Category: Uncategorized

End of Year Dental Insurance Benefits Letter

October of last year, we wrote about that all-important end of year benefits letter that dentists across the nation are preparing to mail. Believe it or not, it’s that time of year again, already. October begins on Monday, and Americans will soon be caught up in the holiday madness. While saving money (and spending money) is on their minds, visiting their dentist probably is not.

Capturing Your Patients’ Attention

How can you convey to your current patients that they will save money in 2012 by completing unfinished dental treatment plans before December 31, 2011? In the midst of ghouls and goblins, turkeys and leaves, holly and mistletoe, how can you capture a few moments of their precious time to share this important message – a message that will literally keep money in their pockets?

Traditionally, dentists send out an end of year benefits letter that explains these points to patients:

  • Your dental benefits will expire on the last day of 2012.
  • The money you’ve put toward your dental insurance deductible will disappear; you will have to begin again in January of 2013.
  • If you have not seen the dentist in six months, you may be eligible for a 100% paid dental checkup and cleaning, under your dental insurance benefits.
  • If you have an incomplete or open treatment plan, you will probably spend less by completing the dental work in 2012 than if you wait until 2013, because the money you’ve invested toward your deductible will have reduced your out-of-pocket expense, but only until the end of this year.

Strategic Marketing Works

The end of year dental benefits reminder is actually part of your dental practice’s marketing. It is not simply a function of administration. Thinking about the letter in this way, consider where your patients go, what they see, and how they communicate with other people. In the Internet age, most of your patients probably use email and social networks to acquire information. In response, you should make your dental insurance benefits letter available via these channels. Read More

Transitioning Dental Patient Phone Calls into Scheduled Appointments

As dental marketing consultants, we know the acute importance of answering the phones in a dental office. You can invest thousands of dollars in marketing, and your efforts may lead many potential patients to call your office. Though you, the dentist, don’t answer your phones, the successful transition of potential patients to scheduled patients relies on how well you train your front office team. Unfortunately, many dentists do not know how to educate their administrative staff in this vital skill.

We’ve identified three common scenarios that turn new patients away, before they book an appointment. Steer clear of these traps, and you’ll see your new patient numbers grow. Read More

Building Value into a Dental Practice

This guest post is brought to you by our friends and colleagues at Goldin, Peiser & Peiser, LLP, a Dallas-based accounting firm.

For a dental practice to be successful, its dentist-owner must do more than simply produce satisfied patient-customers. The dentist must operate the practice as a business – an entity that generates revenues, assesses risks, and sets long-term financial goals.

Most dentists, although incredibly knowledgeable about the field of dentistry, are not trained in the analytical methodologies required to scrutinize and evaluate the overall business functions of their practice.  Even those dentists with the time and skills necessary to manage the day-to-day business operations of their practice cannot deny that their energy is better spent on the more critical role of treating patients.

Often outside financial consultants experienced in dental practice management and handling issues facing dentists can be valuable business partners. This allows dentists to concentrate on treating patients, while the business adviser provides personal attention and customized solutions that meet immediate and future business needs. Read More

Top 12 Give Aways for Dental Offices

Branding is important for any business, from a dental office to a carpenter, a daycare center to a superstore. A brand, in short, is the impression you want consumers to have regarding your business — so a brand is really an idea. However, to convey a brand, marketing professionals rely on logos, taglines, mission and vision statements, customer service standards, and tangible items. If your dental practice does not yet have  a logo to unify your online and in-person image, consider investing in one. MDPM has excellent graphic designers and reasonable rates. If you already have a logo, put it into action in your community.

Here are a few hot tips for integrating give aways into your dental marketing plan.You’ll find these items and others in the MDPM marketing specialties store for dentists. Low-cost items are great for handing out at events and schools, while items of greater value can be gifts for smile makeover, dental implant, or full-mouth rehab patients.

Think Seasonal

Universal Items

  • Coffee mugs are a staple! Keep nice, logo’d travel mugs on hand for referring doctors and patients.
  • T-shirts are a must-have, especially if you cater to kids and young adults.
  • Pens will be well received and freely shared among your patients and potential patients. Read More

How Important Is Social Networking for Dentists?

How many new patients have you ever gotten from Facebook? LinkedIn? Twitter, Pinterest, MySpace? The answer is probably none, if you’re like most dentists. I’m disappointed in dental marketing companies who shout “social networking” from the hilltops just because dentists, by nature, are interested in new things.

At MDPM, we’ve helped dentists set up Facebook contests, we offer a daily social networking posting service, and we set up Facebook and Google+ Local for all of our clients. However, we do not believe that spending hours a week on social networking will ultimately yield more new patients.

