SmartBox Dental Marketing

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Patient Attraction Episode 1049

Unless you put yourself through dental school by working as a plumber’s apprentice, fixing your own leaks is a waste of your time and talents. There’s a lesson here for dentists, because too many try to do things themselves that won’t make them money. I’ll be back after the break to tell you about one of the biggest wastes of your talents.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast™.

– I’m Colin Receveur, founder and CEO of SmartBox Web Marketing.

– I know thousands of dentists, and that’s no exaggeration.

– I know that many dentists are extremely talented in areas other than dentistry.

– I’ve met dentists who are artists, athletes, historians, mathematicians – the list goes on.

– I’ve met certified geniuses who are practicing dentists.

– And you know what?

– I’m met very, very few dentists who are good marketers.

– It’s not really something that you take up as a hobby.

– But I’ve met way too many dentists who kept trying to do their own marketing.

– And the results have usually fallen between mediocre and disaster.

– There’s a good reason for those lousy outcomes, and the reason applies to other situations, too.

– One of our SmartBox employees did his own taxes for decades.

– Here’s what he told me.

– “I was fed up with stressing over taxes every year,” he said.

– “The rules are constantly changing and I couldn’t keep up.

– “I thought, hey, I only do this once a year.

– “Why the hell would I be any good at it?”

– Finally, he got fed up and went to a tax preparer.

– The relief was huge.

– Are you handling your own practice marketing?

– You certainly didn’t go to dental school to become a marketer.

– And it certainly wasn’t covered in the curriculum.

– Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “Why the hell would I be any good at this?”

– Maybe you figured you were saving money.

– The truth is, you’re probably costing yourself money.

– Maybe you’ve been burned by a marketing company and decided not to risk it again.

– But if you had an unhappy experience with one accountant, would you swear off all accountants?

– Or maybe you think you have a knack for marketing, and you halfway enjoy it.

– But in today’s online marketing world, the rules are constantly changing.

– Do you have the time to keep up with changes to SEO, content marketing, AdWords, pay-per-click, and more?

– If so, you have too much time on your hands, which means your marketing isn’t working.

– There’s only one marketing metric that matters, and that’s more patient butts in your chairs.

– And here’s a radical thought..

– Marketing doesn’t make you a single cent.

– Not one penny.

– You make money by seeing patients and solving their dental problems.

– Marketing is just the means to get more patients to make money on.

– The more patients your marketing brings in, the more money you can make.

– But if your marketing brings in low-case-value patients, you’ll work longer and harder.

– Stop trying to do what you never trained to do.

– That’s what Dr. Lawrence Fox of Burke, Virginia, decided.

– He told us, , “I’m not all that savvy on the internet with marketing and things like that.

– “I just know that’s not my thing.

– “I liked what Colin had to say.

– “We got in touch with SmartBox and felt like we needed to make that change.

– “So we left our other marketing expert and turned to you guys, and we’re happy we did.” 

– And I’m happy to say that Dr. Fox’s marketing ROI is an astounding 38 to 1!

– What could you do with that kind of return on investment?

– There’s only one way to find out – if you’re serious about success.

– Go to smartboxdentalmarketing.com/blueprint.

– Y[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1048

Everyone needs and deserves quality dental care. But have you ever thought that dentists deserve quality dental patients? I’m not talking about personalities, although having nice patients is a definite plus. But if you’re getting mostly bottom-of-the-barrel patients financially, your practice is in trouble. Stay tuned. I’ll be right back to tell you how to attract the kinds of patients who will help you grow your practice the right way.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast™.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– Not all dental patients are created equal.

– That’s true whether we’re talking about their dental problems and needs or their ability to pay for treatment.

– What’s your average case value?

– The odds are very good that it’s not where you’d like it to be.

– It may not even be where you need it to be.

– That’s particularly likely to be true if you’re getting a lot of insurance-driven patients.

– The costs of providing dental care have increased, but insurance reimbursement certainly hasn’t kept up.

– And in some cases, the bottom has dropped out of reimbursement.

– You’ve probably heard about Delta Dental putting the squeeze on Massachusetts dentists.

– That’s not the first state where Delta has axed reimbursement rates, and it won’t be the last.

– And with Delta covering more than 70 million people in this country, it’s only a matter of time before your practice will be squeezed even further.

– When insurance cuts its reimbursements, more of the responsibility for payment is put on patients.

– Those patients will be looking for adequate dental care at the lowest possible cost.

– And that will axe your average case value.

