Our December Practice of the Month — Premier Dental Clear Lake!

Congratulations to our December Practice of the Month — Premier Dental Clear Lake!

It’s been an eventful year for the team at Premier Dental Clear Lake in Houston, Texas. From recovering after Hurricane Harvey to having one of the biggest social media success stories of the year, they’ve demonstrated compassion, enthusiasm, and a deep connection to their community through what they do in-practice and online.

We especially would like to highlight a series of events that started with a video they posted, which was so popular you may have already seen it:

It started when Dr. Mauricio Rodriguez posted his video review for a dental product he saw a commercial for called the “Perfect Smile Veneers.” His simple yet hilarious video racked up more than 8 million views and 48,000 shares, gaining his practice national attention!

Among those who saw the video was a young mother named Kelsey, who commented that she appreciated the humor of the review, but was also saddened as it reminded her of the years she had to hide her smile because of chronic dental issues. Touched by her comment, Dr. Rodriguez reached out to Kelsey and other dental professionals to give her a complete smile makeover at no cost.

A the story gained more traction, a local news station picked it up and ran a segment on Dr. Rodriguez and Kelsey, introducing the practice to thousands more ideal potential patients in the area.

What started as a simple, funny video recorded on a team member’s smartphone turned into an incredible opportunity to do good, build their practice’s online presence and help new patients find them. It’s a perfect example of what can happen when you and your dental team are willing to participate in social media, have a little fun and connect with patients and fans on a personal level.

We reached out to Anna Greif, executive assistant at Premier Dental Clear Lake, for more insight into what social media marketing strategies have helped them grow their practice. Take something to apply in your own office!

Q&A With Executive Assistant Anna Greif

(Responses edited for length and clarity.)

Which type of content do you find gets the most engagement with fans?

“Our followers enjoy non-dental funny videos, in particular ones that include staff — like the press-on veneer review video that we made. Finding the time and creativity to come with video ideas that include staff and patients is sometimes challenging, but it helps set us apart from other offices.”

How has your use of social media benefited your patients and practice?

“I believe our social media presence really shows patients that we are available, and that we want to connect with them as friends. Our office does a good job of posting consistently, and really giving people insight into our personality. And of course, when we create things that people want to share, it earns visibility for our practice!”

What would you recommend to a practice just starting out with social media marketing?

“Schedule out posts in advance! We have started scheduling our posts through the My Social Practice Publisher. When we have something more unique or an idea that pops up during the day, we use those as fillers in between scheduled posts. Be real, and show your followers what your practice is all about!”

Thanks for sharing, Anna! We look forward to seeing how you grow your practice with social media in 2018!

It’s true that it can be difficult to find the time to post something daily. Our Social Media Publisher makes it easy! My Social Practice clients have access to the world’s largest library of dental-related social media content, with images and pre-written captions you can customize to fit your audience. Plus, you can schedule posts in advance to go out to your accounts when you choose! Get a free demo of the Publisher today!

The post Our December Practice of the Month — Premier Dental Clear Lake! appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing for Dental & Dental Specialty Practices.

HIPAA And Social Media Photos In Your Practice

This article was originally published in September 2015. The topic is so important that we’re bringing it back!

HIPAA And Social Media

It’s not as complicated as you may think.

---

Ready for a quick demo of our social media and/or reviews service? Simply Click >>HERE

---

 

As I travel across the country speaking to groups of dentists, orthodontists and eye doctors, there are always sincere questions from audience members about posting photos and HIPAA compliance. So, let’s visit about it…

First, here’s some important broad-stroke thinking from prominent healthcare attorney, HIPAA expert and blogger, David Harlow. He’s one of my favorite thought leaders on this topic:

“People say, ‘I can’t do this, or I can’t do that because of HIPAA…’ and those who just don’t want to do things blame the law. We forget that the rules are there to protect patients, not to create barriers… It’s possible to work within the guidelines… If a patient consents, that’s up to the patient.”

5 HIPAA And Social Media General Compliance Action Items

Let’s review five general HIPAA and social media compliance action items that may help your practice. Item #5 talks specifically about patients giving photo consent.

