Category: Services

Now that 2020 is half over, life is vastly different than what we thought when ringing in the new year. How we connect and communicate has gone through the most changes as we social distance, technology has made some things easier, some more challenging. As technology progresses, so must our marketing messages and how we connect.

People have different ways of communicating; some prefer a phone call with a friendly voice at the other end over a quick text; some prefer an email versus a phone call. Some prefer a postcard or newsletter mailed to them, and others prefer to see communication in their inboxes. How do you cover all these ways to keep in touch to let them know that you’re available for business and keep them safe? What are your new procedures for in-office visits?

Think about all the various new forms of communication you have today to keep in touch with your family, staff, and patients. There are video conference platforms such as Zoom or GoToMeeting, Google Hangouts, Skype, or Facebook Groups. There are communication chat tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, iMessage, and G-Chat.

With all the numerous forms of how we communicate, how do you keep up? How can you keep them organized? Running a practice can be overwhelming enough, and now with the added safety procedures, it is overload.

How can you successfully market yourself among all these new platforms, among different forms of technology and still connect your message with impact? Great question!

First, take a deep breath and take inventory of all the marketing tools you currently use. Keep in mind, when you converse with your patients, whether in person or via technology, you communicate a message.

Ask yourself the following questions about your marketing strategy:

• What has worked?
• What didn’t work?
• What can you improve?

Let’s use the example of a website. Websites are an essential tool for any practice as it’s an electronic calling card. 

It’s a way for people to contact you either by phone, email, or in some instances, can schedule appointments online. Perhaps you have patient forms available for download. Does your social media link back to your website? Little touches such as this help make a good first impression when a new patient is looking for a new dentist.

Let’s take it another level. Do you make information easy for your patients or potential patients to find? Can they find your website when they search online? Are you easy to access if they need to reach you by phone or email? Are they able to contact you via text message? Giving your patients (and potential patients) options to stay in contact, it shows that their health and business is valuable and essential to you. Having additional communication methods helps you stand out amongst other offices in your location.

One way you can upgrade your website is to add Video Marketing (Messaging) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Studies show that a website is 53 times more likely to reach the front page of Google if it includes video. Video also helps build trust by validating the testimonial they are watching is from a real person, not just a written quote from a faceless name.

Show patients their health is a top priority by adding video on the new check-in methods or health precautions in a video that can go on your social media feed and website. Adding the “Show, Don’t Tell” message can have a dynamic impact and help convince a patient to call or provide immediate action in a contact form or chatbot.

When you add in the following tools of social media, is your messaging consistent? Does it include a mix of educational information to show you’re up to date on the latest health information, photos of your staff to show your office’s personality or a call to action to remind patients to stay in touch? Video Marketing can tie your social media back to your website.

Show your patients that you’re up to date on the latest marketing technology. Why not add a new feature like a ChatBot to help capture new leads, stay in touch with patients via text message, and maximize SEO? Studies show this technology can help speed up response times on routine questions 80% (Source: IBM)! Adding a simple service such as this can help free your staff up to take on more complex issues or emergencies. Make your communication as smooth and seamless as possible for your team and patients.

Additional benefits like the above can boost your online presence in the search engine ranking, add value by broadcasting the first-person testimony to put a face to the name and let your patients know that you give them many options to stay in touch.

Marketing is a two-way street between you and your patients. What is the message you’re sending?

– Mike Shoun, President and CEO

Originally published at www.thedentistsnetwork.net/dmktg20.html

I have done several articles recently about the importance of video in your marketing. With the impact of COVID-19, the need for Video Marketing is now more important than ever, and is no longer an option. Think about SEO 5 years ago. The market and the world changed, and SEO is now required if you want your practice’s website to be found.

