Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics Tampa 2011 Conference on Social Media & Marketing for Dentistry

Slated for April 1st and 2nd, 2011, there are just a few weeks left to sign up. Can you afford to miss it?

If You Build It, They Will Come

Today’s marketing environment has changed dramatically. It’s gone viral, to say the least. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs are the hubs of social media and you can use them to leverage your practice, solidify your brand, and grow your patient base. If you’re not in the social media game, you’re simply not reaching your full potential.

A Social Platform

The benefits of social media marketing:

• Access is easy and inexpensive –anyone with the Internet can be a part of social media
• Increase communication that fosters brand awareness and better customer service
• Your patients become your mouthpiece by sharing information with their social networks
• Create content that attracts attention and generates buzz
• Centralize information and share new developments

For more information, or to sign up, visit ACE 2011 Conference on Social Media & Marketing for Dentistry.

Enter Dr. Mayer Levitt, President and owner of Jodena Consulting, a firm that provides vital support and solutions to dental practices nationwide. Dr. Levitt spent nearly 30 years managing his now 12 chair dental practices before becoming a consultant, and during his last seven years in private practice, he balanced both consulting and practice management. Dr. Levitt knows the business of being a dentist and has worked with over 525 practices on everything from creating profitable hygiene departments, to practice transitions and helping doctors optimize their efficiency and effectiveness.

Dr. Levitt graciously allowed us to pick his brain about practice management today, and to let us in on a few secrets:

DB: As a dentist, what was the hardest thing about managing your own practice?
Dr. Levitt: Unquestionably, finding and keeping a talented, caring, customer service oriented staff. It’s still the biggest problem for dental practices now.

DB: What are some of the worst mistakes a dentist can make when managing his or her practice?
Dr. Levitt: Micromanaging the staff and not allowing them to grow and learn from their mistakes is a big misstep. Also, failure to think outside of the box and stifling creativity is an issue. Sometimes you simply have to leave your comfort zone and remain open to a different approach. If you continue to do what you have always done, you will continue to get what you’ve always gotten.

DB: What’s the latest piece of advice you’re giving to your clients?
Dr. Levitt: Get going with Internet marketing. It’s an absolute must if you want your practice to remain competitive. You have to have a great website as well as a social media presence. Google is king!

Dr. Levitt also let us in on another secret. Since he is no longer practicing dentistry, he doesn’t get the satisfaction of seeing patients relieved of pain and happy with their smiles. Now he gets his kicks seeing his clients become more successful as they grow their practices. For more great practice management advice, visit Dr. Levitt’s blog. Be sure to sign up for the Jodena blog RSS Feed to receive lots of consistent, practical advice delivered right to you email (you’ll receive a FeedBurner notice via email, so be sure to confirm after signing up). To learn more about Dr. Levitt and Jodena Consulting, visit his website at www.jodena.com.

Google Local (Google Maps or Google Places)
This little tool will get your business on the map. The Google Map.

If you don’t claim your listing, someone else may. And there’s nothing you can do about it! Google takes precautions to prevent this, but your best bet is to claim your listing now. It just takes a minute.

Go to http://local.google.com. In the left sidebar, you’ll see a hyperlink that says “Put your business on Google Maps.” Click it! If you don’t have a Google account, go ahead and set one up. If you do have an account, simply choose Google Places from your main Google Accounts page. Then just follow the instructions to get your business listed. Be sure to fill out ALL of the keywords, etc. Stand by your phone because the verification process involves a phone call. Have a pen handy to write down the verification number. Verify, and you’re golden.

You’re going to see ads about paid listings. You don’t need those right now.

Google Alerts
Find out when your business is mentioned online, and keep your finger on the pulse of topics close to your heart. Google Alerts will send you email notifications when keywords that you specify show up on Google that day.

From your main Google Accounts page, choose Alerts, and click Manage. Type in search terms that you want to be notified about: your business name, your competitor’s business name, your name, your city (for local news), and any other topic of interest (ie: cosmetic dentistry, LVI, sleep apnea dentistry). Complete the questionnaire, and you’ll begin receiving Google Alert emails the same day.

These tips were provided by TNT Dental, a leader in custom dental website design and hosting. Call TNT Dental today to discuss your Internet marketing strategy: 877-868-4932.

