3 Steps to Building Raving Fans for Your Dental Practice
When I started marketing my dental practice using Facebook, it was as part of a much bigger plan for my practice. I had a big vision for my practice, to make it the best practice in Jamaica.
Even more, I wanted my practice to become known for exceptional community service and patient care. I wanted to deliver WOW experiences to every patient who walked through our door. I wanted every patient who left our practice to feel so great about their experience that they would tell everyone they knew. If that could happen, I knew we’d be well on our way to achieving my big vision.
I didn’t want to wait years for my plan to take place, however. So, instead of relying on traditional dental marketing strategies that were expensive and inefficient, I turned to Facebook marketing for my dental practice.
Using Facebook and investing in my team and other proven online marketing strategies transformed my entire practice. We built a practice experience patients would love. We attracted dozens of new patients every month for very little money using Facebook. And we used the power of social proof to earn referrals from our happy patients and build a Facebook following of more than 58,000 raving fans.
If you want to do the same for your practice, follow these three steps and you, too can build a large, loyal group of new patients and raving fans.
1. Tell Your Story Online
When I first started the Delivering WOW Summit, nobody knew me as a summit leader. Nobody knew I could run a fun, high-quality summit that delivered the best information and strategies available for growing a dental practice. People knew me as a dentist, Facebook marketing specialist, author, and a few other things.
But I knew the type of event I was building. I was committed to having the best dental speakers in the world share their best content. I was committed to hosting the event in a beautiful setting. And I was committed to making sure every attendee left inspired and equipped to make their practice better.
I wanted the Delivering WOW Summit to become known as the ultimate event for dental practices. So, I started talking about it online. I went live in my Facebook group and on my Facebook page. I talked about all the amazing things we were planning. And when I referenced the summit I called it the ultimate event for dental practices in 2018. I said it over and over again. And after several times of saying it myself, other people started saying it, too. The speakers I had booked—the best speakers in the dental industry—started at first. People who my attendees knew, liked, and trusted were telling them my event was the ultimate event for dental practices. Then others said it, too.
By committing to the quality of my event and talking about it online, I started controlling the conversation about the Delivering WOW Summit.
You can do the same with your practice, too. If you want to be known for exceptional customer service, host Facebook live videos during which you talk about your practice. Share your practice story, telling people about your practice and how you are known for exceptional customer service. Show them all the things you have or do at your practice that demonstrates your commitment to exceptional customer service.
Soon enough, people will begin to understand your commitment and talk about your practice as somewhere patients can experience exceptional customer service.
2. Reinforce Your Story Offline
Once you know the story you want people to tell about your practice, reinforce that story offline, too. Make sure your patients’ office experience matches that story. If you want to be known for amazing patient experiences, make sure you provide an amazing patient experience. If you want to be known for giving back to the community, make sure you give back to the community. Post pictures of you and your team giving back. Make sure everything you say is consistent with what you do.
Additionally, train your team to tell your practice story when people call or come in. For example, when a new patient calls, make sure your team members let them know what your practice is known for. When patients come in, have your team give them a tour, describing amenities, images, or other office features within the context of your story. Avoid, “We have coffee here if you’re interested,” for example. Instead, say “We want to make sure all our patients have amazing experiences so we provide gourmet coffee and teas you can enjoy while you wait. Be sure to grab an extra cup on your way out, too.”
Reinforcing your story offline gives you more control about what patients will say about your practice after they leave.
3. Collect and Share Social Proof
One of the best ways to build raving fans for your practice is by using the power of social proof. Simply stated, social proof involves sharing opinions from one person to influence the actions of another person. The most common form of social proof in dentistry is online reviews. When someone posts a five-star review about your practice, other people see that review and become more likely to become your patient.
Another powerful type of social proof is a video testimonial. All you need is a smartphone camera and a happy patient who is willing to share a short statement about their experience at your office. The easiest way to collect video testimonials is to ask every patient about their experience before they leave. Keep an eye out for extroverts who rave about your practice. Ask them if they’d be willing to share a short video for you to share. Simply say, “There are a lot of people who are afraid to go to the dentist, so a video from a patient like you could give them the confidence to do so. And that can change their life!” Many people are more than willing to record a short video on the spot.
After collecting your social proof, share it on social media so your fans and community can see. The more you do, the more likely you are to get new patients from them.
Are you building raving fans for your practice?
If you haven’t built a large group of raving fans for your practice, you are probably making your marketing harder than it needs to be. These three steps combine to tell a consistent story about your practice and share your story with people in a way that influences them to become your patients.
If you want more help building raving fans for your practice, you can access, sign up for the Delivering WOW Platinum Coaching Program where you can find more training and coaching on all aspects of running and growing a high-profit dental practice.
