, make your notes brief and memorable).

4) Money, Money, Money- Make sure your fee quotes, insurance filing, payment options and related communication is flawless. People are more sensitive to money issues than ever before. Now is the time to be extra courteous, knowledgeable- and considerate of patient’s potential financial quandaries.

5) Internal marketing first, external second. Don’t spend thousands of dollars for a flashy magazine ad if you don’t have a patient referral system in place. Invest dollars to maximize internal marketing first (referral systems, sales training, newsletters, etc.), then look to external marketing tactics such as postcards, advertising, etc. This is even more important during a recession when external new patient acquisition becomes more challenging.

Need help? Or have comments to share? Email rita@tangiblemarketing.com

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1) Know Your Numbers- Specifically your case acceptance numbers. How many cases of orthodontic, periodontal or dental implant treatment plans did you present during a period of time and how many were accepted/completed for that same amount of time? Simple question right? You tell me… definitively in black and white, do you REALLY know what your numbers are? Guesses, estimations and hunches don’t count here. What matters is the concrete evidence. I’m really passionate about this, as I still run across many practices that are unaware of their numbers, not sure how to get them, where to get them or who wish they could avoid the topic altogether. These numbers are critical to diagnosing one of the major business-health aspects of your practice. This report can either give you peace of mind, or indicate where you might need help.

2) Your Fortune is in Your Follow-Up – This phrase is one of my favorite mantras. Especially in this economy when patients may put treatment off longer than usual. In some cases it is worthwhile to follow-up with patients for up to two years. If you don’t already have an efficient follow-up system, implement one right away. Most importantly, don’t wait for a “slow day in the office” to handle the task, make it a priority- and keep up with it on a consistent basis. Follow-up is like the faucet for your business… open it up with good follow-up practices and you’ll continue to see a steady flow of production.

3) Think Face to Face – The best way to generate referrals for your practice is through face to face meetings. Whether you choose to do lunch, perform a presentation or make marketing visits, your referring practices need to see you. Face to face or in person meetings are the most effective way to generate referrals because it is active marketing (or sales) versus passive marketing such as direct mail. Active marketing is a two-way exchange meaning you not only get face time, you also get to listen and hear what the other person shares with you. Unlike mailing a letter where you state written information, however you don’t get to immediately hear from the other person, see their body language, read their expressions, etc. Start planning now for your 2009 face to face strategy and make your marketing more effective.

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

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