I realized recently that your patients truly have no clue how sterile your practice and operatories were Pre-COVID 19. They certainly have no clue how you, and your team, have the knowledge and have been trained over many years to deal with viruses of all kinds. By far, the best way to communicate this is through video. The most effective and engaging method is to create multiple videos showing everything and anything you can think of. From your sterilizing equipment, to the amount of training and knowledge you have about how to be and stay safe, and how to keep your patients safe from all viruses.

Several of our new Video Marketing clients are creating videos demonstrating their front office staff cleaning the office, and sterilizing common surfaces in-between patient visits. Some clients are electing to teach their patients how to properly wear a mask through videos (a common mistake is not covering your nose, since that’s primarily where you breathe) which some people are unaware of.

To further increase the effectiveness of the videos, we are sharing them on their social media, including them with their email newsletters, adding to YouTube, and their websites. You can always say that you have stepped up your cleaning and increased safety measures for your patients, but having your patients see that you are doing this makes a bigger impact, your patients will remember it.

We all keep hearing about, “The New Normal”.  I am not 100% sure what that means as a whole, but thinking about how we have all been forced to practice Social Distancing during this time, I believe that many of your patients will continue to Socially Distance in their everyday lives for the foreseeable future. This gives you a unique opportunity to get in front of your patients and show them that you care. This sets you apart from your competition, and you leave a lasting impression on current and future patients.

What does “The New Normal” mean to your Dental Practice? Most Dental Practices thrive on referrals from their patients, and although Dentists like to think it is solely because of their clinical skills, we know from surveys over the years that it is the overall feeling and interactions from the entire dental team. These interactions can be your greatest friend, or the biggest hinderance and can make or break the patient’s trust in your practice. Going the extra mile and showing your patients that you care gives them the confidence to refer their family, friends, and neighbors, to your practice. So, in “The New Normal” for Dental Practices, you need to show your patients that their safety is your #1 priority. Your entire team needs to be dedicated to giving every patient the safest, and best experience possible.

So, that leaves us with one option to compensate for the reduction of the in-office Social bonding. That option is to have a strong, consistent Video Marketing (Messaging) Plan in place.  Part of that plan includes getting Video Testimonial, or Video Reviews, from your patients and getting those out to your social media platforms, and getting them on your website.  Getting Reviews for Google and Facebook are still critical in your overall marketing plan. Video Reviews are the best way to form a stronger bond, and build trust with potential new patients that are finding your website from Google, Facebook, and the many other ways via your marketing plan.

Another extremely important part of your Video Marketing Plan is creating video to continually educate your patients and potential patients about all you can help them with in Dentistry. Videos that you can easily produce (that will carry a ton of value for your patients) include Periodontal disease and its many effects on the body, TMJ, and Sleep Apnea, and Cosmetic Dentistry services available due to technology.  You, as a dentist, have an endless amount of knowledge to share with your patients, and your potential patients, so show them why you are the only dental practice that they should count on!

Of course, you will want to incorporate social aspects to your video marketing like, showing anything that your practice is doing to help your community, to office tours, to fun facts about your team, and really anything that you may put in a Facebook post, or that you may be talking about inside your practice with your patients about life.

Video. Video. Video.  I really can’t say it enough!!

– Mike Shoun, President and CEO

Originally published at www.thedentistsnetwork.net/dmktg19.html

In almost 25 years of marketing, our marketing company has seen the best and worst economies of all our lifetimes. What we are seeing now is certainly unprecedented. We could have never imagined the place that we are all living in during the COVID-19 Social Distancing orders, and it’s not just our community, or our cities, or our states or our country, it is the entire world that is suffering.  We have had many Dentists ask us what we recommend for a dental practice for marketing during COVID-19 social distancing?

We are still strongly suggesting that our clients continue with their current SEO (Search Engine Optimization) campaigns. SEO takes months to see progress. If you were to stop with your SEO services today and you were to start two months from now, it could actually take you many, many months to get back to where you were ranked in the search engines. If you are in a financial position to do so, we would recommend increasing your SEO reach as now is a great time to make gains in your SEO since many of your competitors will stop doing SEO, and start back up when things open back up.

