Dental practices no longer attract and hold on to patients the way they used to years ago. In fact, traditional communication is no longer relevant. Newspaper advertisements, phonebook listings, and direct mails are not enough to lure new patients. If you haven’t changed your style of communication, then you may have noticed a decrease in profits.
Today’s dental practices connect with the public through relationship marketing. Relationship marketing emphasizes lifetime patient value, satisfaction, and retention. In simpler words, you consistently communicate your brand to current patients while acquiring new ones. A lot of practices focus on transactional marketing, which is almost the same practice as fast-food chains. However, with so much competition, dentists need to focus on building authentic relationships with their target market. Oftentimes, people purchase goods and services based on emotional value. If you can win your patient through a personal connection, you’ll gain loyalty and perhaps referrals.
To further explain, you can only grow your practice if patients find you relatable, trustworthy, and approachable. Like in any kind of relationship, patients need to feel valued and wanted. If they don’t, there is no reason for them to continue visiting your dental office. In fact, the moment they are approached with a “New Patient Special” from a different dental office, they’ll leave.
Think of relationship marketing as the connection between a hairstylist and their most loyal client. Some people find a hairstylist that not only styles their hair perfectly but enjoys conversing with them. Basically, the client gets a haircut with what feels like a friend-someone relatable, trustworthy, and approachable. Just think of how many members of your family or friends have been going to the same hairstylist or barber for years? Point made.
You may already be great with your patients in the office. However, it is important to extend your social personality online and with the community. Learn how below and share these tips with your office and colleagues.
Build Your Online Reputation
An effective online presence requires an up-to-date responsive website. Why? People are curious and know that information can be found online. If you have a website now, does it look dated? Are the pictures of your staff and office current? Do you have an online booking system? We suggest seeking a consultation with a website designer to enhance your website. This will help curious visitors to become new patients!
Social Media Presence
Once your site is user-friendly and current, create social platforms and be active. Yelp!, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have always been an effective tool for building influence, yet very few practices use it. Create your page on these platforms, post relatable content, and actively engage with your followers. Communication on these platforms should be professional and casual.
Community Influence Building
If you are current with the news, you may have realized that people are more conscious of what brands they purchase. Many people do not want to support a company who may not share the same beliefs or moral practices. What good are you providing to your local community? Are you helping children in need of dental care in foreign countries? Oftentimes, dentists are helpful within or outside their community but do not share that information. Why not? People enjoy hearing stories about other people making positive change. In fact, this attitude has been prevalent among millennials who believe that social responsibility is how businesses should operate. Millennials are influencing the economy and so will the next generation. Make sure your practice is operating with that in mind.
Increase your practice’s positive image and social influence by sponsoring local sports teams, youth programs, non-profit events, and so forth. Remember to stay humble about your involvement. The community should not feel as though you are simply self-promoting.
Last-Minute Tips
Building an effective influence should not be difficult. Just view your patients as people and not revenue. For example, converse with your patients to learn what interests them and find common topics to engage in. Create social media posts that relate to current trends or provide helpful dental hygiene tips. Respond to comments, messages, and reviews timely.
Like we said before, the world is fast-changing and so are consumer demands. For your practice to grow, you have to adapt and adapt fast. Incredible service will earn you loyalty and attract more patients.
Are You Ready To Build Your Influence?
Learn more at this year’s Dental Business & Legal Symposium. The event will be held at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD on October 18th and 19th. Dentists will earn up to 9 continuing education credits while learning how to grow their practice from industry leaders. Reserve your seat today. If you need hotel accommodations, click here. We look forward to meeting you!