– You’ll be working longer and harder for less and using less expensive materials to hold down your costs.

– Did you go to dental school to practice treadmill dentistry?

– I doubt it.

– I think you went to dental school to do good work and get paid well for doing it.

– Insurance-driven patients are not the way to accomplish that.

– But there’s a segment of the population – about 20 percent – that has the financial means to pay more for a dentist.

– Those are the patients who shop around for a dentist they like, relate to, and trust.

– And those satisfied patients stay, pay, and refer.

– How does the prospect of not having to chase after low-case-value patients sound?

– You can ask Dr. Ron Receveur of New Albany, Indiana.

– Yes, he’s my dad, and he’s also a very, very happy SmartBox dentist.

– Here’s what he said.

–  “The number of visits to my website is down during the time that I’m collecting a lot more money.

– “So we’ve extrapolated that information from more visits, less money to less visits, higher quality patient, more collections.

– “It’s working.” 

– When Dr. Receveur says it’s working, he’s talking about his Patient Attraction System™.

– SmartBox worked to position Dr. Receveur as the only logical choice for patients looking for dental implants in the Louisville, Kentucky, area.

– And now, prospects come from hundreds of miles away to have him do their implants.

– He’s getting better patients, so his average case value is up.

– And I approve of the fact that he doesn’t have to work so long or so hard, because he’s my dad.

– In my previous podcast, I mentioned Dr. Thomas Feder of Belleville, Illinois.

– He’s also seeing higher average case value and has been able to cut back on the number of hours he works.

– He told us, “Our average case value has increased.

– “People are coming in looking for dentures and implants.

– “The practice is now overwhelming our dental lab.” 

– Insurance-driven patients won’t fund your retirement or allow you to enjoy quality o[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1046

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast™.

– You’re watching episode number 1046.

– That boggles my mind – I’ve recorded over 1000 of these informational podcasts.

– I want to thank you for watching and supporting these podcasts.

– In the last few years, we’ve made some changes to how we present these episodes.

– It’s that time again.

– We’ve decided to move from presenting podcasts every day to a twice-weekly format.

– At the same time, we’re making each episode a bit longer – another minute or two.

– That will allow me to take a deeper look at the issues dentists face today.

– And to provide you with more information on how to deal with them.

– There’s no pleasing everyone, but I hope that you’ll enjoy these somewhat longer episodes.

– Oh, and we’ll have a new look, too and some additional features that I think you’ll enjoy.

– Times change, industries change, and we’re changing to keep SmartBox Web Marketing the premier provider of dental patient attraction services.

– I hope you’ll join me for our next, new, more informative, and more even useful podcast on Tuesday, May 9.

– Until then, as always, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1045

If you’re not automating your dental web marketing such as email campaigns and newsletters, you’re working too hard for too little. I’ll be back after the break to tell you how to better your new patient numbers over what you’re getting now. Stay tuned.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast™.

– One of the Four Pillars of SmartBox’s industry-leading Patient Attraction System™ is Follow-up.

– That means staying in front of your dental prospects once they’ve opted into some aspect of your marketing.

– Follow-up is a process that keeps you top of mind with your prospects and gives them reasons to choose you to solve their dental problems.

– Email is an excellent way to follow up with your prospects.

– But the question is, how often should you reach out and touch your prospects?

– Do it too often, and you’ll become an annoyance.

– Too seldom, and they might just pick another dentist.

– The follow-up process also requires a lot of content specific to each prospect’s primary dental concern.

– That means a series of informative emails on implants, full-mouth reconstruction, cosmetic dentistry, treating gum disease, and so on.

– Every prospect enters your sales funnel at a different point, so coordinating the timed release of the appropriate emails can be very labor intensive.

– Email automation, or drip marketing, is the solution.

– Various automation programs are available and offer many features.

– They also differ a lot in how difficult they are to set up and administer.

– You might flinch at the initial cost, but the expense will be quickly amortized through the revenue from your additional new patients.  

– Or you can burn up staff time, energy, and enthusiasm by keeping the follow-up process manual.

– Drip marketing is one of the keys to attracting more new patients.

– SmartBox provides email automation for our dentists and creates the content to fuel the marketing machine.

– Dr. Mitchel Friedman in New Jersey is a big fan.

– He said, “Colin and his brilliant team were quickly able to consolidate and automate our online programs, …

– “… email responses, phone tracking and recording, press releases, blog posts, and Infusionsoft integration with ortho and implant campaign sequences.” 

