Do you know what your patients are saying about you? How about past employees- what are they saying about you, your practice, or other team members?  Are you aware what your competitors are saying? Do you have someone actively “listening” to what’s being said about your practice? 

 A concern often voiced when discussing creating online communities or social media marketing is “What if someone makes a negative comment” or Aren’t we opening ourselves to criticism?”  Their concern is if someone makes negative comments it will harm their business and their reputation. 

Like building your practice, building relationships and a good reputation through credibility and trust takes work, commitment, and time.  As we know, this brings in more new patients and opportunities (through referrals), more treatment acceptance, and ultimately more revenue. 

News, especially bad news, has always traveled fast.  Add to that the Internet, cell phones, instant messaging, and texting and news is now traveling at the speed of light and the news is, geographically, all over the place. 

First, we have to remember, there’s a good possibility negative comments have already been made at one time or another.  In the community, to a neighbor, to a friend or family member, or even a call back to the office after a procedure.  But unless it was a call back to the office, you usually weren’t even aware anything negative had even been said and never had the opportunity to address the issue.  

Negative comments not addressed can grow and can lead to damaging the practice’s reputation, lost opportunities, and less revenue. 

A simple way to initiate and monitor your Online Reputation Management:

• Set up Google and Yahoo alerts for your brand – your name, your practice name, and the names of key employees 
• You can also set up alerts for your competitors
• Use Technorati for tracking your brand in case the post was in someone’s blog 

Note:  The above items mentioned are for simple monitoring for practices without a major or ongoing problem with negative comments and issues. There are companies that specifically monitor businesses brands and go much deeper into Online Reputation Management.  

For the most part, people give very good reviews.  Of course there are always the exceptions to the rule.  Often times complaints can show a practice an area that needs to be improved resulting in better patient services and better patient relations. 

Online Reputation Management allows you to watch your brand, follow what’s being said about you, and allows you to address any negative as it happens.  

This is not to be confrontational, argumentative, or offensive, but rather seen as an opportunity to resolve a negative situation in a positive manner.  It’s not really a question of “What if there’s a negative comment”, but rather the real question is “How will we address negative comments and issues”.

Social media platforms allow you the unique opportunity to address the negative and turn the negative around into a positive.  Even if you aren’t able to resolve the situation (and sometimes you can’t) your online viewers will see you didn’t try to avoid the situation.  Instead the viewers will see you value your patients experience in your office and the positive manner in which you tried to resolve the situation.  Oh, and don’t be surprised if your viewers also come to your defense! 

Online Reputation Management, when used correctly, is just another positive element of social media.

Have you had any negative comments that you were made aware of with social media?  What steps did you take to resolve the situation?

Technorati Tags: Blogging, engaging social media, Google alerts, Livvie Matthews, managing your reputation online, monitoring online reputation, Online Reputation Management, Patient Relations

Social media allows for something that’s never been available to businesses using traditional marketing in the past.  Social media allows you to connect…to talk…to create…an ongoing dialogue with your target audience!

Unlike print ads and direct mail outs that are static and limited in their information or even networking events that are one time meetings…social media allows you to “talk” with your audience…24/7. 

This creates incredible opportunities to be visible and responsive to your market!  But if you’re not careful, social media can be very overwhelming and distracting.  There are the social platforms, the tools (applications, widgets, plugins, etc),  social media etiquette, connecting and engaging with viewers, and the time involved…time can be a big factor!

One of the biggest mistakes practices make when starting in social media is they just jump in with no clear objectives or strategy.  They aren’t sure about what they what to do and how they’re going to do it.

They’ll set up their social sites, Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn, and maybe even a blog, but they don’t know how to connect, how to listen, and more importantly…how to engage effectively. Then after a few posts, their sites just sit there and begin gathering virtual dust. I’ve been to many dental sites on twitter and noticed the date of their last tweet was months ago. 

In using social media, to be effective in attracting and engaging quality followers, you must have these elements in place:

Know your target market and which social networks they are using the most

• Let’s put this into perspective:  If you work out of 3 Treatment Rooms and your patient is seated in TR 3 and you’re seated in TR 2 waiting for that patient, you aren’t going to get anything accomplished, you’re not where your patient is.

So if you’re on Twitter and your target is on Facebook…see the importance?  Go where the “eyeballs” are…know and be seen where your target market is.

