Generate MORE High-Quality Cosmetic and Restorative New Dental Patients Instantly With 4 Easy-To-Implement Google+ Strategies

4 Tips to Get New Dental Patients On Google+
Connecting with your dental patients is quickly becoming the most
important facet of business today. The following 4 tips will help you get
new dental patients using social media networks like Google+.
Google+ is just one of the many social networks you can use to help you
create a great relationship with each patient, so they become “hooked”
on your practice. What do I mean by “hooked”? Well psychologists say
two factors lead to something becoming a habit – frequency (how often
the patient comes to see you for example) and perceived utility (how
useful and rewarding the behavior is in the patient’s mind over any
other alternative).
For instance, people have become hooked on Google as a search
engine since they use it so frequently. The perceived utility is also high,
but let’s face it, people could use other search engines if they wanted.
Bing and Yahoo are just as fast, and work just as well. But users have
become accustomed to Google, and therefore using it has become a
habit. This is one of the reasons 65% of all searches on the internet are
on Google making it the #1 search engine. (YouTube is now the #2
search engine, and given it’s owned by Google, it’s safe to say Google
rules the internet.) Google+ is growing by leaps and bounds. Since
June 2012 this social network has grown 33% and boasts over 300
million monthly users.
Your average patient probably comes to see you twice a year so your
dental practice might never have the frequency necessary to create a
habit. This is one of the reasons for attrition. Your perceived utility is
probably high, but if you want to engage with your patients in a way

that makes them never consider going elsewhere, then social networks
like Google+ can help you with the frequency you need to truly “hook”
them.

1. Be Proactive When Connecting With Patients on Google+
with Shares and +1’s:
I’m sure you’ve been told to get “Likes” on Facebook, and now I’m
suggesting you get “Followers” on Google+ so you can tap into the total
Google experience not just their search engine. If you shelled out lots
of money to give gift cards to patients who “Liked” you on Facebook,
please don’t make the same mistake on Google+. (Keep reading to find

out ways to use your money to reach not just your current patients, but
lots of new dental patients!)
For now I’m just going to suggest you take a proactive approach to
Google+, and pursue clicking on the “Share” or “+1” buttons for things
your patients post. (On Google+ the “+1” is akin to the “Like” on
Facebook.) If you are going to commit to engaging with and connecting
with patients, you need to start being proactive. Don’t expect them to
“Share” your posts and “+1” your posts if you are not willing to
reciprocate. Sharing on the internet is not a one way street. Sharing
online is a tit for tat world. Don’t expect your patients to engage with
you when you are not engaging with them.
Many dental offices feel technology like smartphones, iPads, and social
media don’t apply to them, but nothing could be further from the truth.
All dental offices rely on their relationships at their core, and the dental
offices with the strongest relationships will always win. Google+ gives
you a perfect opportunity to connect with and interact with your
existing patients as well as prospective patients more frequently.

The next generation for
those addicted to looking
at their smartphone is to
buy the smartwatch to stay
connected!

Remember frequency builds habits. The first thing the average person
does each morning is look at their cell phone. Given we know this about
people, why haven’t you made your website mobile responsive yet? I’m
digressing, the point is people are using their mobile phones and iPads
constantly from the time they wake till the time they go to sleep. Why
not connect with them on their level? Social media is one of the factors
that has led to us being addicted to our smartphones and iPads. Use
them to your advantage.

Q: What is the most important asset you have?
A: The relationship with your patients.

2. Outstanding Customer Service Starts With Outstanding
Employees
A lot of time in the dental industry is spent on acquiring new dental
patients. I’m not saying it’s not important to the success of your
practice, but maybe we all need to think about ways to keep the dental
patients we have first and foremost.

 Studies show it is 6 times more expensive to get a new patient
than it is to keep your existing patients happy.
I recently read some books about the customer service techniques at
Nordstrom, Apple, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, and Zappos. These
are businesses (that I’m sure no one can disagree) have outstanding
customer service practices which are part of the formula that has led to
their success.
 Nordstrom – They empower their sales people to “make the call”
when it comes to customer service. Employees don’t fear being
chastised by their bosses for their decisions regarding customer
service practices and are praised for going the extra mile for
customers. There is no “Let me call the manager” experience,
because the sales people are trained to make the call.
 Apple Store – They have Genius Bars so their Geniuses can
trouble shoot your issues, show you new toys, and most
importantly so you can play around with their products by
yourself if that is your desire. This company has put their personal
relationship with their customers first. Never do you have to talk
to someone on the phone who barely speaks English. Never do
you feel pressured to buy something. And once you purchase an
Apple product, classes on how to use the products are free.
 Starbucks – Don’t like your drink? They make you a new one. Lots
of free trials, and loyalty rewards on your Starbucks Card.
Everyone has a smile on their face. They are so jacked up on
caffeine they are bouncing off the walls. But it’s super to have
people be kind, no matter what the circumstances.