– If you’re interested in finding out what our industry-leading Patient Attraction SystemTM can do for your practice, go to smartboxdentalmarketing.com/blueprint and schedule a Patient Attraction System Blueprint™ Session. They are free to serious dentists who want to see a patient attraction system that can double their practice. You can get more patients, more profits, and more freedom.

– Join me for tomorrow’s podcast when I’ll tell you all about the changes we’re making to this series.

– Keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1044

Dental newsletters are a crucial element in attracting new dental patients. Some newsletters are effective and others are mostly an annoyance to your prospects and your patients. When we come back, I’ll tell you what makes a dental newsletter an effective and welcome marketing tool. Stay tuned.

– I’m Colin Receveur, founder and CEO of SmartBox Web Marketing.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast™.

– If you’re like most dentists, your dental newsletter is something you produce because you have to.

– It’s usually an additional duty for you and one or more of your staff.

– There may not be a lot of thought that goes into selecting and writing the articles for each issue.

– And there’s probably nothing like a longer-term strategy for your newsletter.

– If you want your dental newsletter to be an effective patient retention and prospect recruiting tool, you have to do better than what I’ve described.

– Here are 4 ways to make your newsletter perform for you.

– Number 1: Plan it out.

– You should lay out your issues and topics for the next year.

– That way you’ll avoid running the same kinds of articles too often.

– Number 2: Smooth it out.

– People write at different levels, with different skill, and in different styles.

– A certain amount of that is okay, but too great a gap in the style of articles is jarring to read and makes you look amateur.

– You should shoot for about a middle-school reading level with the writing.

– Number 3: Mix it up.

– Few people want to read a newsletter that’s strictly about dental problems, techniques, and equipment.

– Your newsletter should be a mix of education, information, and human interest about your staff and your dental practice.

– Number 4: Illustrate it.

– The best newsletters are a good mix of interesting visuals and copy.

– No one these days wants to read 4 online pages of nothing but text.

– Use visuals and white space to hold people’s interest and make reading easy.

– Use these 4 tips to make your newsletter something your patients will enjoy and your prospects will find intriguing.

– Be sure to join me for our “tell-all” podcast on Friday, May 5th, when I’ll discuss the changes we’re making to our Patient Attraction Podcast format.

– It’s all in the interest of helping dentists like you benefit even more.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1047

If you’ve been in practice for a while, you’ve probably found that some things get easier. Getting new dental patients through the door and into your chairs probably isn’t one of those things. And if your new patient numbers aren’t increasing, your practice is sinking, whether you know it or not. After the break, I’ll be back to tell you how to stop your practice from going down the drain. Stay tuned.

– I’m Colin Receveur, founder and CEO of SmartBox Web Marketing.

– Thanks for watching the very first, longer-format Patient Attraction Podcast™.

– Dentistry is ranked as one of the very best professions in the United States, but it’s not one of the easiest.

– If you own your practice, you have all the responsibilities of a small business owner plus all the clinical responsibilities.

– I can sympathize because I’m the son of a very successful dentist, and I’m also the CEO of one of the fastest-growing companies in the country.

– Sometimes the pressures are just enormous.

– You’re undoubtedly very good at doing what you trained to do, which is to solve patients’ dental problems.

– Did you have any idea of all the other stuff you’d be doing as a business owner?

– All the other stuff that you’re not trained for at all, like marketing?

– You may have decided to outsource your marketing.

– If so, I applaud you for that decision.

– Handling your own marketing doesn’t make you a dime.

– You make money seeing patients and solving their dental problems.

– But there’s one problem with outsourcing your marketing, and that’s that almost all dental marketing companies do the same thing.

– They have you advertising on price, specials, discounts, and coupons.

– When you market like that, you’re chasing patients just like every other dentist.

– You’re not giving patients a reason to choose you over all the other dentists in your market.

– So, you’re likely to get just a share of the prospects in your area who are motivated by that kind of advertising:

– Price shoppers, one-and-dones, and insurance-driven patients.

– Get enough of those kinds of patients, and you can make a go of your practice.

– But you’ll work too long and too hard for too little.

– And with the forces currently at play in dentistry, it’s questionable whether you’ll even get your share.

– New dental schools are opening, graduating more and more new dentists.

– Corporate dentistry is steadily growing its footprint in more and more markets.

– And those new dentists are fueling that growth by going to work in those practices.

– Insurance reimbursement is decreasing, so insurance patients will be looking for the lowest-cost dentist.

