5 minute read
Revealing Your Practice’s Personality Through Digital Marketing
Adapting to Changing Patient Attitudes Toward Dental Care
By Jackie Ulasewich Cullen
In the modern world, consumers refuse to settle for anything less than the best service. We’re more educated than ever and have copious reliable resources at our fingertips. What’s more, in some practices, you might have noticed patients are not afraid to advocate for themselves, and they feel no obligation to return somewhere they believe provides an unsatisfactory experience. If the doctor refuses to listen to them, the support staff is unfriendly or the atmosphere is cold, they have no problem moving on. Today’s dental patients want more than a dentist who will work on their teeth. They want a dentist with whom they can build a relationship. Consequently, the more traditional, exclusively clinical approach that dentists have historically taken no longer works. With this new consumer attitude toward optimal experiences, dental practices must adapt their clinical approach and foster a different kind of reputation to attract and keep patients.
The Problem
Patients make decisions not based solely on facts and needs, but also feelings. Historically speaking, dental practices have not had to prioritize patients’ feelings to keep growing. As information has become more widely available and patients become more educated about their health, the criteria for choosing a dentist have changed, with nonclinical factors like customer service and overall patient experience becoming increasingly important.
The Solution
Digital marketing offers a unique opportunity to reveal the personal side of dentistry. Your practice’s online presence can play a huge role in making an emotional connection with prospective and existing patients. For example, if your practice’s website is filled with generic images, stock photos, technical descriptions and a list of the doctor’s qualifications, it will seem cold and impersonal. In contrast, a website featuring descriptions that emphasize the benefits of your services, pictures of the doctors and team members, patient before-and-after photographs, testimonials, and reviews will feel warm and inviting. Having an active blog, social media profiles, a YouTube channel and a complete Google Business Profile presents a more engaging and approachable image than simply having a website that links to third-party resources.
What Kind of Image Do You Want Your Digital Marketing to Project?
When presented with two comparable dental practices offering equivalent services, a patient will choose the one that resonates with them emotionally. By taking advantage of your current digital marketing channels, you can easily tip the scales in your favor by following three key principles:
Humanize the doctors at the practice. Patients assume a dentist will be qualified, but that’s not all they need. They want to get a sense of the person behind the expertise. Sharing stories, videos and images that show the dentist engaging with patients and doing activities other than dental procedures breaks down barriers and builds trust. There is no need to reveal details about anyone’s personal life. It can be as simple as a social media post sharing what you and your team are having for lunch — it may not seem impactful, but, on a sociological level, it reinforces that you are human just like everyone else. Small things like a photo of the doctor shaking hands with a patient make them more relatable. Highlighting community events and charity work, or even sharing facts about the dentist’s professional journey, add value that clinical imagery and research simply cannot.
Build relationships outside the practice. You know there’s more to dentistry than performing procedures, but your patients may need a reminder. Making this side of the practice public encourages patients to engage with it on a more personal level. Regularly sending educational emails, creating social media posts and posting videos create a connection that extends beyond the office. Sharing patient success stories, community involvement and lighthearted moments shows the different sides of the dental field. For instance, a blog post featuring a patient’s journey from consultation to smile transformation and linking to their video testimonial is incredibly compelling. The practice can also use social media to celebrate team member anniversaries, feature five-star patient reviews, and share some dental humor to foster a sense of community and keep the practice in patients’ thoughts.
Be real and vulnerable. It’s no longer enough to post a picture of the dentist in their crisp, white coat alongside their list of credentials. Today’s patients want a dentist to be empathetic and genuinely interested in their well-being. They appreciate authenticity and transparency. In response, the practice, and especially the dentist, needs to show a sensitive side. Sharing challenges, triumphs and even the occasional silly picture signals that your practice’s doctors and team members are like everyone else. A story about a challenging case and how the entire team worked together to give the patient their dream smile or a humorous anecdote about life as a dental professional gives patients a glimpse into the practice’s reality. Patient testimonials that speak to the compassionate care reinforce the “patient-first” image.
Dental practices are beginning to understand that patients want more than quality dental care from their dentist. They also want familiarity and trust. By using digital marketing to showcase your practice’s personality and humanize the doctor, building relationships outside the practice through engaging content, and being authentic, you create an inviting and relatable image that will resonate with more patients. A personal approach to marketing your practice will not only set it apart from others, but also foster a loyal patient base that feels genuinely connected to your team.
Jackie Ulasewich Cullen is co-founder of My Dental Agency, a marketing company specializing in dental practice. To comment on this article, email impact@agd.org.
