We go to a lot of effort to attract new patients, and to lose them after all that work is just a massive waste.
You can’t get cocky or complacent and assume that everyone who walks through your doors is automatically a loyal, lifelong patient. It takes a bit more effort than that, and it’s important to keep the lines of communication open and make it easy for them to come back.
When people aren’t coming into the practice or calling you up, they can still read/watch/listen to your content and keep you top of mind.
Whether you have a regular practice newsletter, an established social media presence, or you’re looking to develop content specifically for retention, it’s important to follow these principles for relationship-building content.
Regular content builds authority
Publishing informative and high-quality content is a great way to position yourself as an expert and build authority.
The more frequently you publish, you’ll be able to stay top of mind and grow an audience of readers, watchers, or listeners, who turn to you for knowledge and advice.
By routinely publishing content on a variety of topics and educating your patient base, you continue to demonstrate your expertise and elevate their opinion of you as a clinician.
Aim for prolific, not perfect
At the end of the day, you’re a dental practice – not a major production studio, not Hemmingway, not an award-winning podcaster or documentary maker.
People aren’t expecting show-stopping content worthy of an Academy Award – but they will appreciate content that speaks to them in a way that they understand, that solves their problems and answers their questions, or even makes them laugh and feel connected.
Perfectionism may have served you very well as a clinician, but don’t get caught up trying to get the perfect Instagram shot or write a 1000-word essay.
Simplify and share your content
One of the virtues of modern technology is that it’s never been easier to publish and share your content. Social media is incredibly accessible, and it’s possible to be present on numerous different platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
You can even make use of the different features and have some incentive to share or tag friends or comment answers below – all of which encourages engagement and deepens your relationship with your audience, but also significantly increases your reach.
It’s also wise to make good use of your practice newsletter – you can link to various blogs, to videos, to pages on your website, send out an eBook or PDF guide, include pictures of your team and practice, all of which help to build on that comprehensive image patients have of what you and your practice mean to them.
By publishing more content and communicating in a way that really gets through to your patients, you can make that relationship three dimensional and be actively engaging with them even when they’re between appointments.
The more touch points, the more you deepen your relationship and remind them to keep coming back.
P.S. Whenever you’re ready …. here are 4 ways I can help you grow your dental practice:
1. Grab a free chapter from my book “Retention – How to Plug the #1 Profit Leak in Your Dental Practice”
The book is the definitive guide to patient retention and how to use internal marketing to grow your practice – Click Here
2. Join the Savvy Dentist community and connect with dentists who are scaling their practice too
It’s our Facebook group where clever dentists learn to become commercially smart so that they have more patients, more profit and less stress. – Click Here
3. Attend a Practice Max Intensive live event
Our 2 day immersive events provide access to the latest entrepreneurial thinking and actionable strategies to drive your practice forward. You’ll leave with a game plan to take your results to the next level. If you’d like to join us, just send me a message with the word “Event and I’ll get you all the details! – Click here
4. Work with me and my team privately
If you’d like to work directly with me and my team to take your profit from 6 figures to 7 figures …. just send me a message with the word “Private”… tell me a little about your practice and what you would like to work on together, and I’ll get you all the details! – Click here