We are also strongly suggesting continuing doing social media. Now is a great time to be communicating to your patients and followers about oral health during this time of social distancing. We know people’s habits have changed during this time. This is a great time for you as a dentist to educate about oral health and how important it is. Also, this is a time to be social. Share with your patients and your follower’s things that you and your family are doing and let them know you are there for their questions and emergencies as well.

This is the best way to stay connected to your patients. Research says: 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by way of video. Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in text. 78% of people watch online videos every week, and 55% view online videos every day. 92% of users watching video on mobile will share it with others. 71% of people watch more video than they did a year ago. Video is expected to make up 82% of internet traffic by 2021. And, these are just a few statistics and these were pre-COVID 19 so, those #’s will probably increase even more now.

Video marketing is the closest thing to being with your patients yet being away from your patients. Human beings have a strong need for connecting with one another. Even human beings whose personality profiles are introverted, still have a need for human connection.  Also, with video marketing, your patients can watch and listen to your videos at their convenience whether it be early in the morning, lunchtime, late in the evening, or anytime and still feel connected to you and your practice.

The great news is that you do not need a full video production company (However there is a place in your marketing for a fully produced and edited video but, not necessary).  You can start by simply using your smartphone and laptop or Ipad. Today’s smartphones, Laptops and Ipads have high-quality video, just make sure you have good lighting and that there is nothing in your background that you do not want people to see.

Also, in today’s world people love reality which is why YouTube exists as well as the many reality TV shows.  YouTube is the number 2 search engine behind Google. You can create short videos of 90 seconds or less as research shows, the shorter the video, the more likely it will be viewed. (Research shows the Average Attention Span: Goldfish 9 seconds vs. Human 8.25 Seconds!) You can post your videos on YouTube, and Facebook and your website, as well as email your patient base your videos.

Having a Video Marketing Strategy and Plan is extremely important versus just doing random videos. Videos are not just the Future; they are here and now.  I believe strongly that now is the time to start implementing Video Marketing in your practice’s marketing plan because, someday soon, you will be invisible to Google, and Facebook and all of the Social Media platforms and eventually your patients and potential new patients if you do not have a consistent video marketing plan.  Imagine if you knew how important reviews were going to be for your practice three to five years before they became so critically important and, got 100’s of positive reviews before your closest competitor even started thinking about them? You are in that time now but for video, and this is bigger than reviews.

– Mike Shoun, President and CEO

Originally published at www.thedentistsnetwork.net/dmktg18.html

For the most part, if you are consistent in business, you will grow and succeed where others fail. Consistency does not mean self-reliance, however. The most effective businesses and dental practices have a few things in common with each other. First and foremost, successful business owners know their strengths and weaknesses, and address the latter by surrounding themselves with skilled employees and vendors who are strong in those areas. Remember, to run a successful practice, you must run a successful business.

How do I set my business up for success?
The beginning of your practice is the most critical time for your new business. You want to make sure that you set yourself, and your business, up for long term success. Usually this includes doing research on your market, your location, and getting a game plan in place to handle everything from acquiring your supplies, staffing your office, and employing effective marketing solutions to get your brand out in front of patients. It’s overwhelming, and a lot of work for someone to do on their own. You can do it on your own, but a good leader learns to delegate tasks to others who have strengths in particular areas.

For example, let’s say that you are pretty good with the logistical side of your business, however one of your employees is very strong with supplies and inventory management. While you could do this, delegating this task opens up more bandwidth and time for you to spend on other tasks for your practice, or for spending time with your family. Another example is marketing. Learning the skills required to initiate an effective marketing campaign is not difficult. However, it consumes a large amount of time, and with how often the digital landscape evolves and changes, you would end up spending more time keeping up with the changes than you would actually marketing for your practice. Delegating this task to one of your employees, or a marketing company whose sole purpose is to develop and execute effective marketing campaigns reduces the burden and stress on you. It also generates consistency for your business. Effective marketers can produce consistent results for your practice. There will be fluctuations, and not every campaign will succeed, but for the most part, a good marketing team has tried-and-tested marketing strategies that work.