 Southwest – They sing crazy songs or recite limericks. Make jokes
about the pilots’ bouncy landings. They are happy-go-lucky people
who are willing to act foolish to make you laugh. They don’t take
themselves too seriously. I read a book on their hiring practices,
and they really focus on only hiring people who fit this mold –
positive attitude people.
 Zappos – These people kill you with kindness. True story, a lady’s
mother died and she found twelve boxes of shoes from Zappos at
her mother’s house that had never been opened. Some of these
shoes had been there for a few years. To make a long story short,
she called Zappos, they had the shoes picked up and accepted
them all as full price returns, and then sent the lady flowers with a
sympathy card two days later! Talk about customer service. Who
do you think will be a Zappos customer for life? The everyday
experience is one where shipping is free and the return shipping is
also free if for any reason you change your mind about the shoes.
Zappos took the fear out of shopping for shoes online with these
practices.
Did you notice any commonalities? I think what I see is the employees
bend over backwards to make the customer happy at all these
companies. The secret sauce is the people, and they really do drive the
experience. Social networks like Google+ offer you another way to use
your fabulous dental team to help you connect with patients and
prospective new patients. Give each employee a social media platform
so each employee is reaching into different circles of influence. Give
staff a monetary incentive to sing your praises and proactively attract
new dental patients to your office. (Your staff will need incentive to
take on this additional task. It could become a fun competition.) If

patients desire a total dental experience, then give it to them. Instead
of facing this online world alone, bring in your full dental team to help
you tackle it.

How does somebody know what they want if they haven’t
even seen it? –Steve Jobs
Pediatric dental offices seem to have a clear focus on how to make the
“experience” something their kids won’t forget and will love. Somehow
general dentists have failed to create an “experience” that is so mindblowing people will want to tell their friends and co-workers about it.
Commonly dental offices will ask patients, “What can we improve
upon? How can we do better?” I think it’s phenomenal the dental
industry is always looking to improve, but maybe we ought to think of
the quote by Steve Jobs when we consider asking these questions.
Patients don’t know what is going to blow their mind until you offer it
to them. If you think about it, an experience has to be pretty awesome
if potential new dental patients are to be swayed to leave their current
dentist who might be doing a pretty decent job. It’s not good enough to
be just average if you want to hook quality new dental patients.
When it comes to happy dental patients, I find there are tons of offices
that provide a superior customer service experience. It becomes hard
to differentiate yourself from all the other dentists under these
circumstances. I have been in over 10,000 dental offices in my career,
and by merely offering patients a nice coffee/tea bar in your waiting
room, and placing personal televisions in each operatory, you will not
be able to differentiate yourself to the point of creating positive word
of mouth. When it comes to attracting new dental patients you have to

do more than other dentists. Sometimes you have to do something
outrageous. Something so noteworthy that patients will not be able to
help talking about your dental office with people in their network.

How is your dental practice better than others in your area?

What could you do to make your office’s dental experience
mind-blowing?
3. VIP Treatment Makes Patients Feel Important
Do you offer a VIP club? Studies show 90% of people will pay more to
ensure they have a fabulous customer service experience, and people
will spend more with your practice if you give them a feeling of
importance. What could you do to give patients the VIP treatment?
Have you brainstormed on this one yet? What if VIP clients were
guaranteed their ideal appointment time even if it was a night or
weekend they desired? What if VIP clients were given foot massages
during their dental procedures? I saw an office on Google+ the other
day who offers patients a paraffin wax treatment for their hands during
their dental procedures. Now we’re talking!

What if you had a phone booth in your waiting room and when they
picked up the phone, the back wall of the phone booth opened to
admit them through a secret door to their dental operatory? Like the
Hair Bear Bunch in the 80’s cartoon. (http://youtu.be/BPylI9t1cMw)
Their den at the zoo looked like a regular lion’s den until the
zookeepers were gone. Then the bears would press buttons, and their
full kitchen would swivel into place, and their pimped out living room
would flip out from the rock wall of the lion’s den like a murphy bed!