Know and be clear about your objectives – goals – or outcome you want from social media

• What are you wanting social media to accomplish? Do you want to gain your targeted audience’s attention?  Drive traffic to your practice, blog, or website? Enhance your practice’s patient services?  Maybe you want to grow your practices email list

What are your objectives – what is it you want to accomplish with social media?

Create an engagement plan for using social media

• Once you’ve determined and joined the social network sites your target uses, you’ll need to determine how you are going to connect, engage, and communicate with your viewers.  How often will you “tweet”, post, or update. What are your core messages you will deliver?

Social media is all about connecting, engaging, and effectively communicating which in turn empowers your viewers.

Create a social media policy for your practice

• How will you and or your employees handle social media in your practice? What’s the right way and wrong way for your employees to use social media?  Who is going to be responsible for managing and overseeing your overall social media marketing? 

Whether handling in-house or outsourcing to a third party, you need a social media policy in place. 

One last point to bring is Safety Online:  Remember:  Once you’ve said it on the Internet, there’s no taking it back.  A few good rules to follow:

• Never post anything you don’t want your Grandmother or children to read
• Never give out sensitive information like account numbers or social security numbers
• Never spam – you’ll be un-followed and dropped like a hot dental instrument

By creating and having your social media strategy in place first:

• You’ll know your social media objectives
• How you’re going to achieve your objectives
• An overall plan for implementing your social media strategy

 These are the top elements needed in creating a winning social media strategy.  What additional elements have you used in your strategy?

This article first appeared in Dental Heroes.

Technorati Tags: create social media stragety, Create social media strategy, Dental Marketing, engaging and connecting, How to create a winning social media strategy, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, social media marketing

Social meda is a powerful marketing tool, but if you’re not careful it can be time consuming and can become overwhelming.

Invitations to connect, invitations to events, join this group, attend this meeting, use this application and the list goes on and on.  It’s no wonder after awhile many social marketing sites just sit there gathering virtual dust.  The key?  You must learn to stay focused.

When first entering the social arena, you might only want to join one of the social platforms, maybe Twitter or Facebook.  Then as you get comfortable with that platform, move on to the next.

But if you’re going to be or are already using several of the social platforms, there are some short cuts you can use to help on days when you’re pressed for time.

The biggest time saver for social marketing is to automate using the  following: 

• Schedule Tweets to post in the future using HootSuite.com or SocialOomph.com
• Write and pre-load your Blog content
• Set up searches and alerts
• Link up feed content to RSS Feeds
• Create email autoresponders
• Use plugins like Tweetmeme.com for viewers to be able to “Tweet This”

The “Lists” you can create in Twitter help you follow certain people easier and your lists can be added to HootSuite making it much easier to locate certain people you like to RT or respond to.

These are just a few time saving shortcuts but whenever possible, take a few hours a week to maintain your social platforms for making contacts and building those all important relationships.   This is social media so the more posts and tweets are seen,  the better.  Remember, it’s all about connecting, engaging, and communicating.

What time saving shortcuts can you share?

Technorati Tags: Blogging, Building Business, Dental Marketing, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, social marketing shortcuts, social media marketing, social media short cuts, time saving shortcuts for social marketing, time saving shortcuts for social media

Today, 85% of consumers are looking online for who they are going to do business with.  They aren’t flipping pages in a telephone book, looking in a magazine, or scanning direct mailers, there’re  on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Google viewing what others are saying . 

 But what does that have to do with transparency and authenticity?  In these economic times, people are looking behind the brand to the person and watching closely what’s being said and what’s being done, therefore, whatever is done must be done with quality! 

Through social marketing platforms, consumers have the opportunity to see, really see, who they are doing business with.  They do this by viewing what others are saying about your business, about how you are viewed by your customers, and even by having an actual conversation with you or your representative on one of the social platforms.  

Are you a business that stands behind your products?  Do you support your customers?  Do you go the extra mile?  Do you make solving your customers problem a number one priority?   

Transparency and authenticity allows viewers to see through to the core of how you do business. All of this and more is available to consumers through the social platforms.  

You want to be specific, be informative, be approachable, and very importantly…always be genuine.  You must be transparent and authentic to be real. 

The old saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” does not apply in social marketing.  In social marketing it’s all about “who KNOWS (really knows) you!”  