You and your team build YOUR reputation.
Often times as a dentist, you can provide dependable, honest services that your patients can rely on. It’s important to remember, however, that while your reputation is tied directly with your practice. Your employee’s actions also affect your reputation. If you build a team that can communicate effectively, and help your patients feel as comfortable and happy as possible, it helps your reputation improve in your community. You want to make sure that your team has good training, and someone with experience in running successful teams. Customer service makes and breaks businesses. In any business or industry, mistakes will happen. It’s a part of life that will never change. However, the outcome of that mistake occurring directly correlates with the skill and quality of your customer service team (hygienists, front desk staff, office managers, and you.)

Remember, most first-time patients are wary, and looking to trust your team. They want to make sure that someone is looking after their best interests and they need to be able to trust you and your team if you want to have them return for future dental needs. Most people will be forgiving of mistakes that happen if they are happy with your team, and if your customer service is top-shelf. This alone will help you retain more patients when mistakes happen because they have a solid relationship with you and your team. If your customer service is sub-par, when mistakes happen you will lose patients to your competition.

Consistency & Quality.
For your practice to grow, you must consider the two most important parts of every successful business. Consistency, and quality. If you have quality services that produce happy and healthy patients, your business will grow. However, you need consistent quality in order to maintain growth. Think of it like owning a vehicle. You can have a vehicle that safely gets you from Point A to Point B without using too much gas, but if your car can’t consistently get you there with the same quality, then you will end up selling it for something more consistent.

Consumer trust is huge in the dental industry. Your patients come into your office trusting you to tell them what’s best, and to keep them healthy. If you develop a reputation for consistently producing happy and healthy patients, your positive reputation will develop and spread around your community like wildfire. However, the same can be said for negative reputations. Those spread even faster and with most consumers looking for reviews before ever calling you, it’s important that you can deliver the same high-quality services to every patient, every time.

– Mike Shoun, President and CEO

Originally published at www.thedentistsnetwork.net/dmktg17.html

In business, it’s important to take a look at growing trends on what your patients are doing before they ever call your practice, or schedule an appointment.  One of the biggest, and most important trends over the last 5 years is a sharp increase in your future and current patients looking for more content, and more ways to engage with your practice. Your patients want to build a relationship with your practice, and trust in your expertise and your friendly customer service. Modern dentistry is not just about providing high-quality dental care, it’s about making a positive impact on your community, and building trust and relationships with your patients.

How has patient engagement evolved over time?
As time presses on, and the day to day life changes and evolves, there has been one constant when it comes to operating a successful practice. You have to consistently produce. Producing good results will ensure that your patients are happy, and will return for services in the future. Producing or acquiring new tools and knowledge ensures that you stay at the top of your game and can offer more, and better, services to your patients. Producing content helps drive leads into your practice that will turn into patients. Years ago, flyers, posters, and newspaper ads met this need and distributed information easily and quickly. With the evolution of the digital age, the avenues of content production have expanded significantly. The need for digital marketing services like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media are just as important as physical marketing like Direct Mail. It’s safe to say that by now most, if not all, dentists are investing some kind of digital marketing service. Whether that is AdWords, Social Media Engagement, or SEO, the success of these investments all revolves around one thing, high-quality content.

Do you need to produce content each month?
The short answer to this question is yes. However, it’s important to create your content strategically. Producing content randomly, without a strategy is like writing words on a piece of paper randomly. Each word means something, but it doesn’t convey a message until put into a sentence. When you are thinking of your content plan, the most important factor is consistency. Whether you are producing blogs to engage your patients, and help your SEO, to producing video to use for social media, consistency is critical. If you can consistently create quality content that engages both your patients, and your marketing platform (usually Google or Social Media) you will be able to establish yourself as an authority in the industry, improve your rankings and digital performance, and most importantly build trust with your patients and grow your practice.

