NMDA Journal Fall 2018

Tips to Promote Your Dental Practice Increase visibility and reinforce your office's brand to help build widespread recognition Reinforcing your practice's brand can help build trust, familiarity and widespread recognition of your dental practice in your community, according to Lands' End Business Outfitters, the apparel company endorsed by ADA Member Advantage and NMDA. To help your practice increase visibility, here are some tips courtesy of Lands' End Business Outfitters: • Network in your own backyard: Get to know your neighbors and the professionals in your own community. It's important to be involved with your local Chamber of Commerce and be on the lookout for other business and professional organizations in your area. Many are geared to providing referrals these days. • Wear your practice's logo outside the practice: Offering your staff apparel with your practice's logo helps everyone feel proud to work in your practice, and wearing the apparel in off hours helps reinforce that image. Create a work “uniform” that suits your professional image, and add a few styles you'd enjoy wearing after work. Take a walk at noon, pick up the kids at school, chat with the delivery team. There are many “off duty” opportunities to increase your profile. • Get involved in the community: Sponsor local events ranging from a youth group's car wash fundraiser to the city's annual charity race. You'll meet a lot of people who may just become new patients. Lands' End Business Outfitters carries a variety of often- used products that give you the opportunity to get your practice's name in front of more people and keep your name top-of-mind. These include pens, key fobs, mugs, water bottles and more. For more information on Lands' End, visit ada.landsend.com . Five On-hold Messaging Tips Bill Schroeder, vice president of InTouch Practice Communications, offers five tips for creating effective on-hold messages: • Be sure to select the right tone of your message. Your on-hold message script and voice need to reflect the style and nature of your practice. Remember to read your script aloud before it's recorded to be sure it sounds conversational. • Don't overload your caller with too much information about your practice—keep them wanting to know more. Use the time you have wisely and refresh the script monthly. • Always highlight your practice's latest promotions and offers, particularly any holiday-related offers, and be sure to mention any new services you're offering. • If there are any new patient referral promotions, be sure to include those in your script. • Always include a call to action. Your callers may only be on hold for 15 seconds. Your message should let them know to ask about any new products or services they heard about. NMDA members or their office managers are invited to call 877-493-9003 to give InTouch Practice Communication’s message on-hold program a try. To find out more about custom on-hold messages for your practice, visit intouchdental.com . 16 New Mexico Dental Journal, Fall 2018