Google’s New Business Messaging Feature Helps Prospective Patients Contact You When It Matters Most

In this age of instant answers, immediate access to detailed, accurate information about products and services is essential to our buying decisions. Google Business Messaging allows you to receive and reply to prospective patients’ questions anywhere, anytime — instantly!

There are few things more frustrating to me than when I can’t easily find the information I want about a product, service or business I’m interested in. So, when the specific details I need aren’t readily available on a company’s website, I go to the “Contact Us” page — and what’s there has a huge impact on whether I eventually decide to buy or not.

If my only option is to send an email, you’ve probably lost me. I need to be able to call, or better yet, get immediate support via chat. And I’m not alone in thinking that: Americans vastly prefer texting to calling. It’s simply a quicker, easier way to get just the information we need. Speaking personally, if I can get answers to my questions instantly via chat, it greatly increases the likelihood that I will buy from that company — and bonus points if chat support is available outside of regular business hours.

Now, Google is rolling out a feature that allows you to chat directly with prospective patients who find your practice listing on Google Search. Responding promptly can help you answer their questions, tell your practice’s story, and attract more people to your location. Here’s how to enable it:

1. Log into your Google My Business account.
2. Scroll down to find the “Message with customers” section and click the “Turn on Messaging” button.

3. Enter a phone number that can receive text messages. This number will not be publicized by the chat feature.

4. That’s it! You can now receive text messages from people who find your practice listing on Google! Here’s how it looks on iOS:

This is a great opportunity for you to be there when patients and prospective patients need answers. Responding promptly will show how much you value customer service and the patient experience. Enable this feature today and give new patients another convenient way to find you!

The post Google’s New Business Messaging Feature Helps Prospective Patients Contact You When It Matters Most appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing For Dentists, Orthodontists, & Optometrists.

Doing This Will Turn Your Dental Team Into Social Media Rockstars

The most effective dental social media marketing techniques rely on your team members asking patients to participate. You can help set them up for success by bringing this simple training exercise to your next team meeting!

In our regular checkups with our clients, we often ask them what they’ve found to be the hardest part of social media marketing. Without a doubt, the most common answer is along the lines of “getting team members to bring up our social media efforts with patients,” or “inviting patients to participate.” We understand! Snapping a pic with a patient or inviting a patient to leave a review can be awkward at first, especially for team members that aren’t especially outgoing.

We can promise you though that once your team becomes comfortable asking patients to participate in social media, you’ll see real improvements in your practice’s online visibility, reputation, and new patient referrals. Patient posts and reviews are powerful, authentic word-of-mouth recommendations that reach the people most likely to become new patients themselves — their local family and friends.

How can you make your team better at bringing up social media? As with most things, it just takes some practice! Set apart 15 minutes in your next meeting and your team can start practicing by doing this quick, easy role-play exercise.

Role-Play Exercise to Encourage Social Media Participation

The things your team members will need to do generally fall into three categories:

1. Invite a patient to participate in a practice campaign or giveaway by snapping a photo and sharing it to their own Facebook account.
2. Invite a patient to write a Google review of your practice.
3. Invite a patient to simply Like your practice’s page on Facebook.

Divide your team into pairs and have each pair choose one of these three scenarios. One person will assume the role of the team member, and the other will be the patient. The person playing the team member will then talk to their partner as if they are just greeting someone who has come to the office, or just about to wrap up after an appointment, and encourage them to participate in the practice’s social media as given by their chosen scenario.

Simply doing this exercise can help team members formulate a “script” in their head they can follow to make bringing up social media easier. It will also reveal any hitches in the process such as taking too long (should be two minutes or less), or not knowing how to instruct a less technically-savvy patient on exactly what to do.

Regardless of the scenario, you can follow these steps when inviting a patient to engage with your social media:

1. Mention something fun your practice has done on social media recently.
   Example: “Did you see the Shark Week video we did on Facebook last week?”
2. Tell the patient what’s in it for them for participating. Example: “If you take the 30-Day Flossing Challenge by sharing a photo today, you’ll be entered to win a pair of movie tickets!”
3. Express your appreciation for the patient. Example: “We’re so grateful to have awesome patients like you, and when you write a review it helps more people find us!”
4. Remember to SMILE! Patients won’t be enthusiastic about social media unless you are first!