Video content engages more people than ever before.
Looking back at the last few years, Video consumption has skyrocketed year over year. YouTube (the world’s 2nd largest search engine) serves close to 2 billion hours of video every single day. What does this mean for you as a dentist? Your patients are looking for video. There are several ways to produce video, but just like above, consistency is vital to getting your content to perform for you. While producing video content can be time-consuming, expensive, and difficult, there is no question that video marketing performs in a way that no other marketing strategies can. There is a simple explanation for this. Patients consuming your video are looking for authenticity.

Video helps build a relationship with your patients. It builds trust, and if you create your videos correctly, can convey your care and compassion for their well-being. Just like reviews secure a lead, or send them to a competitor, Video can build trust and a relationship with your patients before you ever meet them. Authenticity is the best way to build trust.

How can you create quality content while not interrupting your day?
The short answer is that you will experience some kind of disruption no matter what. However, it’s important to weigh all your options, and explore all avenues prior to making your decision. Does your current marketing vendor have services that can supplement your digital marketing? Are there other options out there that equip you with all the tools you need to produce quality content in as little time as possible? With the rise of Video Marketing becoming a popular investment for many dentists, it’s important that you are keeping up with your competition. Just like SEO or Social Media, Video Marketing is a competitive market. If you aren’t competing, then you are missing out on patients.

Consistency is the secret.
The secret to success is consistency. From marketing to creating content, if you can produce quality content on a consistent basis you are going to perform well. Creating content every once a while can help your marketing efforts and your practice for a short time, but if you want to seriously perform and grow your practice, you will need to be consistent.

– Mike Shoun, President and CEO

Originally published at www.thedentistsnetwork.net/dmktg16.html

In the world of digital marketing, content marketing is one of the most effective methods of building trust and brand exposure. From Search Engine Optimization (SEO), to Online Advertising, the content you select is vital to the success of your marketing efforts.

How Does Content Marketing Affect SEO?
In order to get the most out of your SEO services, it is imperative that you have quality, engaging content. Google wants to show their users fresh content that answers a question clearly and effectively. For your service pages and home pages, it is important to have content that is engaging and provides a positive user experience. This helps improve user experience and allows you to optimize more content for ranking purposes. In terms of Google, having unique and fresh content on the site regularly is critical to ranking for more keywords. The better your content, the higher your chances of securing more competitive keywords and getting in front of potential patients. However, it is important to not change the core content on your site once you have it optimized, and it starts performing well. In order to continue providing fresh content to your website, there are a number of things you should be doing.

Some of The Content You Can Post Includes:

• Monthly Blogging
• Google My Business Posts
• Press Releases
• Videos

Now you may be thinking, “why do I need to be producing content regularly?” This is a great question. The reason you need to have new content on the site is because Google at its core wants to show their users the best answer to any question that they type in. So, if you are composing articles and posting blogs about what questions are being asked, your blog has the opportunity to rank, or even receive a Google featured snippet. This can help give your SEO a boost, as it shows that Google is beginning to see you as an authority on that topic and in your industry.

How Does Content Marketing Affect Social Media Marketing?
When it comes to Social Media Marketing, you also need high quality content, albeit in a different way than you would with SEO. In the world of SEO, you want to have between 500-750 words of content per page, and make sure that it’s fine-tuned and dialed in to produce results over a long period of time. When it comes to Social Media, you want to post high-quality content that gets a patient to engage with your brand. You want to include pictures, video’s, and content that gets people to like, comment, and share your content. The goal is to build brand awareness, and engage with people in a positive way.

