Get Popular: Hook Up Your Dental Practice with Google Places

Did you know that it takes a person 9 seconds to type in a Google search query? Google produces results in ~300 milliseconds. (Talk about a super highway!)  Then, the user – your potential patient – chooses the website he likes best in about 15 seconds.

These numbers are based on Google’s extensive research.

Google is the search engine of choice. It truly dominates, accounting for 65% of searches in America. Bing and Yahoo! were neck-in-neck until September of this year, when the two merged. Now Yahoo! gets its search results from Bing. Even with this, Google is the clear leader.

Obviously, your dental website must rank well on Google if Internet marketing is going to be profitable for you.

Google offers quite a few ways to help businesses succeed locally, and the more info you have on Google, the better your search engine rankings will be. The Grand Central Station for your business is Google Places. Your listing can feature an interactive map,blog or website link, business information, hours of operation, your photo gallery, your YouTube videos, and even chatty updates from you – kind of like Twitter updates.

Still don’t quite get it? Check out this commercial about Google Places.

So, how do you set up your dental practice on Google Places? Easy. You call Modern Dental Practice Marketing, and we do it for you.

Okay, if you want to do it yourself, here’s how… Read More

What Does “Customer No Service” Mean to You?

In our society today, we often hear the words “customer service” used to signify that an organization’s primary focus is on its customers.  We also have heard another term used, “customer no service.”  This term was derived to designate those organizations where customer satisfaction is not the primary focal point.  Unfortunately, success either never comes, or is very fleeting for those who find themselves in the latter group.

Why is this?  The answer is quite simple.  Without customers, no business can survive, let alone prosper.  Dentistry is no different!  Patients have many choices for dental care today.  In most metropolitan areas in the U.S., there is a dental office on every corner, so competition is fierce, and patient retention is more challenging than ever before.

So, what can we do in our practice to insure we not only attract new patients, but hang on to the ones we have?  You guessed it!  Excellent customer service!  What exactly does this mean, you might ask?  It means putting the needs of the customer (patient) first.  When that patient calls on the phone, or walks through the door of our office, they have to feel that they are number one!  No matter what else might be going on around us, our number one responsibility, regardless of what our role in the office, is to make each and every patient feel important, listened to, cared for, and appreciated.

It is not okay to get this right some of the time.  We have to get it right 100% of the time.  This starts from the way we answer our phone, and carries all the way through our clinical care and the way we handle our patients’ financial concerns.  Every patient is an individual, with unique circumstances and needs.  It is absolutely critical that we recognize this and behave accordingly at all times. Read More

Social Media Marketing & Small Business… Worth Your Time?

I’ve said before that Facebook may or may not bring you new business, and I stand by that statement. However, we have to look at the nature of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other Internet communities to understand how and why social networking can be profitable.

You’ve been to a face-to-face networking event; the awkward feel that everyone’s there to sell something (that’s why you’re there). The odd-looking people who you know are there because they have nothing else to do–which is not a good sign. The somewhat interesting (if you’re lucky) speaker.

You leave with a handful of business cards and a dream that maybe from the two hours of your life you just invested, maybe one, just one of the folks you met will bring you a new client…somehow. But networking online is different. It’s so much better!

Read More

Dental Practice Names & Dental Website Domains…Different Animals

Zebras and tigers both have stripes, but they are very different. For instance, even in a pinch, I wouldn’t ride a tiger. I also wouldn’t advise petting or hand feeding a tiger. A zebra, on the other hand, sure! Sounds like fun!

Another obvious difference is that Zebras live on the plains of Africa. Tigers call the jungle home.

My point is, like zebras and tigers, your practice name and website domain name have different homes, different purposes, and thus should be dealt with differently. That’s not to imply that your practice and website shouldn’t have the same name, but I recommend you put some thought behind your decision. These names should be with you for a long, long time.

As with most marketing and advertising concepts, I recommend attacking the naming issue with logic. This Q&A chart should help. Read More

The Formula for Writing a Great Dental Practice Tagline

Some folks call it a tagline, others call it a motto or slogan. What we’re talking about here is the short phrase that follows your practice name. The little cluster of words tagged onto the end of your message. For instance, Modern Dental Practice Marketing’s tagline is: We’re in the Business to Make Dentists Smile!

TAGLINE QUIZ

Can you remember the companies for these taglines?