1. HIPAA rules have been around now for 20 years—long before you were using social media. If you have HIPAA compliance problems, generally, fix them! HIPAA’s application to your social media marketing efforts probably isn’t your first problem.
2. Put a simple social media policy in place for your team, then train them. We have a template below that you can download as a starting point.
3. Never use social media to practice medicine online. You don’t need to—and, that isn’t social media’s purpose. Always take those kinds of conversations offline.
4. Consider designating specific places in your practice for taking photos with your patients (see example image below). For example, find places where the lighting is good and where there’s nothing in the background of photos that may violate someone’s privacy.
5. Use a consent form. We have one below that you’re welcome to download. If you decide to create your own, be sure it has the following six components: 1) what the patient is specifically authorizing, 2) the purpose of the authorization, 3) the ability to revoke the authorization, 4) an expiration date, 5) the opportunity to receive a copy, if desired, and 6) who, specifically, the patient is giving authorization to.

---

Ready for a quick demo of our social media and/or reviews service? Simply Click >>HERE

---

Download Photo Consent Form & Social Media Policy Template

When it comes to using social media to better serve your patients and to help grow your practice, HIPAA compliance doesn’t need to be difficult. With a tiny bit of team training, it only takes a few seconds to get consent.

(The form and template below are provided by My Social Practice for general convenience purposes and do not represent legal advice. Additional compliance rules vary from state to state, country to country. If you feel like you need legal consultation, be sure to consult your practice attorney for advice pertaining to HIPAA compliance, the HITECH Act, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regulations. My Social Practice is a social media marketing company. We are not attorneys. We don’t even play attorneys on TV. As such, although the form and template provided are based on our own research to ensure compliance, they do not represent legal advice.)

---

Ready for a quick demo of our social media and/or reviews service? Simply Click >>HERE

---

The post HIPAA And Social Media Photos In Your Practice appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing for Dental & Dental Specialty Practices.

Enter Our Biggest Giveaway Ever and Grow Your Social Media Presence!

Show us what makes you the Most Interesting Dentist in the World and win a VIP trip to Las Vegas! Start by watching this video!

More prize and entry details on the official contest page!

PEOPLE LIKE TO DO BUSINESS WITH PEOPLE THEY KNOW — and one of the best ways to let people get to know you better is to simply share the things you love doing!

That’s why we’re making our biggest giveaway ever an opportunity for you to share your unique hobby, skill or hidden talent with your patients and fans! What makes you the Most Interesting Dentist in the World?

Post a video on your practice’s Facebook page and you’ll be entered to win some incredible prizes from My Social Practice, including a VIP trip to Las Vegas to attend the Dental Digital Marketing Conference this April.

Aside from a chance to win great prizes, simply sharing your entry video will build your practice’s online presence and help new patients find you. Here’s why!

Today’s Patients Want a Personal Connection

Let’s say that your favorite thing to do on the weekends is gardening, but you’ve never shared that fact on your practice’s social media pages. “What does gardening have to do with dentistry?” you might ask. Well, nothing. But sharing a post about your garden on your practice’s Facebook page says a lot about your ability to connect with people on a personal level.

And that connection is so vital because when it comes down to it, patients and potential patients don’t follow you on social media for the latest news about sealants and fluoride — they follow you because they want to get to know you and your team better. And when your posts give them an inside look at the personalities and interests of your team, you build the relationships that lead people to become new patients or recommend you to friends and family.

The team at Aurentz Family Dental shared their passion for fitness!

There’s also a degree of transference that takes place in the minds of followers when you share the things you’re passionate about — such as gardening. The assumption is that if you’re this knowledgeable and dedicated in your hobbies, then you also likely provide the same consistency and attention to detail in everything you do — including the dental materials and procedures you use, the patient benefit-driven technologies you ascribe to, the way you respond and treat people, the CE you attend, etc. It’s a great way to build trust with the people who will help your practice thrive.

Plus, sharing about your interests is just fun for patients and team members! Time and time again our clients tell us “We were so surprised about how much our patients actually want to get to know us as people!”

The Tulsa Braces team loves music, and they know their patients do too!

