As a business owner, you’re probably always looking for ways to improve your practice. To help your dental practice grow this year, here are a few strategies to consider.
- Review the previous year.
- Get your customers involved.
- Update your social media, website, and blog.
- Social Media: If you’re not on even one social media platform – whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram – make sure you get one set up. It’s a very simple step to take and a great way to keep your current patients updated and find new ones.
- Website: Take a look through your website. Clean up old or broken links. Add new images, photos, and links. Does the look of your website need a makeover? What else needs changing or updating? Don’t let people think that you don’t pay attention to your website. Stay updated with new promos and information.
- Blog: To go along with the website, make sure you don’t overlook the blog. Updating your website but leaving your latest blog post from 2016 doesn’t reflect too well on your practice. Keep it updated with fresh content, and give your patients a reliable place to go to for information.
- Become mobile-friendly.
- Put yourself first.
Before you make any changes in the new year, take a look at the previous year to see what went well and what areas need improvement. Make sure that the whole team is involved in this planning, as each member will surely have their own observation to contribute as to what can be improved in the office.
Just as your staff will have valuable information to contribute, so will your patients. After all, the goal is to serve them well, so seeing what they like about your practice and what they would like to see changed could do a lot of good. Forbes suggests that you provide your patients with an opportunity to answer questions, such as in a survey. This can be done on physical notecards or online and can contain questions such as whether or not they would recommend this dental office to a family member or friend. Be sure to stay open-minded and not shy away from constructive criticism.
Developing and maintaining an online presence is essential to the success of your practice. Not only does it retain patients and help you stay connected with them, but it also helps to draw in new ones. Take a day or two to devote to cleaning up your online image.
It’s pretty common knowledge that most people access the internet on their phones now. By failing to make your website mobile-friendly, you could lose out on a good number of new patient opportunities. In addition, consider connecting with your patients through an app. It could be a great new way to provide quality customer service.
If, when thinking about the last year, you automatically recall memories of being stressed or frazzled rather than enjoyable moments with staff or patients, you probably didn’t do a very good job of putting yourself first. In the new year, try to pay more attention to how you’re feeling. Eat healthy, exercise, and don’t be afraid to take breaks. It might even be good to take a vacation. Your practice can’t run without you being at your best, so make sure you’re taking care of yourself.