  • Over 10 billion served
  • Always low prices
  • You’re in good hands
  • Don’t leave home without it
  • Something special in the air
  • Good to the last drop
  • Zoom Zoom
  • Just do it
  • The nighttime sniffling sneezing coughing aching stuffy head fever so you can rest medicine
  • That was easy

I want to talk with you about how to come up with a good, catchy tagline for your small business or dental practice.

To gather the clouds for a good brainstorm, read your mission statement, philosophy, and/or vision. Write down single words that represent your practice.

Small Business Social Media Management with a KISS

I read an article on Mashable today that listed over 30 different social media sites. There are a bazillion more out there. If you’ve heard about smart phone advertising, social networking by location, and other crazy technical stuff you don’t understand, the words “social networking” can seem scary or overwhelming. Problem is, EVERYONE has jumped on the bandwagon. When any business succeeds to unprecedented levels like Facebook has, every Tom, Dick, and Harriet wants a piece of the pie…or even better, their own pie.

Here’s the deal:

  • As a small business owner, you need social networking as a part of your Internet marketing plan.
  • As a small business owner, you do not need ALL FORMS of social networking. That would be a gross waste of time and energy.
  • As a small business owner, you have NO TIME for anything social! If you did, golf would come way before Facebook.
  • As a small business owner, I understand and empathize.

Let’s apply the KISS philosophy (keep it simple, silly). Read More

The Secret to Patient/Customer Loyalty & Excellent Word-of-Mouth Referrals

We have three main grocery stores in my town. One is super cheap, and I have to admit, I shop there. It’s the American Way. Another is staffed by teenagers who are more interested in texting than bagging. As a shopper in this store, I’m a guinea pig for workers in training. And I’m paying for this privilege? No thank you.

The third grocery store is amazing…so it’s the store I prefer and recommend. Prices are higher, sure. But being greeted with a smile and, “Can I help you?” is priceless. If I can’t find what I’m looking for, an employee reads the confusion on my face and rushes over to help. He actually walks me to the product I need—never points or gives me directions. I love Tom Thumb in Trophy Club, Texas. Those fine folks could write a book on excellent customer service.

One of my favorite quotes is from Einstein. He said something like Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Logic tells us that the reverse is true. Good sense is doing the same thing over and over if you want the same results.

I decided to analyze why I like Tom Thumb. My main appreciation is for the employees. As a somewhat intelligent businesswoman, I should apply these points to my own business. I’m no Einstein, but I figure that mimicking the customer service that I appreciate will foster the same loyalty in my clients that I feel for my favorite grocery store.

Fact: Word of mouth advertising has the best return on investment of any marketing.

Fact: Seventy percent of Internet users believe the testimonials
they read online. It’s modern word of mouth.

Fact: If you get good reviews on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp!, Google, etc.,
you’ll benefit not only from readers of those reviews, but also from search engines loving the backlinks to your website.

So what’s the secret to rave reviews, loyal customers, and excellent customer service? Read More

Today’s Guest Blog: Hire the Best Person and Train for Dental Success

This blog was provided by Warschaw Learning Institute and written by Elaine Dickson. Let me know what you think!

Dr. Bill Sasser, a periodontist in Charleston, South Carolina puts it very simply.  “I don’t base my employee’s salary on the position, but on the person.  A good employee is worth everything, and a bad one is worth nothing.”  In dentistry as in many other businesses, all employees are not “created equal”.  Just because someone has more “experience” does not necessarily make them a better candidate than another person who has not worked in the field.

Limiting your hiring process by recruiting only those who have worked in dentistry can be very hazardous to practice growth, because you may not get what you are paying for.  Just because someone interviews well and has worked in a position for awhile, does not always mean they have been successful.  This depends on the person, and it’s the right combination of attitude, character traits, experience and personality that makes a truly valuable employee.  Experience is only one piece of the puzzle, and the question you must ask yourself is “what type of experience?”  Sometimes experience translates into bad habits that can encumber your progress and actually cause your practice to digress.

People make all the difference.  What good does it do to spend thousands of dollars on continuing education and implement practice management systems designed to insure effectiveness, when you do not have the right people to carry these systems out?   As a dentist/practice owner it is not humanly possible for you to perform chairside and oversee all of the administrative or even clinical systems of your practice at the same time. Read More