Welcome to step 3 in this series of articles

Dentists:  Creating Your Profile Page

Social Media Marketing takes planning and fore thought.  Before you launch into creating your personal profile – take a few minutes to search the profiles of other dental practices in your area.  What do you like?  What are they doing well?  What don’t you like?  Consider what your audience will prefer and respond to.  Now go back to your goals.  Try to maintain a consistent brand image and personality.

Profile Page Essentials

1. Your Name.  This is particularly important if you are identified with your practice.   When people search for you, and they will, they need to be able to find you.
2. Your Dental Practice Website URL.  This is second in importance to your name but only slightly.  The purpose of networking is to attract new patients to your website.
3. Personal Information – This can include photos, videos and other relevant information.  Use this space to connect with people.  Talk about what you do and why.

Once you have your profile it is time to start interacting!

Interacting Do’s and Don’ts

Do Engage.  Social networking is about connecting with others.  Engage other members in conversation.  Respond to their posts and encourage participation in your posts.  Ask questions.  Provide polls or surveys as they relate to your dental practice.

Do Build a Community.  Link, find friends, and start building your following.  It’s not enough to have a presence on a social networking site.  You must connect and on most sites that means inviting friends to connect with you and following others.  However connecting indiscriminately doesn’t attract new patients to your dental practice.  You will want to connect with local businesses and people.  Remember more friends equates to more new patients!

Do Connect with Industry Leaders.  Find and connect with influential members in your community.  Be friends with the Chamber of Commerce – this could be huge for your new patient base.  Find people who match your target audience and have a large following and connect with them.  When you connect with people who have a large following you almost immediately receive the benefit by attracting some of their followers.

Do Update Frequently.  To build a community and make your social networking strategy work, you have to get involved.  Create a plan to interact and stick to it.

If your time permits, update at least once a day.  If you don’t have time to commit to updating daily, consider outsourcing your social networking.   We’ll talk about social networking time management tools and resources in the next post.

Do Behave Professionally.  Communicate with your audience as if they were already patients because they are potential patients.  What impression do you want to leave them with?

Do add a “Follow Me” button on your website and other relevant marketing tools.  In order to grow your community, make sure to integrate your social networking tactics throughout your marketing strategy.  For example, if you create a viral report, include a “follow me on…” link in the report to generate followers and build a connection with readers once they’ve finished with your report.

One of the best methods for attracting new patients to your website is to simply link to a new content.  For example if you’ve uploaded a new article, report or blog post, place the headline in your post or copy a teaser paragraph and then link to the new content.  Use headline creation tactics in y9ur pos to generate curiosity and interest and motivate your potential new patients to “click through” to your website.

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Here’s the deal – if your dental practices is like most practices, you’re still operating in the old-school model of self-promotion.  Maybe you’ve ventured out a bit and advertised in the newspaper, or have an ad in the yellow pages.

The cold truth is the heyday of Yellow Pages is behind us.  When is the last time you picked up a telephone book?  Most people “Google” when they need a telephone number, or when they are researching a subject, like a new dentist.  What you need to succeed is the formula for marketing in the technological, economic, and cultural climate of 2012 and beyond.

The web isn’t just for geeks anymore. It is how we ALL find information anymore, whatever the topic.  It’s where your patients and prospective patients are and it’s where you need to be too.

The Google Test

Here’s a good example: Your potential new patient gets two recommendations and goes to Google to check you both out. The dentist down the street has a website. Maybe a nice website.  You, on the other hand, have 20 pages of search results filled with rave reviews, expert articles penned by you, photos of your fantastic work, video clips of your practice and raving testimonials.

Who do you think this prospective new patient is going to choose?

It’s NO CONTEST!

What You Can Do To Be That Practice

I regularly have dentists and office managers tell me they just don’t know how to navigate through the new Web 2.0 – how to use Facebook and Twitter.  They ask me if it’s even worth it.

My answer is an emphatic: YES!  In fact I would go so far as to say that marketing on the web is almost becoming a necessity.  Here are the top 5 things you should be doing online in 2012 to attract new patients to your practice:

1.      You need an interactive website platform.  An interactive website platform is a website that you can change – and that you do change often.  It’s where you educate your patients, share new products, offer referral incentives and develop relationships.

