I’ve done a few posts like this where I single out a type of business and theorize how I would use Social Media for that job/industry.
Today, this is how I would use Social Media, if I were a family dentistry practice.
The Dentist
How many words in the english language conjure up such terrifying thoughts as “The Dentist?” When I even think about the sound of that drill; eeek! In spite of that, I’ve learned that there are some great dentists out there, and quite frankly, the world should know that. So first and foremost, I want to give a shout out right now to my dentist, Jeff Cabot of Queen Village Family Dentistry – Place Page.
So here’s what I’d do if I were a family dentistry practice.
Website, with a blog
This is the “101” stuff. I would have a website that’s easy to navigate. I’d put up some information about my services. Make it very clear where my office(s) is/are located. The phone number would be visible and all social sites would have links in the header or footer.
For my blog I’d pull together some interesting information on dental health, latest research on dental health and maybe post a video or two, or some pictures. My goal is to create something valuable, that also provides additional search-friendly pages to the website. When prospective patients come to the site, I want them to get a sense of who I am.
Foursquare, Yelp and SCVNGR
These might be the coolest tools I would use. Location based tools would allow me to provide value to my patients outside of the office.
First thing to think about…
Dentist-relevant locations
Think about grocery stores, candy shops and restaurants…not to mention Pharmacies. Foursquare gives me the ability to leave tips at locations that people in my network would see if they checked in nearby. This is a way to keep my dentistry top of mind, not to mention pretty hip and ahead of the curve.
Leave “tips” at Restaurants
If I went to a BBQ joint within 10 miles of my office, I’d leave a tip at the restaurant.
Something like:
“Try the ribs here, they are incredible, but remember to floss afterwards. Ribs are notorious for getting stuck in between teeth.
Leave “tips” at the Grocery store
At the grocery store I’d leave a few tips like:
“Running low on toothpaste? Need to replace your tooth brush? Try a soft bristle brush, great for sensitive teeth. BTW I recommend Crest Mint with Scope, tastes great!”
Leave “tips” at Candy stores
Everyone loves the candy store, right? Believe me, even dentists can’t ward off a “Take 5” craving or the sweet allure of a box of Nerds at a kid’s birthday party. Nothing wrong with liking candy but as your dentist, I’d want to take a moment to suggest good dental health.
I’d leave a tip at a candy store like:
“Personally, I love chocolate covered raisins, but whatever you get, no matter how much candy you eat, just remember to brush your teeth tonight.”
Next step…
Incentives
I’d think about what I could offer at a reduced cost. Maybe I’d do a kick ass toothbrush giveaway, or some percentage off of a teeth whitening procedure. No matter what I’d use Foursquare, SCVNGR, Yelp, Facebook or Twitter to encourage people to do “something” to win.
Finally…
Encouragement
When people came into my office I’d encourage them to connect with us on Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook. I’d ask them to write a review on Yelp. I’d do whatever I could to get my clients to stay more connected with me in between visits.
How do you want your reminders? SMS, Twitter, Facebook.
Another reason for having these channels is to communicate with people where they are. I’d ask new patients if they want reminders via Facebook, Twitter, Email or SMS.
A few YouTube videos.
I’d create a YouTube video of myself talking about my practice. This would let people get a sense of who I am. They might begin to feel more comfortable already,
A “this is why you should floss” photo gallery
This one might be fun. I would consider creating a Flickr group or Facebook gallery called: “this is why you should floss.” I’d let anyone post to it. It would be all pictures of funky messed up gums and rotting teeth.
Sure it’s gross, but probably effective.
Testimonials
This goes back to encouragement. If I do a great job, I’d want other people to know. NOTHING beats word of mouth. If someone told me that they had a good, painless experience, I’d ask them to write a review on Yelp or post to Facebook or Twitter. The more social proof I could get from my customers, the better.
What did I miss?
Those were the things I thought of off the top of my head. What do you think? What else could a family dentist’s office do to use Social Media effectively?
Rob says
My apprehension with social media is that it also gives a much more visible and concentrated spot for negative feedback as well.
Take your family dentist for example: Dr. Choppers is the most caring, easy-going, honest family dentist around. One day Ms. Ner-do-well and her kid end up with bleeding gums during their appointments because they never floss- but they believe Dr. Choppers is just a sadistic dentist (sadintist…?). The Ms. and her teenage darling go on a social media rampage to disparage the Docs good name.
Lo and behold, Mr. Rottenteeth was once told by Dr. C’s hygienist that he needed to brush more often. He was offended, and decides to bombard Dr. C’s FB page.
Mrs. Cleaver, being a relocated military spouse and social media conscious, decides to research dentists in the area. She likes what she’s heard about the nice Dr. Choppers….until she runs across the negative feedback from the above malcontents.
As a small business, how does Dr. Choppers deal with this? While businesses all want 100% satisfaction from our customers it is rarely achieved. By providing a concentrated focal point (FB, blogs, etc) for marketing, a focal point for negative response is also provided. I’ve long wondered if my own business would benefit from social media but am nervous about (albeit small) negative publicity.
Jeff Gibbard says
Rob thanks so much for chiming in…it’s a great point you raise.
The truth is that, yes, negative feedback is a possibility, but here’s the truth: whether you participate or not, negative feedback (online) can and will happen. Anyone can tweet, blog, or post a video. The benefit of being involved is that you know when it’s happening and have the opportunity to present your side of the story in an open and transparent way.
There will always be bad customers, clients and patients. That didn’t start with Social Media but those people are much louder now because of these tools.
I think ultimately the proof is in the pudding. If Dr. Choppers is a good dentist and doing his/her best to be open, transparent and valuable, the majority of the buzz should be positive. As with eBay, one or two bad feedback ratings won’t sink you. I think if the buzz is overwhelmingly bad, it’s a sign that the service really is bad.
Elizabethcull26 says
We have to admit that most of us are scared of dentists. Probably because parents has been using “a trip to the dentist’s” as means to scare kids and all. Our dentist here in Libertyville, IL has a lot of young patients though.
Jeff Gibbard says
I was scared of dentists because it was either painful or at the very least uncomfortable. I think there is an opportunity for dentists for this reason. The reason I like my dentist so much is because he is soft spoken, makes sure that I’m comfortable and relaxed and tries to ensure I’m never in pain.
In today’s world, any good service provider can benefit from word of mouth since we are all now publishers.