Dentists strive to provide patients with the best possible care, but this year they face new challenges with fewer patients coming through the door. Many people have put off visiting their dentist because of the COVID-19 virus.
With the recent pandemic outbreak, it is more important than ever to make sure that all safety protocols are being followed and to communicate the steps you’re taking with patients. With that in mind, the following tips can help you get more patients back:
Discuss New Safety Protocols Used to Keep Patients Safe
When patients know what to expect before they arrive at your office, they are less likely to delay, cancel, or reschedule their appointment. Tell your patients exactly how you follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for cleaning and safety. You can use a variety of methods–like emails, social media posts, and blog posts–to share this information about the safety protocols you’re using in your dental office
When communicating with your patients, stick to the basics. Your marketing messages need to be compassionate and focused on their needs. Additionally, reassure them that a team of well-informed dental staff who are up-to-date with the scientific safety precautions about the pandemic will take care of them.
Leverage the Reach of Social Media
Properly cleaning your office before and after every appointment is a crucial part of keeping it safe. Take videos of what you do before and after each patient visit and then share them on social media.
Video examples of patient care will explain how you maintain a safe environment. Demonstrating exactly how you improve the patient experience will show patients on social media the amount of work that goes into keeping everything clean.
Your social network provides a great way for you to reach out to an unlimited amount of people. Moreover, your dental office can also communicate with its followers in real-time, which is something that would be difficult if you were using other marketing channels like TV commercials or print ads.
Create Content to Encourage Oral Hygiene
Communicating tips on oral hygiene can be done via social media, email newsletters, blog posts, or other online media. Ideally, you should use a broad variety of online media to share exclusive content about oral health with your followers.
Create content around how it is impossible to overstate the importance of oral hygiene. For instance, explain how overall health is closely related to oral health.
Provide Remote Care
The practice of providing dental care remotely is known as teledentistry. Using teleconferencing technology, you can examine, consult, and perform treatment on patients without the danger of exposing them to bodily fluids. By adding this service to your practice, you can help patients who just need dental advice.
These simple tips can help you get patients back into the office.
Increasing safety precautions, communicate what steps you’ve taken on social media. You can also share oral health tips with patients through social media, email, and your blog. Teledentistry is an option for patients who merely need preventative advice.Finally, denTEL is an online dental directory that connects dentists and patients in a variety of ways. Dental practitioners will have the opportunity to answer questions submitted by visitors to provide dental treatment options. It is free to join denTEL. Claim your dental practice today!