Share What Makes You Interesting and Enter to Win!

So check out the prize and entry details at mostinterestingdentist.com and think about what hobby, skill or hidden talent you would like to share with your patients and fans. Or, if you work with an awesome dentist, encourage them to enter! The deadline for submissions is coming up, so don’t delay!

The post Enter Our Biggest Giveaway Ever and Grow Your Social Media Presence! appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing for Dental & Dental Specialty Practices.

HIPAA And Social Media Photos In Your Practice

This article was originally published in September 2015. The topic is so important that we’re bringing it back!

HIPAA And Social Media

It’s not as complicated as you may think.

---

Ready for a quick demo of our social media and/or reviews service? Simply Click >>HERE

---

 

As I travel across the country speaking to groups of dentists, orthodontists and eye doctors, there are always sincere questions from audience members about posting photos and HIPAA compliance. So, let’s visit about it…

First, here’s some important broad-stroke thinking from prominent healthcare attorney, HIPAA expert and blogger, David Harlow. He’s one of my favorite thought leaders on this topic:

“People say, ‘I can’t do this, or I can’t do that because of HIPAA…’ and those who just don’t want to do things blame the law. We forget that the rules are there to protect patients, not to create barriers… It’s possible to work within the guidelines… If a patient consents, that’s up to the patient.”

5 HIPAA And Social Media General Compliance Action Items

Let’s review five general HIPAA and social media compliance action items that may help your practice. Item #5 talks specifically about patients giving photo consent.

1. HIPAA rules have been around now for 20 years—long before you were using social media. If you have HIPAA compliance problems, generally, fix them! HIPAA’s application to your social media marketing efforts probably isn’t your first problem.
2. Put a simple social media policy in place for your team, then train them. We have a template below that you can download as a starting point.
3. Never use social media to practice medicine online. You don’t need to—and, that isn’t social media’s purpose. Always take those kinds of conversations offline.
4. Consider designating specific places in your practice for taking photos with your patients (see example image below). For example, find places where the lighting is good and where there’s nothing in the background of photos that may violate someone’s privacy.
5. Use a consent form. We have one below that you’re welcome to download. If you decide to create your own, be sure it has the following six components: 1) what the patient is specifically authorizing, 2) the purpose of the authorization, 3) the ability to revoke the authorization, 4) an expiration date, 5) the opportunity to receive a copy, if desired, and 6) who, specifically, the patient is giving authorization to.

---

Ready for a quick demo of our social media and/or reviews service? Simply Click >>HERE

---

Download Photo Consent Form & Social Media Policy Template

When it comes to using social media to better serve your patients and to help grow your practice, HIPAA compliance doesn’t need to be difficult. With a tiny bit of team training, it only takes a few seconds to get consent.

(The form and template below are provided by My Social Practice for general convenience purposes and do not represent legal advice. Additional compliance rules vary from state to state, country to country. If you feel like you need legal consultation, be sure to consult your practice attorney for advice pertaining to HIPAA compliance, the HITECH Act, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regulations. My Social Practice is a social media marketing company. We are not attorneys. We don’t even play attorneys on TV. As such, although the form and template provided are based on our own research to ensure compliance, they do not represent legal advice.)

---

Ready for a quick demo of our social media and/or reviews service? Simply Click >>HERE

---

The post HIPAA And Social Media Photos In Your Practice appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing for Dental & Dental Specialty Practices.

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https://goo.gl/B2dKTQ

Enter Our Biggest Giveaway Ever and Grow Your Social Media Presence!

Show us what makes you the Most Interesting Dentist in the World and win a VIP trip to Las Vegas! Start by watching this video!

More prize and entry details on the official contest page!

PEOPLE LIKE TO DO BUSINESS WITH PEOPLE THEY KNOW — and one of the best ways to let people get to know you better is to simply share the things you love doing!

That’s why we’re making our biggest giveaway ever an opportunity for you to share your unique hobby, skill or hidden talent with your patients and fans! What makes you the Most Interesting Dentist in the World?

