“As A Dentist, How Can I Utilize PR, Advertising And Marketing In My Practice?”
ByPart 2 of 3
What literature are you putting in front of your patients?
As a professional graphic designer, I just have to say to you that I have never understood why a dentist, accountant, lawyer, doctor, or any other business person would want to create their own graphics on a computer just because they can. After all, I don’t extract my own teeth just because I can. In other words, you’re not trained in graphic design, you’re not a professional artist, and it takes a lot of time and education in the art field to acquire the knowledge to “know” how to brand a business.
It just doesn’t make sense for you to take time away from what you do best to put on a “graphic designer hat” and create your own logo and artwork for your practice. Frankly, it always looks like you did it because “canned” computer art is just that. It looks like everyone else’s.
My advice to you is to pay a professional. Nothing against printers, they are great people, but printers are, for the most part, interested in printing and not in design. Make sure you find a professional designer to do your work or a printer who has an in-house professional designer or affiliated with one. You don’t have to spend a fortune but you may spend more than you think. Don’t skimp here. Spend enough to create a quality design that is clever, means something to you and professional. After all, if you want to produce quality dentistry, don’t you want to “look” like that’s exactly what you do?
Once you have a working relationship with a graphic designer you can trust that designer to handle most all of your printing/internet needs. Set an amount within your budget for design, printing and internet. Work with a marketing firm or person to help you identify where you want to market your services and how to go about it. You need to develop a comprehensive budget of what costs will be involved in advertising, marketing and PR projects. Don’t be stingy, “the more you tell the more you sell,” “the more informed the more forewarned.”
Emily Post, Where Are You?
Let’s remember Emily Post and re-acquaint ourselves with “manners”. There is nothing in the world like a “thank you” note or e-mail to help your image. Try to always send some kind of thank you acknowledgment to a new patient after a visit – note or e-mail. I know it’s time consuming but an e-mail to every patient after a visit is a terrific internal public relations move. You can even add a follow-up or reminder, i.e., “Mrs. Smith, thank you so much for placing your confidence in me and my team for your dental needs. We sincerely appreciate your business and look forward to a wonderful professional relationship with you.” Or, “So good to see you again, Mrs. Smith. We’re glad you scheduled the follow-up appointment for… I’ll have Susan, our office manager, call you as a courtesy reminder as your appointment nears. Sincerely, Dr. John.”
Later, as you develop a more personal relationship, your notes can become shorter, “Judy, nice to see you again. Thanks for coming in.” Or, you can add a personal note that tells Judy you are aware of her needs, “Hi, Judy, Keri told me you’re doing great on your dental hygiene. Keep up the good work.”
And don’t forget to ask for that referral! “Judy, if you know of someone who would benefit from our quality dentistry, would you please give them my name and perhaps my website or e-mail so we can answer any of their questions. We always appreciate referrals. It’s the best acknowledgement of our good work that we can ever receive.”
And guess what else you’re doing? You’re developing an e-mail list for future announcements about your practice!
Send a greeting card or an e-greeting card if you have e-mail addresses during the holidays. It’s nice to drop a preprinted birthday greeting postcard in the mail and general greeting cards for special events like a birth of a child, graduation, etc. Send a reminder postcard or place a reminder phone call for upcoming appointments. If you have a practice for children send Valentine’s Day cards, Halloween cards, Back-to-School, Thanksgiving, anything that reminds your patients that “you care and you’re there” for the family. Don’t groan. There our automated e-mail programs that will help you do all of the above. You just add the “special touch” to the e-card.
Keep your name and practice out in the community. Do not operate in stealth mode. “To operate in stealth, does not create wealth.”
(Part 3 of 3 on Internal Marketing coming soon!)
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