What do you think, what does transparency and authenticity in social marketing mean to you?

Technorati Tags: Dental Marketing, engaging social media, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, social marketing, social marketing platforms, transparency and authenticity in social marketing

Due to our outdoor utility room being broken into, and after some research, we purchased a system from CPI Security Systems.  You all know the commercials, it’s the one that says “CPI Security, identify yourself!”

Everything, from the initial phone call, through installation, and then exiting the property was done with customer service in mind and going the extra mile.

Initial phone call:  From the beginning of the call “Brad” (identified himself as he answered the phone) walked me through a series of questions to determine exactly what our needs were, what we wanted from the system, and the type of system we wanted (our objectives). Based on my answers (he listened) , he suggested a couple of options for us to consider.  (Extra Mile)

Brad also stated once the “technician” came out, based on actually looking at our property, we could make changes if needed. 

• At your viewers initial contact ask your viewers questions (and listen) to determine their specific needs (their objectives).   This is not a time to just start off by giving them your “sales” speech and telling them what you think they need.

Installation process:  “Adam” called before the installation time to let us know he would be running about 45 minutes late.  Then when he did get to our house (was actually earlier than the 45 minutes), he sat down with us and went over what he would be doing based on our conversation with “Brad” and asked if we had any questions. 

We did have some questions since we have our cat Muffin in the house most of the time.  We told Adam what we thought we needed for additional security that would be additional expense.   Adam listened to our concerns and then offered some suggestions that were actually better security wise and less expensive.  (Extra Mile)

• After the initial conversation, and upon “digging deeper”, could you offer your customer/viewer something better, based on their need, even if less expensive than what you originally discussed?

Exiting the property:  Adam went through the entire installation process, drilling holes, cutting and running wires, equipment in and out, going into the attic (probably 110 – 115 degrees up there), and installing equipment.  Stuff was everywhere ~ neat, but everywhere.

As he finished his install, he said  he was going to “clean up and put everything back in his truck” and would go over the system with us.

To my surprise, Adam came back in with a vacuum cleaner and literally vacuumed every spot he had drilled, picked up all the loose bits of wire, and put everything back exactly as he had found it ~ except for the keypad, you couldn’t tell he had been there! (BIG Extra Mile)

• When completing your project, break out your “vacuum” and  make sure your customers project has all loose ends ”cleaned up”, objectives are reached, and most importantly… their information presented  expertly to their viewers.  Always give more than what was expected!

In each instance above, going the extra mile didn’t cost a dime more, but the value add to ”company policy” setting CPI above the rest  was immeasurable.

What about you, what “extra mile” do you add that sets your business above the rest?

Technorati Tags: Building Business, following through, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, marketing in detail, service and the extra mile, the extra mile

 August has been designated Dental Office Managers Appreciation Month by the American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM).  A sincere “Thank You” to all Dental Office Managers and front desk teams, I truly appreciate YOU!!

Having been in the dental profession – in the business office - around 30 years, I thought I’d give you a glimpse into our day.  So on a lighter note let’s talk about hats!  I’m talking about the MANY different hats the business team wears as we travel through our day!

***(1) Turban:  Because….You’re a Mind Reader!

~“You sent my insurance to the wrong carrier.  I know I hadn’t been in to see you in quite sometime….I’d changed jobs 3 times… and I gave you the wrong insurance card…. but that’s immaterial… YOU should have…. known who my insurance carrier was!”

*** (2) Wizard’s Magic Wand:  Because….You’re an Absolute Scheduling Wizard!

 ~“I realize I am a few minutes late, 35 minutes to be exact, but I was going right be the Dry Cleaners, so I popped in there to drop off my cleaning.  I knew it wouldn’t matter, after all It’s “just a CLEANING appointment”!

~ “Oh come on now, your schedule can’t be that full, all I need to do is just run in, let him take a quick look and zip right out.  It won’t take…. 5 minutes!”

 ~“I just spoke to your hygiene coordinator, I told her I wanted to see VICKY, it has to be a Wednesday….no earlier than 4:15 ….and my insurance runs out in 3 weeks. I mean how much more flexible can I be? I gave her a date, a time and a hygienist??  Come on work with me here!??”

•  You’ve heard of a MALOX moment?   Well…. this is a METAMUSL MOMENT!   You just want to say….“Mr or Ms PAYNE take some Metamusl and loosen up!”