Post a video on your practice’s Facebook page and you’ll be entered to win some incredible prizes from My Social Practice, including a VIP trip to Las Vegas to attend the Dental Digital Marketing Conference this April.

Aside from a chance to win great prizes, simply sharing your entry video will build your practice’s online presence and help new patients find you. Here’s why!

Today’s Patients Want a Personal Connection

Let’s say that your favorite thing to do on the weekends is gardening, but you’ve never shared that fact on your practice’s social media pages. “What does gardening have to do with dentistry?” you might ask. Well, nothing. But sharing a post about your garden on your practice’s Facebook page says a lot about your ability to connect with people on a personal level.

And that connection is so vital because when it comes down to it, patients and potential patients don’t follow you on social media for the latest news about sealants and fluoride — they follow you because they want to get to know you and your team better. And when your posts give them an inside look at the personalities and interests of your team, you build the relationships that lead people to become new patients or recommend you to friends and family.

The team at Aurentz Family Dental shared their passion for fitness!

There’s also a degree of transference that takes place in the minds of followers when you share the things you’re passionate about — such as gardening. The assumption is that if you’re this knowledgeable and dedicated in your hobbies, then you also likely provide the same consistency and attention to detail in everything you do — including the dental materials and procedures you use, the patient benefit-driven technologies you ascribe to, the way you respond and treat people, the CE you attend, etc. It’s a great way to build trust with the people who will help your practice thrive.

Plus, sharing about your interests is just fun for patients and team members! Time and time again our clients tell us “We were so surprised about how much our patients actually want to get to know us as people!”

The Tulsa Braces team loves music, and they know their patients do too!

Share What Makes You Interesting and Enter to Win!

So check out the prize and entry details at mostinterestingdentist.com and think about what hobby, skill or hidden talent you would like to share with your patients and fans. Or, if you work with an awesome dentist, encourage them to enter! The deadline for submissions is coming up, so don’t delay!

The post Enter Our Biggest Giveaway Ever and Grow Your Social Media Presence! appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing for Dental & Dental Specialty Practices.

Grow Your Dental Practice by Posting Daily to Social Media

As patients and fans come to recognize your practice’s social media presence as a dependable way to get useful information, have some fun, and connect with your team personally, you’ll see returns in the form of better patient relationships, greater case acceptance, and more referrals.

We all know it isn’t easy doing the right things day to day. We get tired, right? So whether we’re talking about regular exercise, sound eating habits, great oral hygiene (or in this case, consistent dental social media marketing activity) success often hinges on consistency.

First off, what do we mean by “consistency” on social media? Primarily, it’s making a daily attempt to connect authentically with your audience by posting high-quality content regularly and responding to their interaction.

Why Reliability and Consistency Will Increase Your Patients’ Trust and Loyalty

There’s a degree of transference that takes place in patients’ minds with practices that are consistent with their dental social media efforts. The assumption is that if you’re consistent and reliable in providing relevant, educational, honest human content through your social media platform, then you also likely provide the same consistency and leading-edge standards in everything you do — including the dental materials and procedures you use, the patient benefit-driven technologies you ascribe to, the way you respond and treat people, the CE you attend, etc.

It’s this type of positive top-of-mind awareness that leads patients to introduce your practice to family and friends who trust their recommendations.

Also, consistently creating high-quality posts shows social media platforms that your content is worthy of a larger audience. In fact, a study showed that the most popular brands on Facebook average one post every day. And on other platforms where frequent posting is more expected, they do even more — it’s not uncommon for high-profile brands to share something on Twitter every few hours!

On the other hand, if you post infrequently and inconsistently you risk losing that connection to your audience. Without recent and relevant content, you miss opportunities to get fan interaction and turn patients into advocates for your practice.

What Should You Post?

Your Facebook page needs fresh new content on a consistent basis to appear welcoming, relevant, and able to give prospective patients a sense of your practice culture.

Your daily posts don’t have to be anything elaborate. Posting a quick team member spotlight, dental care tip, or even a joke is a great way to keep you at the top of your patients’ and fans’ minds — making them more likely to recommend you to family and friends. Facebook also has features that allow you to add engaging media content like GIFs and live video at the click of a button.

