Successful marketing is not a solo sport. It’s really a team effort, and in more ways than one. Naturally, you should have a good marketing team on your side to take your goals and ideas and turn them into strategies that produce tangible results. But have you thought about the impact of getting your employees on board too? If the office staff is not involved as part of the practice’s marketing plan, you’re definitely missing part of the equation. A big part of marketing at a dental practice relies on how engaged and involved the whole team is.
Your staff is your front line. They are answering the phones, talking to every patient that comes to the office, responding to new-patient inquiries, and scheduling appointments for consultations and treatments. Often, they know more about your patients’ personal lives than you do. If even one person on your team does not buy in and understand your goals for your practice, you are potentially missing new-patient referrals and opportunities to book treatments every day.
Over a year, these missed opportunities can add up to significant revenue left on the table.
Keeping your team informed and, more importantly, enthusiastic about marketing goals and campaigns can only benefit your practice and your patients. We always advise talking to your team regularly about what you are doing to promote the practice online and in the community you serve.
Taking it one step further, we recommend finding ways to get the whole team involved, so they feel like they have a stake in what is happening. This can be as simple as having weekly huddles to share ideas and experiences. When you talk to your team one-on-one, and they feel like they are being included, they will automatically be more engaged. Some practices are great at making marketing fun for the whole team, thinking of contests or team-building exercises to help promote the practice, while also boosting morale.
In most cases, the people on your team are already great at building strong relationships with patients. Therefore, getting them involved and engaged can only enhance your other marketing efforts. You can talk to them about soliciting reviews from patients and go even further, asking for video testimonials.
Your patients trust the people who work in your office, and they are likely to respond positively when one of your team members asks them if they wouldn’t mind taking a photo for the practice’s Instagram, or tells them to expect a text message asking for a review of their experience at your practice.
When the whole team is engaged, they are going to be more receptive to training on what types of opportunities to look for on a daily basis and the best ways to handle phone calls, voicemails, and new-patient inquiries. Over time, and with a consistent commitment to keep them involved, your team will become a valuable part of your marketing plan. They will become better and better at finding ways to promote your practice, and missed opportunities will no longer be holding your practice back from achieving its revenue goals.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With more than a decade of experience in corporate dental laboratory marketing and brand development, Jackie Ulasewich-Cullen decided to take her passion for the dental business and marketing to the next level by founding My Dental Agency.
Since starting her company, she and her team have helped a wide variety of practices all over the nation focus their message, reach their target audience, and increase their sales through effective marketing campaigns.
She can be reached at (800) 689-6434 or via email at jackie@mydentalagency.com.
