Human beings are social animals, and generally speaking we’re also a fairly needy bunch; we’re constantly on the lookout for attention from and approval of others. Now whether that statement applies to us individually only sometimes or all the time, it’s usually the emotional elixir of getting attention and receiving approval from others that drives the behavior.

It’s not the approval and attention we’re after; it’s the way the attentive approval makes us feel that reinforces our triggers to go seek more of it.

We all have emotions that sometimes drive our actions a little more so than they should.

That’s all well and good, but what in the H E double hockey sticks does this psychobabble BS have to do with North Korea, Dennis Rodman, or digital dental marketing new patient acquisition?

Fear is a powerful emotion; it can prevent us from doing things that would benefit us greatly, but it also can keep us safe from future harm.

How do we know which fear to kick to the curb, and which fear to heed like a caveman?

When the topics turn to digital dental marketing, dental office social media, local seo for dentists, or mobile dental marketing, fear seems to be ruling the roost for a lot of dentists we talk with.

WTF? (Why the Fear…get your head outta the gutter, you’ve been texting too much!)

 
Opportunistic community minded technologically savvy dentists the world over have asked themselves that same question. Dentists currently trudging through phase two on the path to dental social media success are searching for answers to the same question in what surely seems like an aimless social stupor.

“Winning isn’t everything, but the will to win is everything.” -Vince Lombardi

The dental marketing motivational analogies abound here amid the muck and mire of the social dental-centric communications path to success timeframe we’ll call phase two.

From the looks of the local social dental landscape, we’re already past the point of above average dental practices using Facebook as a patient communication tool – and even as an inbound marketing component to their overall digital dental practice marketing plan.

What seems to be the sticking point is the effectiveness of these social dental efforts.

Back in 2010, if a dentist had a Facebook (Business) page, the main goal – however shortsighted it may have been – was to build ‘Likes.’

And that’s exactly where most dentists end their effectiveness.

1. Get going with social media already. 

You are missing the boat and selling yourself – and your practice – short. Like get a clue already, short!

If you are not socially engaged with your patients, staff, local media outlets, neighboring businesses, suppliers, vendors, dental schools, CE providers, colleagues, friends, families, and the surrounding community at large, you are missing out on gross production increasing OPPORTUNITY.