 *** (3) Top Hat:    Because…You’re  A Magician ~You make it ALL work out!     

~Dr InRoll-em walks the patient to the front desk and says:  ….Livvie, I looked at tomorrows schedule and saw that 30 minute open spot at 10:30.  John is going to come back for that little MODFL on  # 2 …..AND  we’ll just go ahead and do those other two restorations he needs on #3 and #4 since we will be right there…..  Oh  John, I see you are overdue for your cleaning, but our hygiene schedule is full tomorrow… Oh well,  while you are getting numb, why don’t we just clean your teeth and take that panorex and that way, John, you won’t have to make but one trip!!  That will work just fine in that 30 min spot!!

~Dr Bring-em-in …..What?  We have an emergency NEW patient on the phone?   Well sure…..tell them to come right on over ….What?     Sure we can take a look at the neighbor that’s bringing them, not a problem….. Lunch?  Not a problem either…we’ll just work right on through…..

**  ALL TEAM MEMBERS ARE MAGICIANS….YOU ALL WORK MAGIC !

*** (4) Construction Helmet:  Because…You’re Constantly Building Relationships!

Emotions are everywhere….Moods and Attitudes!   I ‘m the one the patient talks to first and it’s my smiling face that they see when they walk in, so….let me get this straight… No matter how frustrating MY day is…I still need to be able to build those bridges to better relationships?!!

*** (5) Fireman’s Helmet:   Because….You Put Out Fires All Day Long!          

Sniff Sniff……Does it smell like smoke to you…    Well, no need to worry, I do this every day.  You see its up to me to put out the fire when:

• A Patient Cancels at the last minute
• The Patients shows up 20 Minutes Late and we Reschedule 
• The Patients Insurance check is late or didn’t pay as expected 
• The Patient says “My insurance company said your fees are too high

NOTE:  ***I have yet to have a patient call me and say “My insurance company said THEIR  R & C fees are TOO LOW!” 

• Its up to your front desk people  to keep the flames down…I know it it gets hot in the Treatment Rooms….But try calming down some of the patients on the phone or at check out….. By the end of the day not only are you exhausted and feeling a little singed…..You’re also starting to think about  HAZARDOUS DUTY PAY…..

*** (6) Combat Helmet:    Because….Sometimes it’s like a Combat Zone

• Whew…I feel like I’ve been dodging bullets since I got here
• Insurance claims were mis-filed and statements went out late
• Patients are calling angry because their insurance should have covered their last procedures
• Production is DOWN….. Broken Appointments are UP
• Collections are OFF….. And the PRESSURE is ON!  (Sound Familiar? )

*** (7) Bunny Ears:   Because….. (This is My Favorite!)

“Wow… 

• I’ve put out the fire with that account call,
• I worked out scheduling that big case, 
• Smoothed that conversation with Mr. Payne and
• Insurance is reconsidering Ms. Diamonds case….Whew! ….~ OOPS there goes my phone again!…

With your EARS on…COME WHAT MAY…….You just keep going and going and going!

How about it dental team, how many of these “hats” have you worn?  Do you have a favorite Metamusl moment to share or a “hat” I’ve missed, I’d like to hear about it.

Technorati Tags: dental front desk, Dental Office Managers Appreciation Month, Livvie Matthews

Mashable released a great post by Jennifer Van Grove How Women Use The Web (Report) stating more women than men visit social networking sites spending as much as 30% more time on the sites and are more engaging with the sites than men. 

This ties right in with my recent post 4 Social Media Myths and relates to Myth # 2 – Social Media Platform Are Only For Teenagers.  Read Myth #2 here:

Myth #2: Social Media Platforms Are Only For Teenagers

Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are no longer sites just for teenagers.  Businesses have found these networking sites to present an incredible opportunity for connecting with and engaging their audience.  

According to Inside Facebook, a Facebook tracking source ,the fastest growing demographic is Women over 55.  Women also comprised over 56.2% of Facebooks audience, and 45% of Facebook’s US audience is women over age 26.  

What does this mean for you:  Women make approximately 80% of the decisions concerning purchases for themselves and their families. 

What percentage of women are in your practice and what’s their average age…bet they fall into one of these two ranges above.  Women are extremely active on the Internet and social media networks.  When the phone rings at your office, well over the majority of the calls are from women scheduling appointments or getting information.  