As always, in any social media marketing effort that involves patients, their comfort and privacy come first. Make sure to also train your team on these HIPAA guidelines and your practice’s social media policy.

We at My Social Practice have spent years honing our tools to make sharing about your practice as easy and intuitive as possible for both patients and team members. Find out more about our practice campaigns, Photo Booth App and MSP Reviews service by requesting a free demo!

The post Doing This Will Turn Your Dental Team Into Social Media Rockstars appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing For Dentists, Orthodontists, & Optometrists.

This Is How Live Video Will Help New Patients Find Your Dental Practice

Video content drives social media engagement and builds relationships with current and prospective patients — and live broadcasting is the easiest way to create it. If you haven’t tried going live in your dental practice, now is the time!

This month we’ve been talking a lot about how video content is key to growing your practice’s social media presence, boosting your online visibility and in turn, building your business. And we’re not even close to done with this topic — subscribe to the right for more posts, an ebook, and sign up below for the free webinar with My Social Practice partner Jack Hadley!

If you’ve been keeping up with social media trends, you’ve probably heard that nearly every major social media platform now features livestreaming. At the tap of a button, you can be broadcasting live video of your team and practice from your smartphone to your Facebook or Instagram page. Why would you want to do that? Here are three big reasons:

Video Content Drives Engagement

As we here at My Social Practice track the progress of our clients’ social media marketing efforts on Facebook, we’ve found that it’s not unusual for live video posts to get up to ten times the amount of Likes and shares as normal image and text posts. Video content is simply more interesting, and helps patients and prospective patients connect with your team personally.

Plus, live video posts have two chances to earn engagement: while you’re broadcasting, and afterwards when the video is automatically posted to your practice’s Facebook page. Remember, the more your fans interact with your social media content, the more likely it is that Facebook will continue showing it to them and their friends — helping your practice’s name get to more ideal new patients in your area.

Facebook Loves Live Video

Facebook is very committed to promoting and improving their livestreaming feature. Why? Because of what’s called “page time.” Facebook is interested in having people spend as many minutes as possible on Facebook, and livestreaming is one more reason for people to do that. In addition, currently, Facebook is pushing a notification to all your fans when you go live.

Facebook has also said that they’re adjusting algorithms to favor livestreaming, which means there’s greater likelihood that your videos will be pushed up in people’s feeds. So if your content’s good, your videos will be seen, Liked, commented on, and shared more often.

It’s Super Easy

Livestreaming takes the stress and complication out of creating video content. When people tune into a livestream, they don’t expect anything to be scripted or edited, they just want to see what’s going on and maybe say hello in the chat! It’s a great way to give your fans a behind-the-scenes look at your practice and help them connect with your team on a personal level.

However, be mindful of what is showing up in the background. If you do an office tour, for example, be sure you’re aware of HIPAA protocol when it comes to computer screens, people, etc., that may be in the video. Other ideas may be to do a Question of the Day, like, “What should I do if a temporary crown comes loose” or something of value to your patients. Be creative. Have fun. And use this powerful tool to enhance the effectiveness of your social media marketing.

Find more ideas for livestreams you can do here, and sign up below for Jack’s free webinar about the best ways to utilize video to help new patients find you!

The post This Is How Live Video Will Help New Patients Find Your Dental Practice appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing For Dentists, Orthodontists, & Optometrists.

Google’s New Business Messaging Feature Helps Prospective Patients Contact You When It Matters Most

In this age of instant answers, immediate access to detailed, accurate information about products and services is essential to our buying decisions. Google Business Messaging allows you to receive and reply to prospective patients’ questions anywhere, anytime — instantly!

There are few things more frustrating to me than when I can’t easily find the information I want about a product, service or business I’m interested in. So, when the specific details I need aren’t readily available on a company’s website, I go to the “Contact Us” page — and what’s there has a huge impact on whether I eventually decide to buy or not.

If my only option is to send an email, you’ve probably lost me. I need to be able to call, or better yet, get immediate support via chat. And I’m not alone in thinking that: Americans vastly prefer texting to calling. It’s simply a quicker, easier way to get just the information we need. Speaking personally, if I can get answers to my questions instantly via chat, it greatly increases the likelihood that I will buy from that company — and bonus points if chat support is available outside of regular business hours.

