Organizations from giant pharmaceuticals to the small pizza place on the corner all offer mobile apps, games, social media, 3D, and other virtual experiences to build their brands. Now dentists can also add the latest virtual practice-building tools to educate and inform patients and market their practices.
Here are three quick, inexpensive, and effective virtual practice-building strategies that will get your patients sharing with their friends and family, bring your practice positive local media attention, and position you as an innovative dentist in your community.
1. Set up a virtual reception area
You can offer your patients a virtual reception room, complete with the patient’s own avatar. You can furnish it, stock it with your latest newsletter, patient-education information, health and wellness games, and even videos. Your new virtual reception area is as easy to set up as adding a page to your website, and costs about the same amount of money as a dinner and a movie.
2. Turn your practice logo into a patient education portal
New virtual technology allows you to turn your own practice logo into an interactive patient engagement tool. Wherever you put your logo — on your business cards, t-shirts, stickers, office mugs, or even your practice ads — when patients or visitors click on the logo with their mobile phones, they will be transported to a practice-building portal which offers them information such as a personal video from the dentist, seasonal tips on dental care, practice information, healthy recipes, news, games, and dozens of other features. This cool, interactive patient-building virtual logo is just 30 days away and costs about the same as a spa weekend.
3. Offer your patients a 3D brochure
Why print those expensive brochures that look like every other practice brochure when you could print yours in 3D? Patients would be able to ‘virtually’ immerse themselves in your practice and experience what it looks like. They could “open” doors, meet your team, and get oriented. Switching from regular printing to 3D adds just pennies to the cost of your brochure.
E.M. Kaye is the founder of the Association of Virtual Worlds and the editor of the new book, “Virtual Leader: Game-Changing Skills and Strategies of the New Enterprise Manager,” now available on Amazon.For more ideas on how to add virtual marketing to your practice, contact Kaye at [email protected] or visit www.VirtualLeaderSite.com.