Since creating engaging content is so crucial to building your social media presence, we highly recommend you read our ebook dedicated to helping you know what to post.

For more help, My Social Practice offers clients a wide selection of training videos and access to the world’s largest library of dental-themed social media content. Learn more and request a demo here!

The post Grow Your Dental Practice by Posting Daily to Social Media appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing for Dental & Dental Specialty Practices.

Flapless Implant Placement via X-Guide® & Soft Tissue Management w Termdermis®

Grow Your Dental Practice by Posting Daily to Social Media

As patients and fans come to recognize your practice’s social media presence as a dependable way to get useful information, have some fun, and connect with your team personally, you’ll see returns in the form of better patient relationships, greater case acceptance, and more referrals.

We all know it isn’t easy doing the right things day to day. We get tired, right? So whether we’re talking about regular exercise, sound eating habits, great oral hygiene (or in this case, consistent dental social media marketing activity) success often hinges on consistency.

First off, what do we mean by “consistency” on social media? Primarily, it’s making a daily attempt to connect authentically with your audience by posting high-quality content regularly and responding to their interaction.

Why Reliability and Consistency Will Increase Your Patients’ Trust and Loyalty

There’s a degree of transference that takes place in patients’ minds with practices that are consistent with their dental social media efforts. The assumption is that if you’re consistent and reliable in providing relevant, educational, honest human content through your social media platform, then you also likely provide the same consistency and leading-edge standards in everything you do — including the dental materials and procedures you use, the patient benefit-driven technologies you ascribe to, the way you respond and treat people, the CE you attend, etc.

It’s this type of positive top-of-mind awareness that leads patients to introduce your practice to family and friends who trust their recommendations.

Also, consistently creating high-quality posts shows social media platforms that your content is worthy of a larger audience. In fact, a study showed that the most popular brands on Facebook average one post every day. And on other platforms where frequent posting is more expected, they do even more — it’s not uncommon for high-profile brands to share something on Twitter every few hours!

On the other hand, if you post infrequently and inconsistently you risk losing that connection to your audience. Without recent and relevant content, you miss opportunities to get fan interaction and turn patients into advocates for your practice.

What Should You Post?

Your Facebook page needs fresh new content on a consistent basis to appear welcoming, relevant, and able to give prospective patients a sense of your practice culture.

Your daily posts don’t have to be anything elaborate. Posting a quick team member spotlight, dental care tip, or even a joke is a great way to keep you at the top of your patients’ and fans’ minds — making them more likely to recommend you to family and friends. Facebook also has features that allow you to add engaging media content like GIFs and live video at the click of a button.

Since creating engaging content is so crucial to building your social media presence, we highly recommend you read our ebook dedicated to helping you know what to post.

For more help, My Social Practice offers clients a wide selection of training videos and access to the world’s largest library of dental-themed social media content. Learn more and request a demo here!

The post Grow Your Dental Practice by Posting Daily to Social Media appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing for Dental & Dental Specialty Practices.

Keeping Social Media Marketing Fun and Consistent

REGISTER HERE FOR THIS MONTH’S FREE WEBINAR!

Wow! 2018 is right around the corner! Time to think about those new year’s resolutions — and your goals for growing your dental practice.

Along with those popular personal resolutions, like losing more weight and saving more money, we want to recommend a resolution for your practice’s social media marketing. That is, staying consistent!

Every month here at My Social Practice, we focus on a topic or two that we KNOW is CENTRAL to transforming and growing your practice using social media marketing. Our goal is ALWAYS to distill the very best thinking and tools — then make them applicable and practical for dental practices and available to YOU, our valued fans and clients.

During December, we’ll be talking about the importance of consistency.

What Makes Your Social Media Marketing Special Is You

For nearly nine years now, since we started My Social Practice, you’ve been hearing us say, “Social media marketing isn’t something you have, it’s something you do!”

So, what does that mean? It means you can’t just build it and they’ll come! It doesn’t work that way. Attracting new patients and growing your practice isn’t something you can just “set and forget.” And you can’t just outsource this effort to some outside service. To be truly effective, you have to participate — and you have to be CONSISTENT in that participation.

