We already know what you’re thinking…”Facebook for the dental office is a reach at best, but Twitter is really out there, like Pluto. How can having my practice represented on Twitter really be of ANY benefit to me?”
We’ll ignore the first part of that seemingly innocuous question and try to just concentrate on the Twitter equation. After all, you’re here reading so something else must’ve tipped you off that Facebook can be leveraged to create engaging patient communications, and amplifying digital word of mouth. That, and how can having a practice representation on the second most popular website in the country* be a bad thing?
Twitter is our focus here, if we had a nickel for every time a dentist asked how Twitter can possibly help their practice, we wouldn’t be writing how-to practice marketing articles for dentists anymore…ok, maybe we would, but we’d have a lot of nickels.
Go to Twitter, choose a profile name (this will be your Username), and get your practice connected. No more excuses, it’s simple enough to get started. You can even connect with your entire email address book and have them follow you right away. Ipso facto – instant followers!
But are they the followers you want – friends and family? Yes, but.
Most likely they already receive the special treatment when it comes to dentistry. Whether it’s flat discounts or just special attention, they already get it. Now go give it to your entire practice, and use Twitter as the communication medium.
But wait, we’ve never answered the question of how having a practice Twitter profile can be a positive thing for your dental office, rather than just a time glut for staff. Here’s the key to building loyal followers, maintaining a fresh practice profile, and offering engaging information; offer financial incentive!
Discounts, specials, 2 for 1s, whatever. It really doesn’t even have to be such a discount either; you can do the math to determine where your margins are and adjust accordingly. The key is you are GIVING something away.
Imagine this scenario; a newly relocated family is looking for a new dentist in town. The Mrs. chats up all the right people at school, does some research online, and even polls Facebook friends for some digital word of mouth. One of her friends mentions that all new patients at ABC Ortho receive 25% off their first new patient exam, but there’s one catch – you have to first be a ‘Follower’ of the practice on Twitter. You see, just having the Twitter profile isn’t necessarily increasing your new patient flow. But, using the practice Twitter profile effectively can.
Such a cursory offer can be communicated to help acquire new patients, and help decrease existing patient attrition. Furthermore, and probably more importantly, maintaining a Twitter profile for your practice will increase online practice visibility. You see, Twitter is a popular website too**. Having continuous fresh links to and from your practice website, connected to your practice Twitter profile, is not a bad thing…are you picking up the sarcasm?
Enough of the technobabble, get a Twitter practice profile to offer new and existing patients discounts and special offers, use that as your foundational element. Then when things are running and you notice that first magical response, you can get a little more creative and really develop some new patient recruitment and existing patient loyalty programs specific to your Twitter dental practice profile.
Point blank, people will follow your practice on Twitter if they can save money. Get your practice signed up and start building your following!
P.S. – Be sure to notify us when that first Twitter response leads to a new patient appointment, we’ll be having the first annual SDN Social Local Dentist awards ceremony in Tahiti, all winners receive a free trip!…we need to do something with all those nickels.
*Yes, Facebook is the 2nd most popular website in the U.S., behind Google. But don’t take our word for it: http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/US
**Twitter is #7 in the U.S. : http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/US
Did you notice LinkedIn on that list?
Do you have a professional profile there?
What’s the most popular website in your local area?
How can your dental practice get some exposure?
What’s the most popular website in your local area that people use to search for a new dentist?
Now you’re starting to ask the kind of questions that can really justify that practice marketing budget.