What Are You Doing to
Think Outside the
Proverbial (Lunch) Box?
Do you think I’m being outrageous? I read about a nightclub in NYC
called PDT (Please Don’t Tell) that creates so much word of mouth, it’s
packed all the time. Do they spend a lot of money on marketing for
their club? The answer is no. They installed an old style phone booth at
the back of a popular hotdog restaurant called CrifDogs.

When people step in the phone booth and press the buzzer once – not
twice – a voice will answer and after approval the back wall of the
phone booth will open to admit you to this small bar. The experience of
being admitted through a secret wall/door that opens up makes this big
secret something everyone immediately tells their 20 closest friends.
What could you do to create not just positive word of mouth, but
something patients would be dying to tell their friends about? What
could you do to make your patients feel important – VIP style? Be
creative! If you are just like every other dental office then you become
a commodity. Something the patient can replace anytime.
We just started working with a dental chain in Toronto that has a “Live
Chat” option on their website so you can cyber chat with a dental office
employee to ask questions or set up an appointment. Similar to what
they have on major websites like Apple or Amazon. This might not be
so noteworthy people are dying to tell their friends, but it is a step in
the right direction. They are doing something not many dental offices
do, and as a result they lose very few patients who end up at their
website.

4. Contests on Google+ and other Social Networks
Will Help “Hook” Patients
The truth is average is just not enough to get patients to proactively
talk about you with other people they know. Every dental office wants
patients to refer more patients, but what are you doing to create the
incentive needed? Clearly a $5-$10 gift certificate to Starbucks for a
referral is not enough or more patients would refer more often. Have
you considered your patients might be trying to refer, but the people

they try to recruit on your behalf have no incentive to leave their
present dentist to come to see you instead?
Contests you can host on Google+ offer your practice three distinct
advantages over the other guy down the street, and will possibly give
potential new dental patients the little push they need to actually
change dentists.
 You will connect with patients more frequently (one of the
factors that lead to a habit).
 You will separate yourself from the average office to give people
the added incentive they need to actually change.
 Principles from psychology that we know hook people in the
same ways gambling, the Lotto, and online games hook people
will be utilized.
Call these contests dopamine release agents, but contests are fun and
addicting just like the Lotto and games. Plus it is much more fun when
someone you know wins as opposed to the Lotto! There are
Sweepstakes, Photo/Video Contests, Trivia Contests, Vote Contests,
Music Contests, Essay Contests, etc…You can poll patients to see what
the next trivia questions should be for your next trivia contest to keep
them engaged. Simultaneously you will find out a lot about what
interests your patients have.
You can have patients vote on the best photo, video, essay, or music
entries. They will stay engaged during the entire contest when they are
allowed to vote. How do you reach potential new patients?
You can let patients know that their friends, co-workers, and families
will be allowed to enter the contest if they “+1” or “Share” the contest

with their Google+ followers. (Or you can employ a Hashtag Contest
where participants use the # symbol in front of your practice name and
“Share” that with their followers to promote your practice. Hashtags
are used in the Google+ search bar with any word or combination of
words to search for posts on a topic or a business or whatever. Make
sure not to put any spaces in between the words such as
#GrowthHackerCentral.)
Your patients’ desire to participate will help enlist them to market your
practice for you to their followers. Even a small prize can entice people.
You will create positive word of mouth about your practice and
separate yourself from the average dental office. All your goals will be
accomplished with these contests. The bottom line is Google+ (and
other social media networks) can be your ally if you learn to use them
correctly.

Need Help Putting Together Some Contests?
Growth Hacker Central Can Help.
Lisa Newhouse
OFFICIAL Growth Hacker of the Dental Profession Worldwide™ and CoFounder of Growth Hacker Central. (http://www.GrowthHackerCentral.com)
Dr. Ken and Lisa Newhouse also own Practice Doctor Management
(www.PracticeDoctorManagement.com) and
Mass Referral 2.0 “Double Your New Patient Traffic in 60 Days” Seminars
(http://www.GrowthHackerCentral.com/Double-Your-Traffic-Seminar/)

Generate MORE High-Quality Cosmetic and Restorative New Dental Patients Instantly With 4 Easy-To-Implement Google+ Strategies

Generate MORE High-Quality Cosmetic and Restorative New Dental Patients Instantly With 4 Easy-To-Implement Google+ Strategies

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Generate MORE High-Quality Cosmetic and Restorative New Dental Patients Instantly With 4 Easy-To-Implement Google+ Strategies