What Makes Content Marketing Effective?
When it comes to content marketing, the secret to successful campaigns is to provide value to your patients. If you are able to provide content that is valuable to your audience, you will leap ahead of your competitors that are only posting blogs and social media posts to check the box and obtain minimal engagement. When you post high quality content that engages your reader and provides overwhelming value to them as a person as well as a potential patient, you build brand awareness and consumer trust.

How do you provide value with content? The secret to that is to answer questions! If you can compose blog posts, social media posts, and ads in a way that draws your visitors in and answers a question, you can count on that person turning to you the next time they need advice or help.

Content doesn’t always have to be blogs, articles, or social media posts. Something as small as taking pictures of your office, or of your brand can have huge impacts down the road. Nowadays, consumers are doing more and more research into whom they conduct business with. Having pictures of your office, regular social media activity, and routine content published to your site shows that you care, and that you will give them a better experience than an office that may not be performing these activities.

– Mike Shoun, President and CEO

Originally published at www.thedentistsnetwork.net/dmktg14.html

Search Engine Optimization or SEO as it is widely known, is Essential for any Dental Practice that wants to get New Patients from the Web or Online in 2019.

The job of SEO is simply to get your potential new patient to see your Dental Practice on the Organic or Unpaid section of Google and the other Search Engines. In 2019 there are well over 300 Ranking Factors that Google takes into account. These factors are constantly changing in relevance and percentage of importance, as well as new ranking factors coming out regularly. Here are just a few of the ones that came in over 2018:

Google Medic Update: Google’s Core Search Update Had Big Impact On Health/Medical Sites: In the week of August 1, 2018, Google confirmed via Twitter (@searchliason) that it had “released a broad core algorithm update, designed to improve [the quality of] our results.

Google has said that this update was a “broad core algorithm update” and that it does these updates “several times per year.”

Several SEOs have tweeted at Google asking how to fix their site to better adhere to best practices. To which Google has replied, “There’s nothing wrong with pages that may now perform less well. Instead, it’s that changes to our systems are benefiting pages that were previously being under-rewarded” … “[so] remain focused on building great content.”

Rolling out Google’s mobile-first indexing:
On Monday, March 26, 2018, Google announced that after a year and a half of careful experimentation testing, they started migrating sites that follow the best practices for mobile-first indexing.

Mobile-first means that the mobile version will be considered the primary version when it comes to how rankings are determined. However, there may be circumstances where the desktop version could be taken into consideration (for instance, if you don’t have a mobile version of a page).

If you don’t have a mobile version of your site and your desktop version is not mobile-friendly, your content can still be indexed; however, you may not rank as well in comparison to mobile-friendly websites.

Google speed update has become a major factor in rankings:
Google announced that on July 28, 2018 a new ranking algorithm designed for mobile search would be deployed, named the “Speed Update”. Only pages that “deliver the slowest experience to users” will be impacted by this update, the company says.

Search engine users enter mobile queries differently than they enter desktop queries. For one thing, mobile queries are shorter. Queries in general have become more conversational as we’ve become more intimate with our devices. Factors that impact site page speed: Image size, taking advantage of caching, optimize JS and CSS files, eliminate website baggage.

Google says switch to HTTPS or lose Rankings:
HTTP basically allows unauthorized people to tap into your computer and steal all of your valuable information. Google wants to avoid that by strongly encouraging the shift to HTTPS.

Stats have shown that having an SSL Certificate on your site can decrease your page bounce rates significantly. Some results have shown a decrease as much as 50% in bounce rates. That equates to great increase in traffic. Bounce rates are equated in Google’s Algorithm, lower bounce rates equal higher rankings.

As you can see these have a high level of technicality. Done right, these factors will improve the ranking of your website. Done wrong they will be a huge factor in reducing your ranking and in some cases virtually blacking out your website and visibility on Google. Google never announces the specifics of the changes and additions being made to what they are doing with their search engine, and most of the time they never even announce them at all. It is up to the SEO community and SEO companies like Affordable Image to figure it all out after the fact. That is why even the best Optimized Websites will have ups and downs with their Rankings, but the goal is always to be trending upward.

