Within the past year, more and more cosmetic dentists have been jumping into social media. Back in April of 2009 Matt Arndt wrote an article titled “How can cosmetic dentists use social media more effectively” and it focused on one of the few dental practices utilizing some forms of social media.
The April 2009 article touches on how the use of video, blogging, and social bookmarking can help your cosmetic dental practice increase business. In this article I’ll discuss a few additional ideas that you can implement into your internet marketing efforts:
1) Review sites: Encourage your patients to write reviews about your practice. For cosmetic dentists you’ll want to steer them toward your Google local business listing, your Yelp account and Doctor Oogle (a niche review site for doctors and dentists). Consider offering discounts off future services for writing a positive review. Increasing the number of quality reviews your dental practice has will increase the ranking of your listing both on Yelp and Google’s local business listing.
2) Social networking: Set up a Facebook Fan page and a Twitter page. Create a custom page within your Facebook Fan page that has an opt-in where you can collect leads. This custom page should reflect a consistent design with your website and other marketing materials. The same goes for Twitter. Creating a custom background will help you brand your dental practice. Also consider adding your social networking and website links to your custom Twitter background. Both social networks should serve as a forum for you to communicate with people and offer expertise and tips on everything dental. Finally, make sure your blog automatically syndicates out to Facebook and Twitter.
3) Email marketing: In a previous blog post I touched on some email marketing solutions. No matter which solution you choose, the main thing is to pick one and use it. Schedule emails to go out to both prospects and former clients. You can schedule these emails to go out based on the client’s last visit and offer discounts in order to get people to act. Don’t over promote your practice with email marketing by spamming your list. Instead pick and choose the best blog articles to send out occasionally.
If you have a cosmetic dental practice and you have yet to take advantage of social media, then you’re missing out on potential clients who are looking for you. Talk to Turbo Social Media today to review your current internet marketing strategy and map out a plan to bring new business to your cosmetic dental practice.
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About The Author: Tom Sullivan is the senior account executive at Turbo Social Media. He has managed accounts for a wide variety of businesses, from small “Mom and Pop” businesses to multi-million dollar corporations. His success in business stems from his entrepreneurial drive and his desire to do “whatever it takes” for his clients to be successful.
Tom received his BA in Business Management Economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz. He is a former collegiate rugby player and he enjoys playing softball, golfing, camping, and snowboarding in his spare time. 
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