Hi everyone. My name is Callie Manion and I’m the Managing Copy Editor here at Modern Dental Practice Marketing. What does a Managing Copy Editor do, you ask? Well I’m the one managing all of our writers, organizing your blogs and deciding when they need to be written and by whom, and editing all of your blog posts once they have been written. I have several other tasks her at MDPM as well, such as making sure the cats have enough food and water for the night and joining the other managers on an awesome retreat to Frisco, but those tasks can’t be found on my business card.

However, if you’re interested, I would love to tell you about the managerial retreat we took to Frisco this last weekend. It was definitely an eye-opening experience. Annie, the manager over the design and production side of MDPM, and I took part in a scavenger hunt at the Frisco mall. This wasn’t your average scavenger hunt, though. Yes, we did have to take pictures of ourselves wearing sunglasses, riding the carousel, and climbing on top of the little kids’ play area; but we also had to interact with all different kinds of managers and witness first-hand how different customer service can be. We had some people go out of their way to help us and actually hunt us down when they knew they could help, while others barely looked over their books or put down their phones when we asked them a question. And here I was thinking customer service was something each company valued. I was wrong! It was evident that some of the stores we went into didn’t care about their customers—their employees were just punching the clock and occupying their time with texting or reading a magazine, instead of seeing what help they could be to their shoppers.

I hope none of our clients think this about us. We care about each and every one of you and we don’t just want to build your site or write your blog post to cross another thing off our list; we take hours debating the right colors for your websites and blogs, going back and forth about the tone we want to express. We spend time pondering over which blog topics to cover on your blogsite, so that you attract the kinds of patients you want. We meticulously check each blog post for keywords and SEO-rich content in order to deliver your office more business. Your success is our success.

If you ever have input about your blogs, I would love to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to call me at (972) 762-7778 or email me at callie@moderndentalmarketing.com. Knowing you are happy with your blogs is the highlight of my day!

What does this mean to you, a dentist?

1. Content is king.
   In this order, you need a website, Facebook page, blog, microsites, other social media, articles with backlinks, more microsites, more blogs, more social media interaction.
2. You must engage in social media.
   Every day, post original blurbs, ideas, comments, trivia, recipes, whatever you want on Facebook, and don’t neglect commenting on your fans’ posts. Once Facebook is mastered, add Google+ and Twitter.
3. If you aren’t marketing online, you aren’t marketing.
   More than a few studies tell us, your potential patients are online. They aren’t looking at the Yellow Pages to find a dentist. Besides word-of-mouth referrals, online marketing is your best bet for attracting new patients.

How can you apply this to your marketing plan?

At MDPM, we have a staff (in our office, not overseas) of trained dental copywriters who understand the dental industry, dental patients, and SEO. Our entire business model hinges on original content, so we can write your website, blogs, articles, and other content. We can also set up your social networking profiles and show you how to use them—or we can do social networking for you. A dental copywriter will provide original posts for you every weekday. We don’t auto-generate posts and won’t send out the same post on all of your profiles. Each post will be unique to ensure that your followers get good information, not social SPAM.

For dentists who have no Internet presence, we can start from step one, building a brand, logo, website, and blog for you. A comprehensive telephone interview kicks off the process. During this call, we’ll learn about your practice, as well as your goals, concerns, and expectations. Then we will work with you or someone on your team, or your dental consultant, to implement marketing plan that will earn you new patients.

Once you’re and MDPM client, we’re available by phone and email to offer marketing consulting at no additional cost. We’ll become part of your team, offering expert advice and tracking your online success.

Call Modern Dental Practice Marketing at 972-781-8861 or email us today to get started!

This post is part two of “Is Your Dental Office Ready for a Patient Newsletter?”

Whether you build your own dental practice newsletter, have your office manager tackle the task, or use a service, these are 10 primary elements you need to consider.

1. Email list: You can’t send an e-newsletter campaign without email addresses! If you subscribe to Demandforce, Smile Reminder, or another patient communication tool, you probably have a list of patient email addresses. Dental offices without a patient email list should start asking for email addresses today. Some patients may not want to provide you with their email address, and that’s fine. Don’t let those few discourage you. Most of your patients will be happy to give you an email address, especially if you explain the purpose: to deliver your dental health newsletter.
2. Distribution Service: You can send e-newsletters through your patient communication tool, or you can sign up with a service like MyEmma.com. Many e-newsletter services exist, so do a little research and find one that’s convenient and user-friendly. You might put the task on your office manager, but if you do, be sure to assign a deadline. She should find a tool, write a synopsis, and send you her findings within a week. If you don’t have time for any of this, MDPM can handle all aspects of your newsletter creation and distribution.
3. Column Designation: Feature 3-5 regular columns in your newsletter. The more personal, the better. Don’t be that dentist who sends out generic newsletters. With Google, people can find information about dental health when they need it. Instead, feature articles about your patients’ successes in the community. Which of your young patients made the A-honor roll? Which of your adult patients volunteers at the food bank? You might include a recipe from a staff member, photos of your team retreat, and testimonials from happy patients. End your newsletter with an article about a special offer, contest, or new service.
4. Layout: If you use a tool, like Demandforce or MyEmma, you’ll have a few templates from which to select your newsletter layout. Before making a selection, consider the number of articles and photos you’ll include. Then choose a template that will accommodate your plan.
5. Writing: Assign article writing to employees or hire a copywriter to compose the newsletter articles.
6. Pictures: Do not mistakenly assume that photos you find on Google are public domain. The images you find online are copyrighted to the owner, even if no copyright was officially filed. To eliminate the risk for fines or lawsuits, use images that you own or hold rights to use. You can take original photos or create images on your computer, or you can purchase images from websites like Shutterstock or Thinkstock.
7. Links: Include links to your website’s internal pages, as well as your blog, Facebook page, and microsites.
8. Archives: Your newsletter should be placed on a permanent URL. Services like MyEmma will autogenerate a URL with a newsletter. You can also place the text of your newsletter on a page of your website. The point is, make sure that the newsletter text is online so that you get SEO credit for it! Adding a Newsletter section to your website may be the best solution.
9. Distribution: Before sending out your newsletter, send a copy to yourself, your office manager, and two or three trusted friends for review. Allowing multiple people to review the content will ensure better editing. Once the newsletter is ready to go, send it out to your distribution list. Be sure to include an opt-out for recipients.
10. Analysis: Two weeks after the newsletter is sent, review the statistics. An open rate of greater than 30% on an initial mailing and 20% on subsequent newsletters is good. This seems low, but it’s accurate. If available, review how many people clicked through on your links, shared the newsletter with a friend or on Facebook, and opted out. To maintain your email list, make note of those emails that reported bounced mail, then have a front office employee contact those patients to update your email list.

When to Send Newsletters
A newsletter has about five sections, usually. This type of communication takes some time to read and shouldn’t be sent out every week. Once a month is adequate. The greatest success (high open rate, low opt-out rate) comes with sending an e-newsletter each quarter.

Between Newsletters
E-blasts, or email blasts, can keep your brand in front of patients between appointments and newsletters. E-blasts should have a short, to-the-point message. Good content includes promotions, contests, referral incentives, single blog posts, quizzes, recipes, and trivia.

Want a newsletter NOW? Call MDPM at 972-781-8861 or email us. With affordable rates and stellar dental copywriters, we can have your completely custom dental patient newsletter sent out within a week.