The one thing we do know about SEO is that it is a constantly moving target and in reality, many, many moving targets.  We also, know that what your competition is doing for their SEO has a major impact on where your Practice Website will rank for the various searches. One thing I recommend doing every 6 months is an SEO Audit of your website. A good SEO Audit will tell you what is broken on your website and what are your weaknesses on your website, as well as other things not related to your website that you need to do to increase your visibility on the search engines like, get more Reviews for your Practice, clean up your directory listings or, add more directory listings, get more quality links back to your website, and disavow any toxic links.  SEO can be overwhelming but, with an SEO Professional, you can be successful.

– Mike Shoun, President and CEO

Originally published at www.thedentistsnetwork.net/dmktg13.html

With the end of every year, comes the time when budgets should be created.
A successful practice knows how they did this year, what they will be doing next year and the goal for the next five years. Those who prepare have success on their side. These forward-thinking doctors know what it takes to be part of the digital revolution while utilizing the tried and true approach of print media and the lost art of direct mail. Combining these techniques helps doctors to make their practice strong online while allowing traditional approaches to take them to new heights. Many practices think that avoiding old ways and going all-digital is the best solution, but we know differently. We call it Brand Loyalty around our office.

Brand Loyalty is the framework of all the essential marketing tools at the hands of any practice. This allows patients to see and connect to the doctor/practice on the level that they feel most comfortable with. Some patients will only be on their smartphones, while others still look forward to the paper they receive in the mail. Some both. Either way, your choice in marketing does matter, because the message you send out must be consistent and connect with your current and potential patients in the form that they want to be communicated to.

We know that this time of year is exhausting for everyone, but getting started as a new practice can be over-the-top grueling for a new dentist. For the purposes of this article, I will assume you have a start-up practice versus a mature dental practice. For a start-up, the percentages and dollar figures I recommend will be higher than that of a mature dental practice.

A fresh new practice is without an identity of any kind, so the office will need a logo to start off. The next step is to establish the branding items the practice will need and create a website. To work with a qualified and reputable company, you can plan on spending anywhere from $4000 to $6000, depending on your needs. You will also need to keep in mind the yearly maintenance of updating items and purchasing items you used up. This is an investment and you shouldn’t just pick the cheapest company; find someone who has the same goals and vision as you do. Once your brand is completed and your website is up, you will need to add SEO and Social Media to get the practice headed in the right direction. Plan on investing anywhere from $800 to $1200, depending on your online strategies.

After covering your brand and online presence, consider your internal and external marketing budget. The internal items are considered items in your reception area, on-hold campaigns, patient thank you notes, wall art, referral brochures, loyalty programs and uniforms (if you provide or share in the cost). The budget set aside for these items is an average of .5% to 2% of your yearly revenue for an existing practice. A new practice can expect to invest at least $3000 to $5000 to get started.

This leaves us with external marketing. A new practice needs patients, and depending on your location this might be difficult. Allow yourself at least 5-10% of your yearly revenue. Getting your chairs filled is the goal. I suggest putting aside extra funds for a grand opening and a halfway party, then one more at the end of the year. These events need advertising and some planning, but with the right guidance, the budget can be kept to a minimum.

Let’s talk about the actual goal of external marketing. External means “outside”. You will need to find these patients outside of your office, and the best way to find them is by doing a demographic report and mailing to the closest 5k to 15k in your area. Frequency is key. A budget of $2500 to $5500 a month is a good number to start with. However, the more you put into your marketing budget, the more new patients you will get.

Make sure you have a person(s) who answers your phone professionally and is trained on how to convert calls into new patients that come into your practice. Your new patient flow is only as strong as the skills and the passion of the person answering your phones.