We can talk about whether Facebook and Twitter are good for dental marketing all day long, and everyone has an opinion…

“I believe social media is one of the most important marketing tools to emerge since the creation of the World Wide Web.”

~ Fred Joyal’s Blog

“No online social networking personally or professionally anymore. Most of it is a waste of time. I’d rather spend the valuable time with my wife and kids who have also decided not to do any of the online social networking anymore.”

~ The Wealthy Dentist Blog

Ohio Prosthodontist

“With social media growing at an unprecedented rate and a large percentage of our patients participating on these popular channels daily, the decision to establish our own space on these social networks was easy. Now our practice can easily distribute office news, dental information and practice promotions to our entire network of patients with the click of a mouse. Not to mention that our patients can always join in on the conversation by providing feedback.”

~Latest Breaking News

Dr. Mary Sue Stonisch

The reality is, you have to ask yourself if social networking:

• Will meet your dental practice’s marketing goals
• Will work for your dental patients
• Will complement your dental practice’s marketing strategy
• Will be something you (or your team) can keep up with

Your Goals

Social networking is not going to bring you a ton of new patients. If that’s your main goal, don’t waste your time. However, if you want to keep in contact with your current patients and foster a friendly, personal relationship, Facebook can help. Twitter can give current patients an update on what’s going on in your office.

Your Patients

Do your patients use Facebook and Twitter? Do they use the computer? How often? Studies show that Facebook is most widely used with a very young population. And, of course, patients in a high income area will be more likely to use social networking. How many of your patients have smart phones? Do they even want to hear from you on Facebook? You can always ask! Survey your patients before they leave the office.

Your Marketing Strategy

Do you blog? Is your website optimized? Are you really on top of your game with Internet marketing, or do you just have a website because you don’t think the phone book has any future? If you’re serious about online marketing and fostering a community in your practice where patients and team members feel like they know one another, social networking may suit your strategy. If you and your staff don’t like the computer, there’s no reason to try to force a Facebook peg into a traditional marketing hole.

Your Busy Life

Keeping up with Facebook and Twitter takes time. If you don’t check your FB account every day now, what makes you think you’ll do it for the office? You may have a front office person who could maintain a Facebook Fan Page, with a little training. Or maybe social networking just isn’t where it’s at for your dental practice.

Advice from Experts

If you’d like a personal consultation about social networking, call TNT Dental and speak with one of our web experts. These savvy folks can answer all of your questions and guide you through the process of setting up and learning about effective social networking. Call today: 877-868-4932, or visit TNT Dental online here.

It’s all about the apps.

Fact: In only nine months, iPod app downloads topped one billion.

What is an app?

App is short for application. A website app is a downloadable version of a website that’s completely user friendly on a cell phone that has Internet capability.

Dr. Lance Timmerman of Seattle has a custom website with TNT Dental. The website features email contact forms, a blog by Dr. Timmerman, video introductions by the dentist, a before-and-after gallery, and many other cutting-edge features that promote conversion – turning web visitors into active patients.

Always on top of state-of-the-art marketing trends, Dr. Timmerman now has a practice website application from TNT.mobile.

Check it out:

Want a TNT.mobile app of your own?

It’s simple. Just call TNT Dental at 877-868-4932 for details. TNT Dental is your Internet marketing partner, and the folks there are anxious to take your practice to the next level!

For dentists, the first point of reference in advertising guidelines should always be the state board’s regulations. The Texas Dental Association, for instance, does not allow dentists to use testimonials in advertising. Other state dental boards regulate issues like statements of superiority, promising predictable results, and use of misleading statements.

Once your advertisement or website passes through the state board’s filter of regulations, consult the FTC guidelines. New policies prohibit promises of atypical results in testimonials, even with a disclaimer; revealing material connections with endorsers; and even on talk shows and in social media, celebrities have to tell people if they’re being paid for the endorsements they discuss.

These days, with online communities like Facebook and Yelp!, dentists who want to boost their advertising often look for testimonials from their patients. Demandforce and other marketing companies for dentists provide a service to acquire and post testimonials from current patients. Not a bad idea if you don’t know the rules and don’t have the time.

