Let's face facts. Not many people walk out of a dentist's office saying, "Wow! What an amazing experience!" or "I have to tell my friends about this place!"
Luckily for you, I'm about to tell you exactly how to start getting that response.
First, you need to understand why you aren't getting that response. Brace yourself: By and large, dental offices are seen as…BORING! (Don't shoot the messenger!)
The 3 elements you need to ensure a fabulous patient experience are:
· Image
· Service
· Atmosphere
Use these practical tips to renovate your practice and get your patients talking, posting and tweeting (posting comments on Twitter) just how fabulous you are!
Transform Your Image
You don't hear a lot about dental branding - but it is so important. If you want to stand out from your competition (and you should), you need to be unique. Branding your practice gives you a consistent image in the mind of patients and prospects and increases your appointments.
How to transform your image:
- Craft a Unique Selling Proposition (what makes you different from the competition). This is most likely your practice's specialty (cosmetic, implants, etc.). Use this to brand your practice. Put it on EVERYTHING. For example, "The only dentist who offers Saturday appointments before 8 am."
- Work with a trustworthy marketing firm to develop a branding program. This should include a logo, slogan, color scheme, message or theme, etc.
- Become a resource in your community by sponsoring local events or helping people who don't have insurance with a "free dentistry day." This will get picked up by local TV stations and give you notoriety.
Upgrade Your Service & Atmosphere
Patients are often under emotional stress when they are at your practice. They may be frightened, unsure or anxious. A fun, welcoming staff and comfortable, soothing environment is like a breath of fresh air. Conversely, a rude, disinterested staff will drive them away!
Use these tips to get people buzzing about your service:
- Engage in genuine conversation with your patients. Address their fears and concerns to put them at ease.
- If a patient is kept waiting, reward their patience with a discount!
- Allow your staff to be informal and friendly with patients. Have fun, not everything is a root canal!
Enhance Your Atmosphere
People use "like a dentist's office" to describe places that are plain and drab! That just means that when you shake up the appearance of your office, people will really have something to talk about! Go all out decorating your office; people will notice!
Try these suggestions on your office:
- Model your waiting room after a high-class spa. Offer your patients hot towels and beverages to relieve their stress!
- Use a subtle, smooth aroma throughout your office to create a calming atmosphere.
- Play music in the background or place TVs in each treatment room. Go for something with a modern edge to it. Patients are refreshed by the unexpected.
These are just some of the many ways to stand out and bring in new patients with your image, service and atmosphere! Start with these, come up with a few of your own along the way and start creating buzz. Patients will be drawn to your unique practice and will TELL THEIR FRIENDS!
Author Resource:
Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998 with a phone, computer and no capital investment. PostcardMania is one of the nation's most effective postcard marketing companies specializing in lead generation for small to large-sized practices. They have been featured on the Inc. 500 and 5,000 lists and offer complete direct mail marketing campaigns with graphic design, printing, mailing list acquisition, mailing services, website development and email marketing services — all while continuing to educate clients with free marketing advice.
Need a way to bring in more patients? Check out how with our FREE dental marketing reports .
Need help setting up a tracking system on your marketing campaigns? Call one of my marketing consultants at 1-800-628-1804, and they'll walk you through the process! For more FREE marketing articles, visit www.postcardmaniadental.com .
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")