The Purpose of Marketing is to Grow a Business

Website First: Dental marketing aims to get dentists more patients. A great dental marketing strategy can be targeted toward a particular demographic — say, those patients who need dental implants, smile makeovers, or sleep apnea treatment. While Internet marketing is absolutely essential for dental practice growth, social marketing is just one of many tactics savvy dentists should employ (and in moderation). All dental marketing should begin with a well optimized, visually appealing dental website that can be amended as needed, as the practice grows. Branding with a logo, signature color palette, and practice name will tie all of your marketing together. So, create a brand, then build a website. Read More

Facebook for Dentists: What to Do Now

Well, we now have Timeline for individuals and businesses. If your dental practice has a business page, you may have noticed a pop-up that asked you to create a special offer this week — that’s new. But everyone has been talking about Facebook for a few years now. If you’re asking yourself how a dentist can use Facebook in marketing, join the club. I ask myself that question every day. Yes, I’ve seen, read, and heard other marketing experts share their advice. To date, though, I’ve not had a dentist tell me that Facebook brings in new patents and has a great return on investment (ROI). Websites do, blogs do, microsites do, but Facebook? Not so much.

Should we continue to do what’s not working? Absolutely not. That’s the definition of insanity, according to Einstein. We have to find an application that will make Facebook that serves us well.

I’m a problem solver by nature, so I’ve dived into the challenge of trying to determine how to leverage Facebook for dentists — without purchasing Facebook ads. Can it be done? I’m not sure, but here are some things I want to share based on the new boot camp video series that Facebook created and the feedback I’ve received from dentists over the years. Read More

Ten Steps for Managing New Patient Surveys

Last week, we discussed the pros and cons of conducting patient surveys. Although Modern Dental Practice Marketing primarily focuses on marketing through blogs, websites, social media, and newsletters, we’re happy to offer you a 10-step plan to help your team manage a dental patient survey.

Step 1: Decide upon your survey’s theme

Your survey should be geared to a specific topic so you can target improvements to a specific area or service of your dental practice.  For example, if you want to discern whether your front office staff is acting professionally, you might want to tailor your survey to patient service oriented questions.

Step 2: Ask questions that illicit useful feedback

Ideally, the answers in a survey should provide as much information as possible in a concise manner. Avoid open-ended questions and simple yes or no answers. Instead employ a scale for each question.

Step 3: Determine how you will conduct your survey

Will you use an Internet service, hand out survey forms to patients in person, or use both of these methods? If you decide to use both methods, you may have more patient feedback.

Step 4: Decide if you need to screen the survey’s audience

Depending on the purpose of your survey, you may need to screen who participates. For example, let’s assume that you’re a general dentist who also provides cosmetic dental procedures. More than likely, a 10 year old’s opinion of porcelain veneers won’t matter much to you.

Step 5: Inform respondents of how long the survey should take

Time is valuable. As a courtesy to your patients, let them know roughly how long the survey should take. Extending this gesture of respect for their time, might secure more responses. Read More

Do Dentists Need to Market with Pinterest?

In light of many recent questions from our clients, I’ve postponed the follow up to “Do Dentists Need a Patient Survey,” and instead, today’s blog will focus on Pinterest.

  • Fact: Pinterest is the third largest social networking platform, behind Facebook and Twitter.
  • Fact: Pinterest is free, just like Facebook and Twitter.
  • Fact: If you don’t post to Facebook and Twitter, you sure won’t post to Pinterest.

What is Pinterest?

Wikipedia has a good definition: “Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, ‘re-pin’ images to their own collections and or ‘like’ photos. Pinterest’s mission is to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting”[3] via a global platform of inspiration and idea sharing.” Read More

Do Dentists Need a New Patient Survey?

I’m often asked whether a dentist should send a survey to new patients. On one hand, surveys provide information that you can use to improve your customer service. On the other hand, consumers are inundated with surveys.

You’re probably asked to complete a survey at over half of the stores and restaurants you visit…the request is often printed on the bottom of your receipts, along with a promise to enter your name to win a bazillion dollars if you complete the survey. The survey craze is a national problem. Just yesterday, a popular radio station featured the topic of “too many surveys” on their morning show, here in Dallas-Ft. Worth. When is the last time you completed a survey, just to offer constructive advice (not to register a complaint)?

Why to Have a Survey

That said, surveys for new dental patients can be a good tool for improvement and quality control. You’re in and out of your office every day, and you probably think you know the impression you make on new patients. However, you aren’t on the phone when they call, in the front office when they arrive, or at checkout when they leave. You may not know how long they waited to see you, whether they were greeted with a smile or frown, and what the “temperature” is in your office. The kicker is, if you are not going to review survey results and take action toward improvement, surveys are a waste of time for you and the patients who complete them! Read More