For video testimonials, the new guidelines could mean that you’ll need to script the patient testimonials prior to shooting or edit the videos for compliance before use.

A set of guides are available online to make the “16 C.F.R. Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” a little easier for you to digest. Get the scoop here: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm.

Take a look for yourself, then tell us what you think! If you have a great FB page, link it in the comments section. We want to see it!

http://tips.TNTDental.com

• What’s the big deal about Facebook?
• If Baby Boomers don’t Facebook much, and they’re my ideal clientele, what’s the point?
• Why would I waste time chatting online when I could be working?
• How am I supposed to make time to blog and network? I’m a doctor, for goodness’ sake!

…watch this video. The facts presented here are staggering – and sobering. After the video, read the rest of this blog posted below, and you’ll find practical social networking tips for your dental practice.

As Promised, Social Networking Tips for Your Dental Practice

• Get a website.
  If you don’t have a website, you’re way behind the times, and your practice will suffer. Part of running a successful business is keeping up with marketing trends. The Internet has replaced Yellow Pages.

• Get a blog.
  In short, a blog is like an interactive newsletter that will really help your search engine rankings. Your blog can be a page of your website.
  • Automatically post blogs to Facebook and Twitter with the “Add to Any” widget.
  • Be sure to tag your blogs with relevant keywords and use rich headings.

• Get free Facebook and Twitter accounts for your practice.
  
  • Simply go to www.facebook.com and www.twitter.com and sign up with your practice’s name.
  • Post a footprint advertising your Facebook and Twitter accounts on your website’s homepage.
  • Update your Facebook account daily with your website’s blog post.
  • Befriend/follow your patients, suppliers, employees, and specialists to whom you refer patients.
  • Require that your team members post to your blog, Facebook, or Twitter once a week. You don’t have to do all the work yourself.

This certainly isn’t ALL you can do, but it’s a good start.

TNT Dental, a leader in Internet marketing, offers clients free advice and blog training. Yes, I said it’s free for TNT clients. Also, TNT can write blogs for you – a service they call GhostPosts. So, if you’re ready to take your Internet marketing to the next level, call TNT Dental today at 877-868-4932!

TNT Dental will keep you plugged in with the latest Internet marketing strategies and resources. As a leader in dental website design, hosting, and search engine optimization, TNT Dental can lead your practice into the next generation of Internet marketing. Each week, the TNT Tips Blog shares IT info for dentists, so you can quickly and specifically learn about topics like website design and hosting, blogging and GhostPosts, traffic reporting, search engine optimization, and online forms tracking. Visit www.TNTDental.com or call 877-868-4932 for more information.

Social Networking = Networking online, socially or professionally.
Social Media = News sources online.

Not a social networker? You can still take advantage of online news stories  by hooking up with social media sources. In addition to DentalBlogs, Dental Products Report, Dental Lab Products, Dental Economics, DentalCompare, and many national and local dental organizations post updates on Twitter and Facebook. As a “friend” of DentalBlogs, you can log in as often as you like to our Facebook account, and there, you’ll find the latest news from these and other important sources in the dental industry.

Here are 5 great Reasons for Becoming a DentalBlogs Friend on Facebook:

1. You’re busy! Log in to www.facebook.com/dentalblogs any time for the latest dental news in one online location.
2. Hook up! Ease in to social networking, if you want. You may see some of your old college pals, business associates, or networking acquaintances on our Facebook account. It’s easy to reconnect…but it’s not mandatory.
3. More bang for your click! DentalBlogs posts one story per day on our main page, but at Facebook, we post links to hundreds of stories every month.
4. Just what you want! On our Facebook account, you won’t have to funnel through personal posts to find the news. Instead, our page is set up so that you see only the news and related comments from our other friends.
5. Speak your mind! Simply add a comment to tell our Facebook friends what you think about a news story.

Facebook is free. All you have to do is sign up for your own page. Once there, you can be as active or inactive as you like. When you have time, you may want to add a photo, find friends, and share an update about yourself.

www.facebook.com

Twitter is free. Like with Facebook, all you have to do is sign up.

www.twitter.com

If you do NOT want emails about posts on your social media networks, be sure to disable email alerts in your profile.

Learn more here:

Dentists on Facebook

Will Facebook Work for You?