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anti-snoring devices.” That is going to create interest as long as it’s kept brief and compelling, and hopefully increase
your number of appointment requests.
MD: That’s a good idea. We, even as a laboratory, have products that dentists probably aren’t even aware of. There are products
that I didn’t pay attention to until I needed them in my personal life. For example, my son plays ice hockey now, and you’ve got
to wear a custom-made mouthguard. We made him one recently that looks nicer than the one that the players for the Anaheim
Ducks wear, and it’s their colors and their logo. Now, every kid on the team wants one. Dentists always ask me, “Well how
much money do you really make on this?” It’s not so much getting the child in for the two alginates for the $200 mouthguard;
it’s more about getting Mom, the 35- to 50-year-old mom, into the practice to meet everyone. She sees that you treat the child
well. And then, “By the way, Mom, I don’t know if you’re interested, but we’re doing a bleaching special through the end of this
month.” It’s products like this that dentists traditionally don’t think of as restorative dentistry, a short little blurb about this
custom-made athletic mouthguard for kids playing basketball or baseball or hockey. I mean, what a great way to get some new
families into your office that you may not have met. And now they’re able to become ambassadors for the practice. They tell
everyone, “We got a great new custom mouthguard. Now my kid’s the envy of everybody on the team.”
GL: Absolutely. Not only do you get one more family in the door with a new innovative marketing tool, but you may
also get the whole sports team in your office. Again, that’s another way to market your practice. It’s always important to
consider marketing services to your community, such as a local sports teams, to help bring in new patients.
MD: As always, Glenn, after speaking with you today I walk away with a greater appreciation for the power of the Internet
and what marketing the modern dental practice is really all about. One of the things that really impresses me is, unlike the
days of full-page Yellow Page ads at $1,400 per month (and you weren’t sure exactly how effective it was), most of this is free.
You mentioned the word “free” once or twice during this interview and talked about how the updates you’re able to do via
the social media sites, which are free once they’re set up. That’s pretty impressive. Marketing the modern dental practice looks
clean, and a lot less embarrassing at times, because we can use video and photographs in a more authentic way to market the
dental practice. The Internet, which some dentists may view as a necessary evil, really seems to be becoming more classy. You’ve
opened my eyes once again today to what social media can do for a dental practice, as well.
GL: Dentists should not be intimidated by social networking. In fact, they should embrace it as an integral part of their
online marketing strategy. A simple blog on your Web site synced to your Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts can
significantly increase your Web site traffic, improve your search ranking, enhance your online reputation and, ultimately,
attract new patients to your office. With anything related to social media, it’s patients marketing to patients, a powerful
thing called referral marketing. So make sure you don’t overtly try to sell or market. Just be personal and learn to
actively engage with your patients.
MD: Well, I’m relatively lazy, so I gave you all my words and images and had you put my Web site together, which I love and
others love. For the other lazy dentists reading this, what’s the best way for them to get in touch with you and get started with
Officite?
GL: They can go to officite.com. Or dentists can call 888-282-9751 to talk to one of our social media experts, who can
walk them through the process of setting up a social network and blog. If they choose, we can manage the entire process
for them, as well as monitor their online reputation. Plus, we can even help with the online review process by providing
our reputation marketing kit, which gives them everything they need in the office to generate positive reviews
and manage their online reputation.
MD: I always tell people that this is an exciting time to be a dentist. And you’ve got me convinced that this is an exciting time
to be marketing a dental practice, as well. Thank you for your time, Glenn. I really appreciate it. CM
Download this interview for on-the-go listening at chairsidemagazine.com. For more information about the services offered by Officite, call 888-282-9751 or
visit officite.com. To contact Glenn Lombardi, e-mail GLombardi@officite.com.
52 www.chairsidemagazine.com