– Is that really what you want to be?

– Can you really afford to engage in a race to the bottom with the other dentists in your market?

– Even if you win that race, you lose.

– So, is there an alternative?

– You bet there is.

– SmartBox Web Marketing works with more than 550 dentists on three continents to help them get more and better patients.

– Our industry-leading Patient Attraction System™ gives our dentists a huge edge over their competitors.

– Put it this way: SmartBox dentists are out of the race to the bottom.

– And they’re getting patients who will stay, pay, and refer.

– You can find out what a Patient Attraction System™ will do for you.

– Go to smartboxdentalmarketing.com/blueprint and schedule a Patient Attraction System Blueprint™ Session.

– We reserve these sessions for serious dentists who want to see a patient attraction system that can double their practice.

– You can get more patients, more profits, and more freedom.  

– That’s what Dr. Thomas Feder of Belleville, Illinois, did, and here’s what he told us.

[...]

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Patient Attraction Episode 1043

It’s a connected world these days, and your new dental prospects are overwhelmingly beginning their search for a dentist online. After the break, I’ll tell you why managing your online reputation is crucial for the success of your practice. Stay tuned.

– Thanks for watching this episode of the Patient Attraction Podcast™.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– Your dental prospects overwhelmingly begin their search for a dentist online.

– One of the major considerations today when choosing a dentist is the number and quality of online reviews.

– Reviews are the new word-of-mouth advertising, and dentists who ignore that are setting themselves up to fail.

– Maintaining your online presence to influence dental prospects is a two-part strategy.

– You have to get highly positive reviews, and you have to mitigate the impact of negative reviews.

– The best strategy to get positive reviews is to ask for them.

– You can accomplish that during the checkout process following a patient’s appointment.

– You can also send them a thank you note that includes a request for an online review.

– In either case, make sure to give them options for review sites.

– Your prospects won’t necessarily all check the same one.

– You’ll want to monitor your reviews and respond to positive ones to keep the conversation going and to impress your prospects.

– Managing negative online reviews is a different prospect.

– You should have a policy in place for responding positively to negative reviews.

– Most negative reviews should be unjustified or due to miscommunication.

– Keep your response affirmative and as helpful as possible.

– Depending on the harshness of the review, you may need to allow a little time to go by before responding.

– Being defensive is the worst thing you can do in response to a negative review.

– If your practice is at fault, admit that immediately and offer what amends you can.

– Keep your online reputation as spotless as possible, and you’ll attract more new dental patients.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1042

Have you ever thought about doing your own dental patient-focused podcast series? There are arguments to be made for and against that idea. I’ll be back after the break to tell you what all is involved in creating and maintaining a podcast series and how to evaluate whether podcasts are right for you.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast™.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– I’ve been doing these podcasts for several years now, and it’s been quite an experience.

– It’s hard to believe that I’ve recorded more than 1,000 podcasts.

– I’ve learned some things about what it takes to create and maintain a podcast series.

– Dental podcasts can be a good addition to your current marketing efforts, but you should know what you’re getting into.

– The first thing is that you’ve got to have something to say that your audience wants or needs to hear.

– That may sound like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many podcasts series fail because the intended audience just doesn’t care.

– For dentists, it might be a series on gum disease, implants, cosmetic dentistry, or orthodontics.

– Or you might mix and match to keep things fresh and appeal to different segments of your prospect base.

– Second, a regular podcast series is a lot of work.

– I strongly advise that you don’t try to wing it in an episode.

– Few people these days will put up with a rambling video that doesn’t get to the point or present information in a structured way.

– That means writing out your talking points beforehand and getting comfortable delivering them on camera.

– If you intend to do one podcast a week for a year, that’s 50 outlines or scripts, assuming you take a vacation.

– Not all dentists have the time to do that kind of preparation.

– Third, be prepared to spend a lot of time actually recording your podcasts.

– You’re not professional on-camera talent, and it’ll take a while before you can deliver a read without major mistakes.

– It helps if you’re able to relax and be yourself, because if your audience doesn’t find you engaging, they’re gone.

– Finally, decide where you’re going to feature your podcasts.

– They should certainly appear on your website, but consider YouTube and other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify, to name a few.

– Podcasts are a lot of work, but they can help you reach and convert more of your dental prospects.

– This is a historic week for SmartBox Web Marketing.

– We’re counting down to some major changes in the Patient Attraction Podcast™.

– We want to take a more in-depth approach to the issues and concerns you face every day.