Now, Google is rolling out a feature that allows you to chat directly with prospective patients who find your practice listing on Google Search. Responding promptly can help you answer their questions, tell your practice’s story, and attract more people to your location. Here’s how to enable it:

1. Log into your Google My Business account.
2. Scroll down to find the “Message with customers” section and click the “Turn on Messaging” button.

3. Enter a phone number that can receive text messages. This number will not be publicized by the chat feature.

4. That’s it! You can now receive text messages from people who find your practice listing on Google! Here’s how it looks on iOS:

This is a great opportunity for you to be there when patients and prospective patients need answers. Responding promptly will show how much you value customer service and the patient experience. Enable this feature today and give new patients another convenient way to find you!

The post Google’s New Business Messaging Feature Helps Prospective Patients Contact You When It Matters Most appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing For Dentists, Orthodontists, & Optometrists.

Doing This Will Turn Your Dental Team Into Social Media Rockstars

The most effective dental social media marketing techniques rely on your team members asking patients to participate. You can help set them up for success by bringing this simple training exercise to your next team meeting!

In our regular checkups with our clients, we often ask them what they’ve found to be the hardest part of social media marketing. Without a doubt, the most common answer is along the lines of “getting team members to bring up our social media efforts with patients,” or “inviting patients to participate.” We understand! Snapping a pic with a patient or inviting a patient to leave a review can be awkward at first, especially for team members that aren’t especially outgoing.

We can promise you though that once your team becomes comfortable asking patients to participate in social media, you’ll see real improvements in your practice’s online visibility, reputation, and new patient referrals. Patient posts and reviews are powerful, authentic word-of-mouth recommendations that reach the people most likely to become new patients themselves — their local family and friends.

How can you make your team better at bringing up social media? As with most things, it just takes some practice! Set apart 15 minutes in your next meeting and your team can start practicing by doing this quick, easy role-play exercise.

Role-Play Exercise to Encourage Social Media Participation

The things your team members will need to do generally fall into three categories:

1. Invite a patient to participate in a practice campaign or giveaway by snapping a photo and sharing it to their own Facebook account.
2. Invite a patient to write a Google review of your practice.
3. Invite a patient to simply Like your practice’s page on Facebook.

Divide your team into pairs and have each pair choose one of these three scenarios. One person will assume the role of the team member, and the other will be the patient. The person playing the team member will then talk to their partner as if they are just greeting someone who has come to the office, or just about to wrap up after an appointment, and encourage them to participate in the practice’s social media as given by their chosen scenario.

Simply doing this exercise can help team members formulate a “script” in their head they can follow to make bringing up social media easier. It will also reveal any hitches in the process such as taking too long (should be two minutes or less), or not knowing how to instruct a less technically-savvy patient on exactly what to do.

Regardless of the scenario, you can follow these steps when inviting a patient to engage with your social media:

1. Mention something fun your practice has done on social media recently.
   Example: “Did you see the Shark Week video we did on Facebook last week?”
2. Tell the patient what’s in it for them for participating. Example: “If you take the 30-Day Flossing Challenge by sharing a photo today, you’ll be entered to win a pair of movie tickets!”
3. Express your appreciation for the patient. Example: “We’re so grateful to have awesome patients like you, and when you write a review it helps more people find us!”
4. Remember to SMILE! Patients won’t be enthusiastic about social media unless you are first!

As always, in any social media marketing effort that involves patients, their comfort and privacy come first. Make sure to also train your team on these HIPAA guidelines and your practice’s social media policy.

We at My Social Practice have spent years honing our tools to make sharing about your practice as easy and intuitive as possible for both patients and team members. Find out more about our practice campaigns, Photo Booth App and MSP Reviews service by requesting a free demo!

The post Doing This Will Turn Your Dental Team Into Social Media Rockstars appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing For Dentists, Orthodontists, & Optometrists.

This Is How Live Video Will Help New Patients Find Your Dental Practice

Video content drives social media engagement and builds relationships with current and prospective patients — and live broadcasting is the easiest way to create it. If you haven’t tried going live in your dental practice, now is the time!