You NEED to be on the first page of Google and to get there, you need to be updating and changing the information on your website. If you don’t, your website will be buried on page 10 of Google and no one will ever find you.

2.     You need Video.  Google loves video and so do your potential patients.  We are not talking epic movies here, just short informational videos (less than 3 minutes) that will educate and endear you to your new and existing patients.

3.     You need Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Your interactive website needs to be optimized so that Google can find you.  Let’s face it – if you are not on the first page of Google when someone is searching for a dentist in your area, chances are your beautiful website will go unseen.  When is the last time you looked beyond the first page of results when you were searching for something online?

4.     You need a Facebook Page. You need to be where your patients are, and I guarantee that 75% of your patients are on Facebook – take a poll this week- ask your patients if they have a Facebook account.  Keep track of the numbers and let me know what you find.

5.     You need to register with local directories.  This is very important – this is one of the key ways your patients will find you ‘locally’ on the web.

Don’t stay in the past – update your website to a new interactive platform – and if you don’t have a website yet, what are you waiting for?  For more information on interactive websites, video marketing, Geo Targeting Facebook and all kinds of other great tips and techniques, Go to our Facebook page and sign up immediately!  You will also receive our monthly newsletter with online marketing tips you can use.  Click here to go to sign up on Facebook.

We are always interested in your comments and suggestions.  If you liked this post, make sure and let us know below in the comment section.

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Let’s face it, your reputation will either launch or sink your dental practice – your reputation is your most valuable asset.    Most dentists spend years developing their skills and their practice.  Traditionally, dentists have built their practices by focusing on providing excellent and pain free care.  Showing up everyday doing your best for your patients used to be enough to build a successful practice.

Not so much anymore.  The internet has changed how we build our practices and “word of mouth” on the internet is lightening speed.  With Social Media Tools like Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare and Google Places your patients can post their comments and have them seen by thousands of people by the end of the day.  Even if one of your patients refers their friends to you, chances are they are going to “Google” your name before they even pick up the phone.

Prospective patients expect you to have an attractive website, good online reviews and nice videos.  If you have bad reviews, what are the chances that a new patient will call and schedule an appointment?  Zero to None – really.  Managing your online reputation is crucial to your practices long-term success.  Creating a positive online presence is key.

If you are a dentist who is interested in managing your online image and growing your practice online, visit http://SM3DentalMarketing.com .  We help dentists with social media advice, Facebook setup and management, website/blog development, videos and other services to help create a positive online image.  Our services are affordable and we would love to help you.  Visit SM3 Dental Marketing or call 1-231-330-2368 today!

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Is your dental practice using Social Media?  Or are you of the mindset that Social Media is a Fad?  If you are, you absolutely must watch this video by Erik Qualman who is the author of Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business.  If this doesn’t get encourage you to start a Blog, Facebook page and join the Twitter crowd I don’t know what will.

Social Media can revolutionize your dental practice by increasing your exposure, connecting you with your patients and introducing you to new patients.  Utilizing Social Media can establish you as an expert in your specialty and create incredible opportunities for the growth of your practice. It is word of mouth marketing on steroids!

I am passionate about Social Media and look forward to helping you “jump on the Social Media Bandwagon”.  Are you using Social Media in your dental practice?  If you are, do you have a strategy? Please share your comments below.

If you liked this information please share it with your friends on your social media sites!  Look for more articles and strategies on how to use Social Media in your dental practice.  Thanks for stopping by.

For more information on the creator of the video, Erik Qualman, please visit his blog:

http://socialnomics.net/

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How many times do you see a patient, complete an initial comprehensive exam and diagnostics, have them back for a consultation to present their treatment plan, and then never hear from them again?

You have spent hours on treatment planning, diagnostic wax ups, models, reviewing x-rays, maybe even used a cosmetic imaging program and are excited to review the gathered information to the patient.  The appointment is scheduled you are prepared, and the patient doesn’t show up, or cancels on the same day, and you never hear from them again!  This can be very frustrating!

Or maybe you haven’t spent a lot of time treatment planning, you recommended a crown when the patient came in for the hygiene recare and they didn’t schedule when they left.

There are many reasons this might be happening, and you can read more about them in my post “10 Reasons for Low Case Acceptance”.  In this post we are going to focus on “The Follow Up”.