Having a plan is essential to any practice’s success and growth. Do you have yours completed yet?

– Mike Shoun, President and CEO

Originally published at www.thedentistsnetwork.net/dmktg12.html

Rancher Smith had a new bride and new piece of land. He took what little he had and invested in a small herd of cattle. He took pride in his accomplishment. He was now able to provide for his wife. Along came spring and not only did his herd grow, so did his family. Spring brought new life to the rancher. With each passing spring the family grew and so did the herd.

With this great new blessing also came a burden. Every once in a while, one of his precious cattle would wonder off, never to be found. Over time this became a concern.  While his herd was thinning out, his neighbor Rancher Jones’ herd was growing.  Rancher Smith approached Rancher Jones and asked how he was able to afford such a great herd. A reply came from Rancher Jones, “This magic spot on my ranch!” Rancher Smith was in disbelief. “Magic Spot’? How is this to be?” Rancher Jones was ever so excited to tell Rancher Smith all about how he acquired his abundant herd without spending one dime. He didn’t even have to wait until spring!

Inquisitive by nature, Rancher Smith asked to see this “Magic Spot.” Without hesitation the two men mounted their horses and rode off to a hillside – and sure enough, a beautiful steer was standing grazing in rancher Jones’ field. “See I told you! Every time I come to this spot, a steer or two just appear! I am truly blessed that I don’t have to spend one dime to grow my herd. This steer will give me plenty of strong calves and I will make plenty to expand my ranch.”

Perplexed by what he witnessed, Rancher Smith scratched his head and congratulated Rancher Jones. He went home and shared this news with his wife. His wife was in awe of what she heard – as a good neighbor she was happy for their neighbor’s abundance, but saddened that her family was struggling to survive.

As the years rolled on, Rancher Jones became the pillar of the community with the largest herd in the valley, while Rancher Smith struggled to make ends meet. One day Rancher Smith got on his horse and rode off to escape his thoughts. While on his journey, he dreamed of having a magic spot on his land. He went to Rancher Jones spot, and while on his horse he witnessed something in the distance that would change his life.

Rancher Smith rode as fast as he could to tell his last ranch hand to gather some items and follow him. Not sure of the excitement, the ranch hand followed orders and quickly caught up with Rancher Smith. The two worked feverishly late into the night, and as the sun rose the two were quite happy with their accomplishment.

The next day Rancher Smith rode to Rancher Jones’ place and asked some of his other neighbors to meet him there. As the group met, Rancher Smith asked Rancher Jones to share with everyone how the “magical spot” on his ranch had blessed him so well these past few years. Rancher Jones was delighted to brag about his wealth. He brought the brood up to the hill and low and behold two strong cattle were once again in the spot.  The crowd was wowed and Rancher Jones smiled from ear to ear.

Rancher Smith settled the crowd to share some news. “We have watched our neighbor here grow in wealth, while our own ranches have deteriorated. I have news that will bring a close to our losses. I placed a mark on all my cattle with a hot iron. For on the sides will be my mark. This mark will be branded on all my livestock. Please examine the side of this steer and if it is mine it will have an “S” – if not it is yours.”

Low and behold, an “S” appeared on the side of the cattle. The ranchers all knew that the magic appearances of the cattle were just mere lack of maintenance on a forgotten fence line. From that moment on the branding stood strong in that community and the ranch of Rancher Smith grew to a profitable place once again.

The moral of our story is this: If you fail to “brand” your products or services, you get lost and your competition runs away with the profits. The consistency and strength of our brand makes a mark. Great companies large and small know the value of their brand and make sure they get experts to guide them to the appropriate use of their brand. When considering how to brand, make sure your logo – “the stamp” – is memorable and strong. Don’t be like Rancher Smith and allow too much time to go by.  Stop the competition from taking your profits today.

– Mike Shoun, President and CEO

Originally published at www.thedentistsnetwork.net/dmktg1.html