October is National Dental Hygiene Month (NDHM), a great time to recognize your hygienists for all the work they do, and reiterate the importance of dental hygiene to your patients. By taking advantage of this time, and other events happening throughout the year, you have the potential to effortlessly increase your social media presence and new patient base. We’ve compiled three proven techniques to help boost your practice awareness:
1. Start a Conversation
The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has partnered with the Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program (WOHP) to bring you the Daily 4, and tips on how you can start a conversation with your patients about the importance of oral health. By starting a conversation with your patients, you can help them understand how integrating oral healthcare habits can benefit their overall health, which increases your rapport with them to build a trusting relationship. Patients who feel a connection to their doctor are more likely to refer them to a friend or family member.
2. Take It to Social Media
Use the momentum to post on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to let patients know about #NDHM2016 this month, and other holidays throughout the year, and how they can schedule an appointment with you. There are 320 million active Twitter users with an average of 208 followers*, so engagement through social media with even just a handful of patients can get your practice name in front of thousands of potential new patients. Encourage your patients to take photos of their healthy, beautiful smiles after their appointments and tag you in their social media posts to help spread the word for both the holiday and your practice. This is a fun way for patients to brag about their smiles and their doctor all in one easy post.
3. Blog About It
Use this time to develop a blog that discusses the importance of dental hygiene and the dangers of an ineffective home routine, and that allows for internal linking on your website. Many of our clients have taken advantage of our professional blogging services to enhance their online presence and make their expertise available for new and existing patients, and have seen firsthand how blogs can increase web traffic. Google’s spiders love finding internal links as they crawl your site, so it helps to boost your organic growth and search engine optimization (SEO). In addition, patients that find the blog engaging can easily access more information, which builds your credibility and may lead them to call for a consultation.
Give these tips a try to see how they work for your practice, and let us know if there’s any way we can help.
For more ways you can grow your practice, contact us at 727-286-6211 to schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our practice growth specialists.
*https://www.brandwatch.com/2016/03/96-amazing-social-media-statistics-and-facts-for-2016/