Social marketing and women presents tremendous opportunities for your practice to be able to connect, engage, and communicate in real time. 

Unlike the old traditional marketing of placing a static ad in a telephone book, magazine, or direct mail out,  and once printed there was no opportunity to connect and engage.  Social network marketing sites are all about relationship marketing ~ connecting and engaging ~ which is what we’ve preached in dentistry forever. 

Cosmetic Dentistry in years past was thought to be only for celebrities ~ the rich and famous ~ however we all know it’s the trend, it’s here, and it’s not going away.

Like Cosmetic Dentistry, Social Media is not a fad, it’s not going away, it’s firmly planted and here to stay. 

With Facebook passing their 500 million active users and buinesses gearing up for even more social media  marketing, it’s time to realistically look at your marketing plans in terms of what can social media do for your practice, which social media networks will benefit your practice the most, and how soon can you get started. 

If you are already utilizing social media in your practice, you may be ready to crank it up a notch expanding on what you’re already doing. 

But if you are one of the practices not yet started with social media, don’t worry, it’s not too late…in fact, it’s really the perfect time, because most practices have only been using it for a few months, but it’s an incredible opportunity you don’t want your practice (or your bottom line) to miss out on!

How are you using social marketing in your practice?  What benefits have you seen?

Technorati Tags: benefits of social media, Dental Marketing, engaging and connecting, engaging social media, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, social media and women, women using social media

Do you find yourself being Reactive to whatever comes along?  Never quite knowing what to expect or what your response would be when something out of the ordinary happens?  Or are you Proactive and have tried to anticipate what’s needed BEFORE it’s needed?

Proactive -vs- Reactive  makes all the difference when it comes to your practice and as an added benefit, it greatly reduces frustrations!

Being PROACTIVE involves nine specific areas:

P     PERSISTENCE

Persistence is the key to success in your practice and in social media networking! Sticking with it almost to the point of being stubborn. You keep at it. If it doesn’t work the first time, you don’t quit, you try it again and again. It may need to be rearranged, tried a different way, “tweaked” a little or revised, but the point is….you keep trying, you keep working it. Be persistent!

R   RELATIONSHIPS

Trust is the basis for any lasting relationship. Get to know who your patients are. Listen and understand their perceived needs and wants. Use their names often, pick up conversations where they left off at their last visit. Use social media to interact with your patients and build relationships. Your patient may not be able to explain the in-’s and out’s of the procedure or how you did it, but, your patient knows how he/she was treated and what type of experience they had while visiting your office, your social networking site, or purchasing your product. Build relationships!

O   OPPORTUNITIES

New services, options and availability can create tremendous opportunities for revenue and profit from existing (as well as new) patients. Seek to provide so many services and benefits that your patients choose to keep returning, even if their insurance changes or they move and the drive is a little further away. Every patient is an opportunity looking for a place to happen. Look for opportunities!

A   ACCOUNTABILITY

Any contact with a patient~ office visit, e-mail, social network site, web site,  or ezine ~reflects on your practice.  Each staff member should “own” the patient and be held accountable by their interactions for patient satisfaction. It’s all about service! Your “absolutely outstanding service”! Be accountable!

C   CONSISTENCY

You must be consistent with patients at each contact. Relationships are building with patients or possible new patients each time contact is made. The worst impression you can make is to meet your patients needs and expectations on one visit and then fall short during subsequent visits. Patients need to know what they can expect. Be consistent!

T   TENACITY   

Along with persistence and consistency comes tenacity. Holding firm and strong. Stay focused. Create a daily, weekly and monthly schedule and stick to it. Set your goals and stick to them. Develop your policies and procedures and stick to them. Be tenacious!

I  IDENTIFY

20% of your patients are providing 80% of your profits! Identify your patients who are in this 20% category to find the “core” of your business. What can be done for the other 80%? Identify your patients!

V   VALUE

Your services must be perceived with value by your patients. Value = Quality and the patient defines “Quality”. The “quality” appearance of your office or social site. “Quality” of patient interaction. “Quality” of your service. Market the value of your service!

