Can Social Media Marketing Help In Getting New Patients?
Our good friend, and long-time client, Gary Takacs stopped by our office last week to visit with us about social media marketing in the practice he owns—LifeSmiles Dental Care—and about social media marketing in dental and orthodontic practices generally. In the short snippet above, Gary asks Adrian a simple question, “Can social media actually help in getting new patients?”
We also talked about Gary’s new program, “Breaking Free From The Shackles Of Insurance” and how part of having your practice less insurance dependent means that you probably need to take your practice marketing to the next level.
Social Media Marketing Is Word-Of-Mouth On Steroids
Regardless of where and when someone first talks with a friend, coworker, extended family member or neighbor about your practice, marketing your practice immediately becomes a digital, social opportunity. Are you prepared for that? The first thing that happens is that their phone comes out of their pocket or purse and they start looking at the experiences others have had with your practice.
“…we have between 30–50 new patients per month now who list Facebook as how they heard about us.”
Dr. Anissa Holmes
Visibility & Share-Ability Are Keys To Getting New Patients
Social media thought leader, Chris Brogan said, “Today, marketing is about engaging with communities and delivering products and services with stories that spread.” Increased top-of-mind awareness with existing patients leads to more referrals.
Word-of-mouth advertising has been around forever. But the widespread use and scalability of social media has given rise to a new dynamic called patient-driven marketing—defined as enabling patients to willingly share your story with their trusted social networks.
Getting more new patients through existing patients provides the highest quality “keepers”… Patients who will stay with your practice, appreciate what you do, and take their own turn referring others to your practice. Are you using social media to help make it easy for patients to help tell your practice story?
Ready To Begin Finding Dental Patients with Digital Dental Marketing?
Adrian Lefler is the CEO and Co-Founder of My Social Practice and a recognized dental marketing expert with nearly two decades of experience. He is a trusted voice in dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and emerging technology, and he hosts BYTE SIZED, a podcast focused on dental AI, innovation, and technology.