And what we’ve noticed is that’s where a lot of practices hit a roadblock. When they don’t see the immediate results they want, or they start running out of post ideas, they quit. They just burn out and stop!

So here is a short overview of the four keys we’re going to be talking about during December to help you keep your social media new year’s resolution to stay consistent!

First, delegate.

You don’t need to hire an in-practice social media guru, but you DO need to delegate the responsibility to a designated “champion” to lead your team’s efforts. This DOESN’T need to be a “millennial” either! It just needs to be a team member who is willing to learn.

Second, prioritize.

You’re busy running a practice. We understand. There isn’t time to do EVERYTHING. But there is time to do the simplest, highest priority things. We’ll talk about what those things are, and how to get them done very quickly with very little brain damage.

Third, celebrate the tiniest victories.

Social media is SO unlike traditional advertising and marketing. Your success is typically NOT determined by appealing to, and targeting, the anonymous masses! Don’t make yourself crazy by comparing your early results to someone else’s! Just keep an eye on what’s working. Celebrate EVERY tiny Like, comment or share. Think baby steps!

And fourth, practice patience.

It takes time to grow a social media following. Even for well-established thought leaders and media companies, it can take months or years to build an audience for a podcast, YouTube channel, or other social media page.

Back when we started My Social Practice, practically NOBODY commented on our content, shared our blog posts, Liked our Facebook page, or made a comment. Sure! It was tempting to quit! But we just kept going in baby steps. YOU CAN TOO!

Following our strategies and advice, we constantly see average dental practices grow sizeable online audiences by simply exercising a little patience. There’s are no “magic bullets” in life, right? Everything we do in life, that really has value, takes time.

So, here’s what you need to do.

Subscribe to our blog to get all of the free downloadable materials, examples and training this month. And, be sure to register for our free webinar on this topic happening later this month.

And finally, again, whether you’re one of our valued clients or just one of our fantastic fans or followers, thank you for making My Social Practice part of your marketing efforts this past year. We look forward to the bringing you the best in social media strategy in 2018, and helping you build your practice in new, effective ways.

The post Keeping Social Media Marketing Fun and Consistent appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing for Dental & Dental Specialty Practices.

Keeping Social Media Marketing Fun and Consistent

REGISTER HERE FOR THIS MONTH’S FREE WEBINAR!

Wow! 2018 is right around the corner! Time to think about those new year’s resolutions — and your goals for growing your dental practice.

Along with those popular personal resolutions, like losing more weight and saving more money, we want to recommend a resolution for your practice’s social media marketing. That is, staying consistent!

Every month here at My Social Practice, we focus on a topic or two that we KNOW is CENTRAL to transforming and growing your practice using social media marketing. Our goal is ALWAYS to distill the very best thinking and tools — then make them applicable and practical for dental practices and available to YOU, our valued fans and clients.

During December, we’ll be talking about the importance of consistency.

What Makes Your Social Media Marketing Special Is You

For nearly nine years now, since we started My Social Practice, you’ve been hearing us say, “Social media marketing isn’t something you have, it’s something you do!”

So, what does that mean? It means you can’t just build it and they’ll come! It doesn’t work that way. Attracting new patients and growing your practice isn’t something you can just “set and forget.” And you can’t just outsource this effort to some outside service. To be truly effective, you have to participate — and you have to be CONSISTENT in that participation.

And what we’ve noticed is that’s where a lot of practices hit a roadblock. When they don’t see the immediate results they want, or they start running out of post ideas, they quit. They just burn out and stop!

So here is a short overview of the four keys we’re going to be talking about during December to help you keep your social media new year’s resolution to stay consistent!

First, delegate.

You don’t need to hire an in-practice social media guru, but you DO need to delegate the responsibility to a designated “champion” to lead your team’s efforts. This DOESN’T need to be a “millennial” either! It just needs to be a team member who is willing to learn.

Second, prioritize.

You’re busy running a practice. We understand. There isn’t time to do EVERYTHING. But there is time to do the simplest, highest priority things. We’ll talk about what those things are, and how to get them done very quickly with very little brain damage.