E   ENTHUSIASM

Enthusiasm is exciting and contagious! Patients can distinguish your enthusiasm, or the lack of it, over the telephone, in your e-mail, or in person… within seconds. It is crucial the atmosphere of the practice, whether over the telephone, e-mail, ezine, online or offline be one of enthusiasm:  A love or passion about what you are doing!! Be enthusiastic!

Remember: Every patient-viewer is an Opportunity looking for a place to happen! By being PROACTIVE you will be ready for those Opportunities because you can leverage the….Dynamics Of A PROACTIVE Practice!

Technorati Tags: caring dentists, Dental Marketing, Draw patients, Livvie Matthews, Patient Relations, Proactive practice

Twitter and Facebook and Blogs..oh my!  YouTube and LinkedIn and Amplify…oh my!  Are you wondering how to fit all the pieces of the social media puzzle together? Are you feeling overwhelmed before you even get started?

Social media doesn’t have to be overwhelming, you can keep it simple…yes, simple.   There’s all the talk about social network sites, all the technical programs available, all the tools, all the applications, and there’s video…it goes on and on.  Where do you start and where does it all go?  How does it all fit together?

Putting jigsaw puzzles together is a great past time and if you’ve ever put one together you know you start out with putting your outside pieces, your frame, together first.  This becomes your “template” and your guide for where the rest of the pieces fit in the puzzle.

When starting with social media think of it as your jigsaw puzzle.  You’ll need to define your objectives, define your target market, and create your strategy.  In other words, define what it is you want to accomplish by using social media (your objectives), who do you want to reach (your target market), and how you are going to accomplish those objectives (your strategy).

Do you want to become the “go to” dentist in your area?  Are you wanting to grow your “family” dental practice?  Maybe you want to become “The” cosmetic dentist in your area or want to grow your practice’s email list.  Just what is it you want to accomplish?

Your objectives, target market, and strategy become your plan of action and your plan of action becomes your frame…your puzzle template. 

Once these pieces are together you’re ready to start filling in the rest of your puzzle…choosing your social networks.  To do this, you’ll need to be clear on your target market and familiar with which social networks they prefer to use the most. 

Let’s put this in perspective:  If you work out of 3 treatment rooms in your practice and your patient is seated in TR 3 and you’re seated in TR 2 waiting for that patient, you aren’t going to accomplish anything…you’re not where your patient is.  In other words, if you are on Twitter and your target is on Facebook…see the importance?  You want to go where the “eyeballs” are…be known and be seen where your target market is.

Just like your regular puzzle, you add one or two pieces at a time.  When choosing your social networks, start slow with one, possibly two, of the network pieces.  Many like to start with Facebook or Twitter and a blog.  As you get comfortable with these pieces, you have the option to add more pieces to your social network.  But the key is finding and working within your comfort level.

Whether you’re putting together a 500 piece puzzle (a couple of networks) or a 2000 piece puzzle (most of the networks) keep working and soon your social media puzzle will all be together in one good fit!

Technorati Tags: Dental Marketing, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, overwhelming social media, social media plan of action, social media puzzle, social media puzzle pieces, social media strategies

Social media is the buzz word in marketing.  You can be watching TV, eating in a restaurant, or on your computer and you will see or hear some mention of a social networking site.  It may be Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Blogs, or another of the many social networks.  

Whether you are on the social networks or not, you’ve even come to recognize their logos.  Social media has become a way of life and a powerful marketing avenue for businesses.  

But as powerful a source as social media presents, there are some business owners who still aren’t utilizing this incredible opportunity to grow their business sighting one or more of these 4 myths: 

Myth #1:  It’s Just A Fad

 Social media is still in its infant stages, however, it’s already proven its value and is definitely here to stay!  Facebook has over 400 million active viewers who spend over 500 million minutes per day on Facebook alone. 

Traditional advertising, newspaper ads, telephone ads, and direct mailers are static in nature.  They are usually advertisements about your services.  Once the printed piece is presented there is no opportunity for connecting with and engaging the viewer and answering their concerns. 

Social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs allow you to connect and engage your viewers with one on one conversation or group conversations.  

What does this mean for you:  More potential new patients and more treatment acceptance.  

Do you know anyone who likes…really likes…going to the dentists?  I don’t and I’ve been in it for almost 30 years.  But one of the most amazing facets of social media is the ability to become real, not just an advertisement or a picture in a telephone ad…you become real! 

