Modern Dental Practice Marketing

It’s an interesting question, “Will Facebook Bring Dentists New Patients?,” and there’s discussion on LinkedIn that supports both sides. Just today, I received MDPM’s notification of fan page statistics from Facebook. The most new active users for one MDPM client was 48, the most new likes was 12, and the most new visits was 112. Sure, some of our clients recieved no new interaction this week, but most had at least a little activity. The client who got over 100 visits is probably quite happy that he has a Facebook fan page! And that’s what it’s all about — activity. We’ve drawn people to their Facebook pages, either with blog posts, email blasts, newsletters, or a link from their website or blog site. These people have seen the practice brand and message this week. That’s good marketing.

I had one client call me last week just to tell me that she received a call from someone who found her on Facebook.

We do not know for certain that Facebook or Twitter will bring you new patients. However, if you are a Modern Dental Practice Marketing client, we’ll set up your Facebook and Twitter profiles, then post your blog content to them so that they have constant activity. Some respected experts recommend NOT posting blog content to Facebook and Twitter, but dentistry is a bit different than marketing in other industries. First of all, dentists and team members aren’t usually at the airport or in a taxi during the business day. They’re with patients. Most dentists don’t have time to post social networking updates like a, let’s say, consultant might.

For dentists, feeding blog posts to social networking profiles takes up that slack. It keeps the profiles active, so it works for you while you’re working for your patients. Having been in dental marketing for years now, I know that dentistry is a different breed of industry. Social networking is relatively new, so we’re not sure if it’s cost effective. That’s why MDPM sets up our clients’ profiles and blog feeds as part of our dentist’s blog package. We figure, it can’t hurt. If we aren’t charging for the service and you could get a new patient, awesome. Because we aren’t charging for the service, if you don’t get any new patients, that’s okay, too.

If you have questions about blogging or social networking for dentists, call Jill at 972.781.8861 or email us. We’re always happy to answer questions and provide marketing guidance to dentists and dental industry professionals.

One of my favorite movies is You’ve Got Mail, and some of the dialogue that really resonates with me is when Joe (Tom Hanks) tries to explain his division of business and personal matters. You see, he’d just run Kathleen’s (Meg Ryan) independent children’s bookstore out of business…at the same time, the two were falling for each other, of course.

Joe Fox: It wasn’t… personal.
Kathleen Kelly: What is that supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn’t personal to you. But it was personal to me. It’s *personal* to a lot of people. And what’s so wrong with being personal, anyway?
Joe Fox: Uh, nothing.
Kathleen Kelly: Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.

When I think about it, this conversation really applies to my life, being a blogger. The reason I blog, and the reason I comment on blogs, and the reason I engage in social networking is because business is personal. You worked your haunches off to get where you are today, a dentist and the owner of your own independent practice. If a corporation infringes on your business, it’s personal to you.

Your patients feel the same way. They trust you. Your treatment, to them, is personal.

• “Findings from this study support our hypothesis that trust in health care providers is a significant predictor of having a regular dentist and is independent of education level, income, race/ethnicity and perceived health status.” – from JADA
• Doctors and nurses are the third most trusted professionals, just behind teachers (no. 2) and firefighters (no.1). Journalists are second on the least trusted professionals list, so I thought I should provide hard evidence for my case . – from Divine Caroline

It’s personal.

Why do you think blogs and social networking (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) are so popular? Because they are web platforms that facilitate personal communication, and people love “personal.” Web marketing is a tool you can use to enhance relationships with your current patients, establish personal relationships with potential patients, network on a personal level with people who have similar interests (same community, professionals, hobbies).

You may think there’s a separation between “personal” and “professional,”
and there has been a bold, black line there for years.
But times, they are a-changin’.

Use your blog to become the authoritative source on all things dental. While you’re sharing all of your expert knowledge, keep the tone and presentation personal. Just like I’m doing in this post. I started by telling you about my favorite movie. That’s personal. It tells you something about me. I like sappy romances. Read the rest of this entry →