Third, celebrate the tiniest victories.

Social media is SO unlike traditional advertising and marketing. Your success is typically NOT determined by appealing to, and targeting, the anonymous masses! Don’t make yourself crazy by comparing your early results to someone else’s! Just keep an eye on what’s working. Celebrate EVERY tiny Like, comment or share. Think baby steps!

And fourth, practice patience.

It takes time to grow a social media following. Even for well-established thought leaders and media companies, it can take months or years to build an audience for a podcast, YouTube channel, or other social media page.

Back when we started My Social Practice, practically NOBODY commented on our content, shared our blog posts, Liked our Facebook page, or made a comment. Sure! It was tempting to quit! But we just kept going in baby steps. YOU CAN TOO!

Following our strategies and advice, we constantly see average dental practices grow sizeable online audiences by simply exercising a little patience. There’s are no “magic bullets” in life, right? Everything we do in life, that really has value, takes time.

So, here’s what you need to do.

Subscribe to our blog to get all of the free downloadable materials, examples and training this month. And, be sure to register for our free webinar on this topic happening later this month.

And finally, again, whether you’re one of our valued clients or just one of our fantastic fans or followers, thank you for making My Social Practice part of your marketing efforts this past year. We look forward to the bringing you the best in social media strategy in 2018, and helping you build your practice in new, effective ways.

The post Keeping Social Media Marketing Fun and Consistent appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing For Dentists, Orthodontists, & Optometrists.

Flapless Implant Placement via X-Guide® & Soft Tissue Management w Termdermis®

Keeping Social Media Marketing Fun and Consistent

REGISTER HERE FOR THIS MONTH’S FREE WEBINAR!

Wow! 2018 is right around the corner! Time to think about those new year’s resolutions — and your goals for growing your dental practice.

Along with those popular personal resolutions, like losing more weight and saving more money, we want to recommend a resolution for your practice’s social media marketing. That is, staying consistent!

Every month here at My Social Practice, we focus on a topic or two that we KNOW is CENTRAL to transforming and growing your practice using social media marketing. Our goal is ALWAYS to distill the very best thinking and tools — then make them applicable and practical for dental practices and available to YOU, our valued fans and clients.

During December, we’ll be talking about the importance of consistency.

What Makes Your Social Media Marketing Special Is You

For nearly nine years now, since we started My Social Practice, you’ve been hearing us say, “Social media marketing isn’t something you have, it’s something you do!”

So, what does that mean? It means you can’t just build it and they’ll come! It doesn’t work that way. Attracting new patients and growing your practice isn’t something you can just “set and forget.” And you can’t just outsource this effort to some outside service. To be truly effective, you have to participate — and you have to be CONSISTENT in that participation.

And what we’ve noticed is that’s where a lot of practices hit a roadblock. When they don’t see the immediate results they want, or they start running out of post ideas, they quit. They just burn out and stop!

So here is a short overview of the four keys we’re going to be talking about during December to help you keep your social media new year’s resolution to stay consistent!

First, delegate.

You don’t need to hire an in-practice social media guru, but you DO need to delegate the responsibility to a designated “champion” to lead your team’s efforts. This DOESN’T need to be a “millennial” either! It just needs to be a team member who is willing to learn.

Second, prioritize.

You’re busy running a practice. We understand. There isn’t time to do EVERYTHING. But there is time to do the simplest, highest priority things. We’ll talk about what those things are, and how to get them done very quickly with very little brain damage.

Third, celebrate the tiniest victories.

Social media is SO unlike traditional advertising and marketing. Your success is typically NOT determined by appealing to, and targeting, the anonymous masses! Don’t make yourself crazy by comparing your early results to someone else’s! Just keep an eye on what’s working. Celebrate EVERY tiny Like, comment or share. Think baby steps!

And fourth, practice patience.

It takes time to grow a social media following. Even for well-established thought leaders and media companies, it can take months or years to build an audience for a podcast, YouTube channel, or other social media page.

Back when we started My Social Practice, practically NOBODY commented on our content, shared our blog posts, Liked our Facebook page, or made a comment. Sure! It was tempting to quit! But we just kept going in baby steps. YOU CAN TOO!