Your viewers get to see their dentist as a real person, your personality, your hobbies, your likes and dislikes, even your ups and your downs… you’re real…you’re human.  You also have become their “go to” person in your field of expertise.  

Viewers are reading your posts, learning more about dentistry, finding out why they should visit a dentist and have their treatment done, seeing there can be medical complications when treatment goes undone.  All because you are presenting valuable information in your posts previously unavailable to patients due to limited time and access for information while visiting your office. 

All of this combines into establishing credibility, gaining trust, and building relationships and hopefully take some of the fear away associated with “going to the dentists”…and if a patient or potential new patient knows someone with a dental problem, who do you think they are going to refer them to….you!

Myth #2: Social Media Platforms Are Only For Teenagers

Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are no longer sites just for teenagers.  Businesses have found these networking sites to present an incredible opportunity for connecting with and engaging their audience.  

According to Inside Facebook, a Facebook tracking source ,the fastest growing demographic is Women over 55.  Women also comprised over 56.2% of Facebooks audience, and 45% of Facebook’s US audience is women over age 26.  

What does this mean for you:  Women make approximately 80% of the decisions concerning purchases for themselves and their families. 

What percentage of women are in your practice and what’s their average age…bet they fall into one of these two ranges above.  Women are extremely active on the Internet and social media networks.  When the phone rings at your office, well over the majority of the calls are from women scheduling appointments or getting information.  

Myth #3:  Too Time Consuming and Overwhelming 

The number of social media platforms available and all the information about social media can be overwhelming, IF you try to use all the networks starting out. 

One of the best pieces of advice is to start with just one, possibly two, of the social networks and become comfortable with how to use it.  Its better to be active and consistent on just a couple of sites than to be semi-active and inconsistent on a bunch of sites. 

Time is always a big factor in managing social media, but once past the learning curve, much of the work can (and should) be put on “auto-pilot”. 

Later if you determine you want to be active on the other sites but may not feel confident enough or may not have the time to manage the sites, you can always choose to outsource some or all your social media activities.  

What does this mean for you:  Choose where you want to start and jump in…take action!  

Realize you can assign someone in your practice (person must see the benefit and be social) to manage your social sites, however, this person should never post for you in the 1^st person as speaking for you.  You will also want to have a social media policy in place for “what to and what not to” post. 

As you grow you will learn much of your posts and information can be done ahead of time and preset to post in the future.  There are a lot of sites that allow you to make one post and then that site will automatically post your information to several other network sites…sort of  “one post does all”. 

Myth #4:  It Will Cost Too Much  

Your advertising budget is one of the largest expenses associated with your practice.  You have your newspaper and telephone book ads, magazine ads, direct mail outs, and possibly printed newsletters.  

Two major problems with traditional print ads:  1) They are static as mentioned earlier in this article and once read, there’s no interaction with the viewer.  2) With print ads, especially direct mail outs, at best there is only about a 5% return on the investment…what happened to the other 95% of your investment dollars? 

Solution:  Social media marketing – interacting with patients and potential new patients. 

What does this mean for you:  All the social media networking sites are Free to join, come with unlimited use, and are marketing your practice…24 / 7 / 365! 

It would be a mistake to pretend social media is totally free because there is the time involved with maintaining your sites, especially when maintained well whether maintained in-house or outsourced to a third party.  

When you factor in how many, or should I say how few, people are actually reached with traditional advertising, the cost of budgeting money for an ongoing social media presence pales in comparison. 

Add to that the fact only about 15% of the population still uses telephone books and print ads with the other 85% using online sources, you can see why creating and maintaining your online presence is critical to your practice. 

Bottom line:  When done correctly, social media marketing has the ability to cut your advertising expenses by as much as 90%!  This translates into more money in your childrens college fund, more money to travel and enjoy life, and …last but not least, more time on the golf course (or your favorite hobby)!! 

The primary objective of social media marketing is a bridge that gives you access to people, information, and even companies that in the past, you didn’t have access to.  Its one-on-one contact and its word of mouth advertising in the best of forms and…most of its ….Free.  

Through your social media communities and patient interactions you establish your practices online visibility, make contacts, gain their trust, and build profitable relationships ultimately leading to more new patients, more treatment acceptance, and more product and services sales.  

Isn’t that what you’ve wanted to do since you opened your practice? With social media…you can!

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