I was just reading DJ Waldow’s piece for Marketing Profs on how his dentist is using email marketing. He made a special note of how well the dentist is using email to connect with his customers, but pointed out that he isn’t really using social media at all. DJ added that:
It’s no secret social media is hot. Moreover, email plus social media is really where it’s at. Foothill could start a blog, create a Facebook page, and even manage a Twitter account. However, I’m not sold on whether this would move the needle for Foothill. It may be worth exploring, but I don’t see people getting fired up about the dentist (the way I do).
Now if Foothill DID start a blog, my advice would be that they should focus on putting themselves out of business. What I mean by that is, they should empower their customers to take better care of their teeth, so they don’t need as much care from the dentist. They should teach their customers how to have stronger and healthier teeth.
And yes, this might mean that this dentist loses some business if his customers start taking better care of their teeth. But in return, he will likely GAIN far more business because he will be creating a blog that not only creates value for his customers, but helps him establish trust and expertise with current and potential customers.
Now I know what you are thinking ‘Mack, no way I would ever read a dentist’s blog!” Most people probably wouldn’t, but if you need dental work, or have a problem with your teeth you would go to Google and search for help, right? That’s when the dentist deciding to blog would pay off, as his blog post about ‘Ten Things You Can Do Everyday to Have a Healthier Smile’ is probably going to rank better in search results than the static websites of his non-blogging competitors.
So think about this as you blog or consider starting a blog. Really, I am doing the exact same thing here. I am writing content that helps businesses learn how to utilize blogs and social media for themselves, so they don’t need me. Seems completely counter-intuitive on the surface, but the content helps businesses learn how to better use social media AND that makes them more likely to want to hire me to help them with their efforts. So by empowering potential customers, I am actually growing my business.
If it can work for me, there’s no reason why it couldn’t work for your dentist as well!