Sure, having a dental practice that does good has its intrinsic rewards. Building a positive image for your practice is great for team morale. But there are other benefits of sharing your charitable efforts in your dental marketing campaigns.
Today's patients, especially millennials, are more conscientious consumers than any generation before them. They want to know they're receiving high-quality services from companies with good labor practices and respect for their customers.
A study from Nielsen showed that people are more likely to spend money with a company if they know it is involved in ethical business practices. And millennials report that they want their companies to tell them about the good things they're doing for society.
What does this mean for a local dental practice? Your patients and potential patients want to see that you're making a difference in the world. They must trust that you care about your patients, team members, and community. By doing so, you prioritize human relationships over "selling dentistry," which is the dental brand most dentists should want for their practice.
HOW CHARITABLE DENTAL MARKETING CAN HELP YOUR PRACTICE GROW
When patients see that you are focused on making a difference, they automatically assume other areas of your practice, such as cutting-edge technology, customer service, and quality of care, are excellent. As a result, the overall perceived value of your dental practice will increase in their minds.
3 CHARITABLE DENTAL MARKETING IDEAS
1. Support a Dental Charity Organization
Dentists and dental team members derive a lot of fulfillments from giving back. Not only does it make them feel good, but it also cements the practice's values and enhances its connection with local patients.
Dentists have a unique opportunity because they can make a positive difference in patient's lives by improving their quality of life and oral health.
Burnout reduction is an often-overlooked benefit of participating in charitable dental marketing. When a person is involved in philanthropy, it's an expression of gratitude that decreases burnout in the dentist and the team.
Many dental charities would love participation and support from your practice. An organization that MicroDental has worked with for years is Give Back A Smile, which is an AACD charitable foundation. If you have yet to be involved with this organization, we encourage you to visit their website to learn more.
Here is a list of the top charitable dental marketing organizations and their contact information.
2. Whiten Patient Smiles for Charity
If you're interested in supporting children's charities, running a whiten smiles for charity day is an effective campaign that will help children in need in your community.
You block out one day and whiten smiles for free. The proceeds are donated to local and national charities supporting children's charities.
We've developed a digital marketing campaign and instructions on how to run a one-day whitening event. Everything is ready to go. You can download the One-Day Whiten For Charity Campaign materials here.
3. Celebrate Your Patients' Life Events and Donate
Your social media posts are an authentic way to show how your practice feels about patients and team members. Regular posting builds your practice brand as well as followers. But many dental practices need help knowing what to post about.
A creative and highly engaging post strategy is celebrating your patient's life events. Birthdays, anniversaries, leaving on vacation, and having a new child are all great opportunities that your practice can highlight. Posts like these show that you are conscious and aware of your patients' lives.
When you post the photo or video, mention that you're making a small donation on behalf of your patient to a local charity. Use the Life Events Social Sign Pack to help get an excellent patient photo as simple as possible.
Remember to stay HIPAA compliant when you post patient photos. HIPAA regulations require a signed authorization form for each image posted online. If you need a proper photo release form, you can download one here.
CONCLUSION
Charitable giving is a valuable way to promote your practice and fuel practice growth. Don't hesitate to mention your philanthropic contributions online. Another great way to do this is to add a page to your dental website design titled "Community Outreach." On this page, add photos and descriptions of your involvement in the community.
About the author
Adrian Lefler is a dental marketing expert, founder, and Chief Marketing Officer at My Social Practice. He lives in Draper, Utah, with four super snarky kids, a gorgeous spouse, one awesome dog, and one dumb dog.