Being a truly great dental practice isn’t just about treating patients — it’s about creating a business that uplifts the lives of all around it. Finding meaningful ways to serve in your community will help you build a practice that team members and patients are proud to share.
In a recent interview with My Social Practice, dentist Dr. Craig Spodak said “I do believe that the ultimate purpose of a business is to provide compassion, trust, love… We’re not in business just to make money, money is the effect of doing something with love. Everything we do is born from wanting to create a sense of community, whether that community is within our office or the community that we serve.”
We believe the same: that success in business is a result of doing the right things. Small or large, your dental practice is a valuable part of your local community with enormous potential to do good. Seek out simple ways your team can serve the people around you. Community involvement offers incredible opportunities to grow your business while helping those in need.
- Service is a remarkable way to stand out from local competition. Yes, you strive to provide great treatment and customer service, but so does every other dental practice. Seeing your team in action doing good for others is something potential patients will remember.
- Boost team spirit and unity. Service brings people together like few other things can. Nielsen reports that 67 percent of employees strongly prefer to work for a company that is contributing to the greater good.
- Develop relationships with other local businesses and organizations through service. Many of our client practices have reported new patients finding them through other unrelated local businesses they had previously reached out to or collaborated with.
- Raise awareness of your practice through social media and local media coverage. Service events are perfect opportunities to snap and share lots of photos, easily generating engaging, shareable social media content. Several of our client practices have even gotten on the news this way!
One of the great things about service is that there are endless ways to get involved. Find something that fits your team culture and your community’s needs. Contact local charities, school boards and shelters. Many dental practices participate in Smiles for Life. We have seen dental teams serve in all sorts of ways, from providing custom mouth guards for school sports teams to offering free dentistry for a day to those in need.
No matter how you decide to get involved, you’ll be showing current and potential patients that you’re a team that cares about people, relationships, and doing the right thing — the type of practice patients stay with for a lifetime, and recommend to family and friends. Brainstorm some service ideas with your team in your next meeting!
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.
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