The key to the success for any contest that we host in attracting new patients is formulaic.  So too is the approach we recommend that the practice itself undertake in posting on Facebook (or any social network for that matter).  The first realization is that the posts need to support a "marketable position" for the practice, something akin to imbuing a personality upon the business itself.  To meet this objective it is often advisable that the posts be more focused on the happenings of the practice than its clinical side.  So what about posting patient photos, such as banding and de-banding photos?  We'll err on the side of caution and simply not broach the legal aspects of such (we'll save that for the phone call).  But let's look at such posts from the standpoint of practicality and marketability.  On the side of marketability, the practice needs to set a clear schedule for such posts to occur.  We typically recommend that they be made en masse once per week.  The reason is simple; continual (daily) posts of this type will quickly be tuned out by the followers of the page.  Too much, too often, too similar.  Thus having a photo post en masse makes sense in terms of both marketability and practicality. Once per week makes the task much simpler.

A point that we make continually, though, is that regardless of how engaging the content of such a page may be, there simply has to be some facet or impetus that makes its followers likely to share it with their friends. Otherwise, the page is little more than a blog shared between practice and patient.  This is where Ingenuity Orthodontic Marketing really hits its mark.  We have the platform, plan, and people to make the practice "go viral," and all without the constant oversight (or even participation) by the orthodontist or team.  As such, the practice is not disrupted and can easily adapt to the new growth that the orthodontic contest marketing can yield.

You, the entrepreneur orthodontist, likely employ this concept even if you've never taken the time to define it as I have above. Many, if not most, orthodontists script much of the treatment coordinator's presentation of the treatment plan. You probably have some form of a script for the front desk, whether for answering calls or greeting patients as they come in. Note: If "no" is the answer to either of these, stop what you're doing and call us :)  But the vast majority of orthodontic practices do not script perhaps the most important facet of practice communication that there is; the "language of the referral."

In presentations, I typically put some poor staff member on the spot with this, "Tell me why I, a person that you met socially and has a child in need of orthodontic care, should choose Dr. 'Smith. Go." Invariably, the person stammers as the thoughts swirl only to coalesce into some form of, "Dr. 'Smith' is the best orthodontist, is caring, and is professional." I'm not sold. Are you? 

At this point I usually turn to the orthodontists in the group and ask if anyone knows their mission statement(s) off hand. You probably haven't looked at it in ages. But no worries, you probably wrote it when first you left residency to begin or join a practice. The fact is that this mission statement needs to include the words that YOU choose to describe your practice in a short enough sentence that it can easily be memorized by the staff and shared beyond your walls. Choose these words to reflect what is special about your practice. Use them in every consult, and every appointment, and every patient interaction so that the patients themselves use those same words to communicate you forward.

We have a client practice, Romani Orthodontics, that has a beautifully short catch-phrase that they use to define the brand, "Experience the perfect smile." While this is probably shorter than you'd want for a mission statement, it works beautifully as a call to action.  I get it and I'd buy it. So work on the language that you use to describe your practice, share it with your staff, make it a part of your every patient conversation . . . and you'll be amazed that your patients will use it as their own in describing you to their peers.