This month we’ve been talking a lot about how video content is key to growing your practice’s social media presence, boosting your online visibility and in turn, building your business. And we’re not even close to done with this topic — subscribe to the right for more posts, an ebook, and sign up below for the free webinar with My Social Practice partner Jack Hadley!

If you’ve been keeping up with social media trends, you’ve probably heard that nearly every major social media platform now features livestreaming. At the tap of a button, you can be broadcasting live video of your team and practice from your smartphone to your Facebook or Instagram page. Why would you want to do that? Here are three big reasons:

Video Content Drives Engagement

As we here at My Social Practice track the progress of our clients’ social media marketing efforts on Facebook, we’ve found that it’s not unusual for live video posts to get up to ten times the amount of Likes and shares as normal image and text posts. Video content is simply more interesting, and helps patients and prospective patients connect with your team personally.

Plus, live video posts have two chances to earn engagement: while you’re broadcasting, and afterwards when the video is automatically posted to your practice’s Facebook page. Remember, the more your fans interact with your social media content, the more likely it is that Facebook will continue showing it to them and their friends — helping your practice’s name get to more ideal new patients in your area.

Facebook Loves Live Video

Facebook is very committed to promoting and improving their livestreaming feature. Why? Because of what’s called “page time.” Facebook is interested in having people spend as many minutes as possible on Facebook, and livestreaming is one more reason for people to do that. In addition, currently, Facebook is pushing a notification to all your fans when you go live.

Facebook has also said that they’re adjusting algorithms to favor livestreaming, which means there’s greater likelihood that your videos will be pushed up in people’s feeds. So if your content’s good, your videos will be seen, Liked, commented on, and shared more often.

It’s Super Easy

Livestreaming takes the stress and complication out of creating video content. When people tune into a livestream, they don’t expect anything to be scripted or edited, they just want to see what’s going on and maybe say hello in the chat! It’s a great way to give your fans a behind-the-scenes look at your practice and help them connect with your team on a personal level.

However, be mindful of what is showing up in the background. If you do an office tour, for example, be sure you’re aware of HIPAA protocol when it comes to computer screens, people, etc., that may be in the video. Other ideas may be to do a Question of the Day, like, “What should I do if a temporary crown comes loose” or something of value to your patients. Be creative. Have fun. And use this powerful tool to enhance the effectiveness of your social media marketing.

Find more ideas for livestreams you can do here, and sign up below for Jack’s free webinar about the best ways to utilize video to help new patients find you!

The post This Is How Live Video Will Help New Patients Find Your Dental Practice appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing For Dentists, Orthodontists, & Optometrists.

Google’s New Business Messaging Feature Helps Prospective Patients Contact You When It Matters Most

In this age of instant answers, immediate access to detailed, accurate information about products and services is essential to our buying decisions. Google Business Messaging allows you to receive and reply to prospective patients’ questions anywhere, anytime — instantly!

There are few things more frustrating to me than when I can’t easily find the information I want about a product, service or business I’m interested in. So, when the specific details I need aren’t readily available on a company’s website, I go to the “Contact Us” page — and what’s there has a huge impact on whether I eventually decide to buy or not.

If my only option is to send an email, you’ve probably lost me. I need to be able to call, or better yet, get immediate support via chat. And I’m not alone in thinking that: Americans vastly prefer texting to calling. It’s simply a quicker, easier way to get just the information we need. Speaking personally, if I can get answers to my questions instantly via chat, it greatly increases the likelihood that I will buy from that company — and bonus points if chat support is available outside of regular business hours.

Now, Google is rolling out a feature that allows you to chat directly with prospective patients who find your practice listing on Google Search. Responding promptly can help you answer their questions, tell your practice’s story, and attract more people to your location. Here’s how to enable it:

1. Log into your Google My Business account.
2. Scroll down to find the “Message with customers” section and click the “Turn on Messaging” button.

3. Enter a phone number that can receive text messages. This number will not be publicized by the chat feature.

4. That’s it! You can now receive text messages from people who find your practice listing on Google! Here’s how it looks on iOS:

This is a great opportunity for you to be there when patients and prospective patients need answers. Responding promptly will show how much you value customer service and the patient experience. Enable this feature today and give new patients another convenient way to find you!

The post Google’s New Business Messaging Feature Helps Prospective Patients Contact You When It Matters Most appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing For Dentists, Orthodontists, & Optometrists.