– Be sure to tune in to this Friday’s episode.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 1041

It’s no secret that the reach of posts on your dental Facebook page is poor and getting worse. In response, many dentists are opting for paid Facebook posts, but is that really the best use of your marketing dollars? After the break, I’ll tell you some things about doing paid Facebook ads on your own that may surprise you.

– I’m Colin Receveur.

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast™.

– I’m not a big fan of social media advertising for dentists because the true ROI is hard to measure.

– That’s gotten somewhat better in the last year as the various social media platforms have introduced analytics tools.

– But even those tools have had some problems that are still being worked out.

– When it comes to paying for advertising on Facebook, there are some things you should know before you lay out your hard-earned marketing dollars.

– Number 1: the greater the competition in your market, the more likely you are to get into a bidding war.

– Facebook uses a bidding platform that is sensitive to demand.

– If your competition is also advertising on Facebook, be prepared to spend more for the same ads.

– Seasonality may also play a role, because while dentistry isn’t as season-driven as retail, dentists still advertise around the holidays.

– Number 2: Don’t count on much text in your ad.

– Pictures with little or even no text are Facebook’s preference.

– More text means lower delivery, which begs the question of whether paid ads are worth it for dentists.

– How do you differentiate yourself from your competition with just a picture?

– Number 3: You can’t fire and forget your ads.

– You have little to no control over how often your prospects see the same ad.

– You’ll need to have multiple creative variations and change them frequently to avoid being tuned out by the people you want to attract.

– Number 4: Video costs more and doesn’t deliver.

– Videos have high engagement but relatively low conversion.

– Your cost-per-click can go through the roof without delivering enough ROI.

– Those are enough reasons to be wary of Facebook advertising, but let me ask you something.

– Do you really think people go on Facebook to find a dentist?

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.

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Patient Attraction Episode 860

No one talks about snake oil salesmen any more, but they’re still out there. They’re just selling different products. You were probably promised certain things from your dental marketing firm, but are you getting what you truly need? I’ll be back after the break to tell you why dentists shouldn’t drink the snake oil, even if it is genuine. Stay tuned.

– I’m Colin Receveur, founder and CEO of SmartBox Web Marketing.

– This is the Patient Attraction Podcast™.

– Waaay back in the day, people sold all kinds of “patent medicines” that might or might not have contained what the labels said they did.

– And those “snake oil salesmen” claimed remarkable and wonderful benefits from those frequently phony “medicines.”

– Let’s give those long-ago sellers some credit and assume that at least a few bottles contained what they were supposed to and gave at least some benefit.

– Some of yesterday’s snake oil salesmen have morphed into today’s Internet “goo-roos,” and I spell that g-o-o-r-o-o-s.

– They talk a great game and maybe they can even deliver what they promise.

– And that’s where too many dentists go wrong when they choose a dental marketing company.

– Because what those marketers are selling isn’t what you need.

– That’s a strong claim, and it’ll surely make some people angry.

– But it bothers me when I see dentists spending their hard-earned marketing dollars on promises that WON’T GET THEM WHAT THEY NEED!

– Here’s what I mean.

– Maybe your dental marketing company promised you tons of clicks and hits.

– Maybe you’re getting what they promised – is that what you NEED?

– Or maybe you were promised and got a pretty website – is THAT what you need?

– Were you promised GREAT ideas, and did you get them?

– Are THOSE what you need?

– Were you promised top search engine ranking?

– Even if you got it, is that what you need?

– The answer to ALL of those questions is no.

– YOU need more patients in chairs, and everything else is just a means to that end.

– More appointed patients is THE end goal of ALL your marketing.

– Clicks and hits aren’t new patients, and neither is a top search ranking.

– A pretty website doesn’t automatically translate into new patients.

– To get more and better new patients, you need a patient attraction system in which every single part works together seamlessly to accomplish that one goal.

– You need evidence-based marketing that proves that the system works.

– If you’re getting everything you were promised except more new patients, contact SmartBox Web Marketing.

– We work with more than 550 dentists on three continents to get them more patients, more profits, and more freedom.

– And we can prove that what we do works.

– If you’d like me to evaluate your website and tell you how it can be improved, go to

www.smartboxwebmarketing.com, go to the Resources tab, click Products, and then click on The Swift Kick Dental Website Review. You can order a customized 30-minute video critique of your site, social media presence, online patient reviews, dental videos, and more using our 131-point dental web marketing checklist.

– Join me for tomorrow’s podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.