Dental practices are businesses with clients. Yes, they’re called patients, but they are their clientele. When we look at it this way, we can see the need for certain business services and public relations is one of them.
A Shift in Perspective:
According to nancy behrman communications, we have to shift the perspective of the practice and show the benefit. Most dentists are at odds with the prospect of keeping a PR firm. They find little perceived value for a smaller practice.
What they need to comprehend is that a PR firm is all about the most important ongoing process in their practice—finding new patients. A PR firm is valuable in a dental practice of any size. The misconception is that when a dental practice hires a firm for any reason, they must be a large enough practice to afford it.
There are many ways to incorporate a PR firm into a marketing budget. There are useless common marketing practices. Best to eliminate them and redirect the funds.
The dentist and their office management team are engaged in the daily operation of the office. A receptionist may write some mediocre copy and a few social media posts instead of finding new clients.
Not to say that their efforts yield nothing—they do. It’s just not enhancing the ROI in any notable way. So in effect the practice loses money every day that a dedicated human is not seeking new patients.
What a PR Firm Does in a Dental Practice:
What a PR firm does in a dental office will have a basic strategy. How it’s expressed will vary.
First, they’ll do an analysis of the area the dental practice is in. Based on that, they’ll know what the local demographic listens to and reads along with their internet habits. Where do they work? Where do they play? Who do they hang out with? What do they value?
There are very sophisticated ways to figure out where the target patient for the practice is. The PR professional creates a strategy to engage and bring in that new patient.
According to nancy behrman communications PR work is more than just sending out random press releases. It’s about building relationships. The PR pro will form real relationships by addressing the target. They will move in the environment that the data shown.
We execute the movement in a plethora of ways. Those ways are a strategy that’s custom designed for that practice. Some of those things can be events and trade shows. They show up and give a dental-related talk and then get people signed up for an appointment. You can then run a special package for those people.
Charity events are another great way to get out in the public eye and get noticed. Going out on the street with a sign in a character suite. Doing talks at schools to teach kids oral hygiene.
Only after doing these things and more, the pictures will go into a press release and sent out through the channels.
It’s who you know
The PR firm will already have formed relationships with local newspaper editors and media stations. So, there’s a lot of connections that the practice won’t have. For whatever the cost, fitting in a PR firm is the most forward moving thing you can do for your practice. None of the other ways that you’re taught to get new patients will top a PR firm.
What type of person does PR?
The PR professional never waits for the green light from someone else to move forward. The person doing the job creates and innovates.
How do you choose a PR Firm?
Make sure they’re a good fit for your office, after all they’re representing you. Do they know how to come up with ideas on their own? Do they make it a point to coordinate with the marketing team that you use?
These are the things to ask and observe. Once the dentist interviews them, they may want to have a second one with the marketing director. These are the people they’ll be working with. Your marketing director should have a good nose for spotting a top-notch PR firm
