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Posts Tagged ‘Livvie Matthews’

“Getting to Know You” is a show tune sung by Julie Andrews from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, but it could very well be the theme of social media.  Social Media:  Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You.

Traditional marketing  such as telephone book ads, magazine ads, and direct mail are static ads.  Once mailed there isn’t any more contact unless someone replies to the ad. The only thing the viewer knows about you is just what you’ve been able to place within the ad space.  There’s no interaction and the ad just stays there until the next ad renewal only to be renewed “as is”. 

With Social Media Marketing such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and your blog, there’s no limit to the amount of information the viewer can learn about you, your practice, your team, and your skills.  In addition to practice information, the viewer also can learn about your hobbies, your interests, even your likes and dislikes. 

Yes, social media has given dentists the opportunity to show personality, to show skills, to show techniques, and to gain their patients trust. But most importantly social media gives dentists the opportunity to show they’re real!

Let’s face it…who likes going to the dentist?  I don’t and I work in dentistry (a 30 year dental business office professional)!  Most all of us have a fear of dentists, some much more than others.  It’s the biggest reason given for not going to the dentist until there’s a dental emergency.

New patients walking in the door today already know far more about the dentist than the dentist knows about the patient. Because of social media and reading the social posts, the new patient has connected with the dentist because the dentist loves dogs, loves fishing, loves to cook, has teenagers in their family, has a military background from their same branch of service, attended the same college, loves the same sports team….and the reasons go on and on.

The real benefit of social media:  Helping to take the fear out of going to the dentist and drawing more people into the practice for the dental health care they need, because with social media ~  patients are getting to know you, getting to know all about you! What a huge benefit!

What connection has social media played in bringing in new patients to your practice?

Technorati Tags: Building Business, engaging and connecting, engaging social media, Facebook, Facebook for business, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, social media marketing, Twitter

Whether it’s using social media platforms, newsletters, direct mail, or print ads…it’s all about keeping your name in front of your patients or new prospects and the end of the year presents one of the best opportunities…Year End Benefit Reminders.  

As we all know, the last quarter of the year is a busy time.  Businesses are pushing for that year end rush and people are gearing up for the holidays. 

The last thing on their mind is a trip to the dentist…but…they may have also forgotten about those unused flex benefits and unused insurance benefits that have been deducted from their salary all year and they will be lost if not used!

Sending your patients a Year End Benefit Reminder not only benefits you, it can present a big benefit to your patients especially if they have forgotten.   If you haven’t already sent reminders, NOW is the time, it’s not too late.  Sending now will give you time to send any PreTreatment Estimates needed and still have time to seat any crowns before the end of the year (if paying by seat date).  

If you are using Demand Force or Sesame Communications  getting the message out can be very simple. You can even utilize your own newsletter or your practice blog and social sites, the point is make sure you remind your patients. 

ADDED BONUS:  Remember to Tweet and post on Facebook, even your YouTube video reminder…New pospects looking for a dentist have unused flex benefits and unused insurance benefits, too,  and you just let them know where they can use them!

Here is a sample letter:

Subject:  Year End Benefit Reminder

Another year is winding down!  We wanted to remind you to make sure you take advantage of any unused dental insurance benefits and/or unused  flex (FSA) or healthcare (HSA) benefits you may have remaining since most companies do not allow you to carry these over to the next year. 

Call (office telephone number) or email (office email address) to schedule your appointment or if we can be of assistance in any way.  We’re here for you!

Look forward to seeing you soon!

(Doctor’s Name)

Year End Benefit Reminder letters sent in house or by social sites are just one of the many ways to keep your name in front of your patients and new prospects.  What are some other ways you use?

Technorati Tags: Building Business, Dental Marketing, Facebook, keeping your name in front of patients, Livvie Matthews, social media marketing, Social Media Specialist, Social Media Specialist Charlotte NC, Twitter, unused dental benefits, year end benefit letter, year end insurance reminder

What a beautiful song!  Regardless of our country’s ups and downs there is no other country like it!  Relax and enjoy O America…by the Celtic Women!

Technorati Tags: Livvie Matthews, Sunday Inspiration

This is the age of Social Media and at the heart of social media is relationship marketing.  It’s all about building relationships by increasing visibility, establishing credibility and gaining trust.    

As the shift in dentistry has turned from just running a practice to running a business (which they didn’t teach in school) so has the focus shifted and the emphasis grown every day in your business office from just making appointments and collecting the money to patient services with the emphasis on patient relations.

In the treatment rooms you perform your procedures – preventive, basic or major – sandwiched in around the business office procedures of having seen the patient before and after your procedure.

With the emphasis on patient relations, have you thought about everything that’s going on up front in your business office? This is your first and last impression area, it’s your hub of activity:

• Telephone calls are received and made
• Patients are welcomed and dismissed
• Appointments are scheduled and rescheduled
• Treatment is enrolled and financial options arranged
• Finances  are discussed and money collected
• Insurance is filed and payments received
• Relationships are started, nurtured, take root and grow

This area is not only a top producing area, it’s your in-house “specialist” area…. the actual lifeline of your practice!

When we think “specialist” we think “tops in their field” because of what they know and what they can do.  What would happen to production if any one of these areas above were to break down? Whether or not you have more than one front desk person, the break down in any one of these areas could be detrimental to your practice.

So, if you find production is down, broken appointments are up, collections are off and stress is on, consider this scenario and ask yourself this question then answer truthfully.  Once the patient leaves your treatment rooms, they are in the hands of your business office “specialist”.  Are they hearing from your Wal-Mart type sales associate or are they hearing from your CEO in charge of production?

Technorati Tags: Building Business, Dental Marketing, engaging and connecting, engaging social media, Livvie Matthews, Patient Relations

Today’s Sunday Inspiration is Just Believe

Miracles happen to those who believe in them ~ Bernard Berenson

Do YOU Believe?

Technorati Tags: Just Believe, Livvie Matthews, Sunday Inspiration