Following our strategies and advice, we constantly see average dental practices grow sizeable online audiences by simply exercising a little patience. There’s are no “magic bullets” in life, right? Everything we do in life, that really has value, takes time.

So, here’s what you need to do.

Subscribe to our blog to get all of the free downloadable materials, examples and training this month. And, be sure to register for our free webinar on this topic happening later this month.

And finally, again, whether you’re one of our valued clients or just one of our fantastic fans or followers, thank you for making My Social Practice part of your marketing efforts this past year. We look forward to the bringing you the best in social media strategy in 2018, and helping you build your practice in new, effective ways.

The post Keeping Social Media Marketing Fun and Consistent appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing For Dentists, Orthodontists, & Optometrists.

Our November Practice of the Month — Hulsey Dentistry!

Congratulations to our November Practice of the Month — Hulsey Dentistry!

There are two important things we’ve observed about the Hulsey Dentistry team as they have grown their practice’s social media presence: they post consistently and they know the value of having fun. Despite all the complicated design and optimization that goes into social media strategy, the keys to building relationships and promoting your dental practice online are simple to understand. Be present, make people smile and help them get to know your team personally.

Whether they’re having a fun prize giveaway, celebrating a team member’s birthday, or highlighting a Patient of the Day, the Hulsey Dentistry team shows through social media that their office is a place where patients can smile, relax, and receive top-notch care. In turn, patients share that content with family and friends, bringing more new patients to the practice!

We reached out to Hulsey Dentistry’s patient care coordinator, Jennifer Sexton, for some insight into what has been most effective in their social media efforts. Take an idea to try in your own office!

Q&A With Patient Care Coordinator Jennifer Sexton

(Responses edited for length and clarity.)

Since you started using social media in your practice, what has been the biggest surprise? The one thing you weren’t expecting?

“We are constantly surprised at how much our patients and friends truly enjoy seeing what goes on at our office. The positive responses we receive when we post photos of ourselves doing everyday office activities are awesome. Dentistry tends to make people nervous so getting to see us having fun and enjoying our job makes patients more relaxed and comfortable.”

Which social media tools have you seen the most success with?

“Our posts that use Snapchat filters and voice changing apps are definitely the most popular. Our patients frequently tell us that our Facebook posts consistently make them smile. At first we were nervous that what we were posting would be interpreted as silly, but then we started receiving such positive patient interaction. Our patients enjoy having fun just as much as we do!”

What are the most significant ways social media marketing has benefited your practice?

“When our current patients share our posts and videos we see a boost in the scheduling of new patient appointments. Because we try to share our heart in all of our posts, non-patients are able to see our office personality and gain insight into what to expect when they come in to see us.

Our patients tell us that they love our goofy videos and personal photos of our family or special occasions at the office. They also get really excited when we announce a new social media giveaway!”

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in building your practice’s social media presence?

“Being intentional about making videos and taking pictures with our patients can be difficult. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in patient care that we forget to take the time to share special moments in our office. The Social Signs and daily post ideas we get from My Social Practice help keep us consistent!”

What advice would you give to a practice just starting out with social media marketing?

“Sign up for My Social Practice and simply start posting! Utilize their awesome content but never underestimate the power of a simple photo with a happy patient.

To help you do that, you could start ‘Take-a-picture-Tuesday,’ like we do at our office. It’s a scheduled event every Tuesday for our entire team to share a fun photo or video on our Facebook page. While we strive to post daily anyway, this single focus streamlines our efforts and allows us to be more creative.”

Thanks for sharing, Jennifer! We look forward to watching your practice and social media presence continue to grow!

It’s true that it can be difficult to find the time to post something daily. Our Social Media Publisher makes it easy! My Social Practice clients have access to the world’s largest library of dental-related social media content, with images and pre-written captions you can customize to fit your audience. Plus, you can schedule posts in advance to go out to your accounts when you choose! Get a free demo of the Publisher today!

The post Our November Practice of the Month — Hulsey Dentistry! appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing For Dentists, Orthodontists, & Optometrists.