Why do you need to follow up?

As we all know, people are over scheduled – busy with work, kids etc…  Unless they are in pain, dental work is not always their top priority.  They get busy, forget they need to schedule and unless we as a dental office take the initiative and call them, it gets forgotten until their next hygiene visit.  And what does that do for your bottom line, if your patients are walking out the door, not scheduling and not calling back to schedule?  The doctor’s schedule starts falling apart, production goes down, collection goes down, stress level goes up – it is a downward spiral.

Your System

First and foremost is getting the patient to schedule before they leave the office.  This is the easiest way to keep your schedule full and to avoid time consuming follow up calls.    What if your patient says they need to check their schedule, or they need to check with their husband first.  What could you say to that patient to get them scheduled?  How about “You know Mrs. Green, our first available appointment is 2 to 3 weeks away, let’s go ahead and get you on the schedule, and then if you need to change your appointment you can give me a quick call and we can do that for you, no problem.”

If  Mrs. Green still refuses to schedule for one reason or another, the best thing to do at that point is ask their permission to give them a call if you don’t hear from them.  This does a couple of things – first, it gives you permission to call them if you don’t hear from them, and second they will not be surprised or “bothered” when you do call them.  I have never had a patient say no to this request, in fact, usually they really appreciate it.  It sounds like this:  “Mrs. Green, that is no problem at all.  If I don’t hear back from you by Friday (give them 3-4 days), would you mind if I give you a call?”

Make sure to document your conversation, and put Mrs. Green in your follow up system.  Your patients will appreciate your concern for their dental health, and your schedule will stay full.

What system do you utilize if your patients do not schedule a recommended treatment plan?  There are many that are available – many practices use their dental software reports, some use a card system, others may use a calendar system.  Whatever system you choose, find one that is easy to maintain and that you can do on a daily basis.

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First let’s look at what Twitter is – Twitter is a micro blogging platform, a way to get a short message to your patients, to you’re soon to be patients etc…  I know many offices that are actually using Twitter to fill the open spots in their schedules – really!  By getting your patient base to follow you on Twitter you can actually use it to communicate an opening in your schedule.  Yesterday an office sent out a tweet announcing a hygiene opening at 3:00 p.m. – same day with 10% off for the first person to tweet back and fill the opening.   Within 15 minutes that time was filled!  You can also use Twitter to advertise specials – Fall Zoom special $ 395.00 to the first 10 Twitter responders.  Use Twitter to encourage referrals – Thanks to @Jan for referring her friend Amy.

Twitter is not a natural instinct kind of communication. Twitter has a learning curve. It’s not evident right away what you’re supposed to do.  At first it can seem overwhelming and full of a bunch of “tweets” that you are not interested in.  But hang around a bit, follow your patients – ask your patients to follow you.  Start a few conversations.  There really are no set rules for how to use Twitter.  If you want to Tweet about the new Laser you just got – do it!  But if you want to get the full benefit of Twitter for your practice, here are a few guidelines that we use:

Respond

You don’t have to re-tweet everything, but letting people know you’re there and like what they say is always good, so re-tweet.   Don’t worry if they don’t answer back – it’s not about how they interact with you, but how you interact with them.

Don’t Tweet because you want more followers!

There are millions of Twitterers, they will follow you because they like what you say in 140 characters, not because you’re trying to sell your practice.

Tweet, often and honestly.

That doesn’t necessary mean you tell the truth it just means tweet things from the heart, things that you care about, things that amuse or entertain you or, if you must, things that will get a re-action.

Follow Local

Find people you like in your local area and follow them. Use “Twellowhood” http://www.twellow.com/twellowhood/

to find local people and businesses and then follow them. They might follow you back!

Share interesting things

Funny photos and videos,  interesting links, things that make you smile or angry, music tracks (see blip.fm) and other peoples blogs.

Re-tweet.

See a Tweet you like? Share it with others – that’s what makes the Twittersphere go round.

Block Offensive Tweeters

While it’s good to have people with different opinions on your follow list, there’s no need to put up with those you find offensive or annoying. That’s what blocks for.

Give Twitter a chance – you might just get a few new patients and have less open time in your schedule!  For more Twitter Tips and information, check out http://SocialMediaMarketingMavens.com.

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