I was recently in a dentist office and noticed something interesting. There were 2 televisions blasting the 24 hour news cycle (which is rarely uplifting) and I saw a small table top video that advertised a national product. But what I didn’t see was video content that helped promote, market, train and encourage. Imagine the lost opportunity that this dentist had by not having his own video content being show in the waiting room. Many people will pick up a magazine and thumb through it but most people would rather sit back and relax and watch the tv. Yes, we’re all a bit lazy, but why not take advantage of this and use the opportunity to keep the focus on your practice. It will help build trust, educate your patients and keep them happily coming back, which is a simple way of building and expanding your practice.
Why showing the news or external videos will negatively affect your efforts:
The news is usually a downer:
Most people are well aware of what’s going on around them. Do they really need to catch up on the latest tragedy, gossip or weather? By showing the news you are spoon feeding them the negative news cycle that dominates most of these channels.
Showing product promos or generic medical content:
Sure you might have been paid to show video content of a product but wouldn’t the investment go much further if you created your own video content and had it playing in your waiting room? This ensures that you talk about your own services and you can even feature some of the highest margin services that will also be of the most help to your patients. The generic medical or dental video content can be hit or miss and doesn’t really help build trust with your patients and your practice but only seems to be mindless entertainment that is medically based. Lastly, do you really expect patients to watch these videos and buy the product? Most don’t because they see through it as an advertisement.
As you can see there are negative reasons why showing the news or other medical/dentistry type videos can work against you. But how can you improve upon this? Below are the solution to using negative video in your waiting room.
3 reasons why a dentist office needs to show off their own video content:
1. Keep the attention on your dentistry practice with videos focussed on your practice:
Your patients can go anywhere for similar services and procedures but they chose your office. Why not have a looping video of testimonials, “Meet the Dentist” and other content that shows the benefits of your dentistry practice.
2. Use video to teach and inform your patients:
Why not use the waiting room as a chance to teach and inform your patients about the latest procedures, how to properly brush their teeth or avoid serious damage to their teeth? The more you educate them, the more you build trust with them which will help guard against them going to your competitor, which puts more money in your pocket.
3. Put them in a good mood with encouraging video content:
Most people are nervous when they go into a dentist, even if it’s for a routine checkup. Why not have uplifting video content playing, instead of the news that will only bring your patients down? Create a looping video with beautiful nature scenes, motivational quotes and other positive content. This is a great chance to encourage your patients so they are in a good mood when they come back to see you for their procedure.
How to get started creating your own content.
Creating your own content doesn’t have to be difficult and you can start today. Start by creating slideshows of before/after photos. Insert motivational quotes and include images of beautiful scenery. This is the first step and is good for small practices. For practices that want to take their business and video content to the next level, consider making a list of content that you could create. Partner with an experienced video production company, like True Focus Media to help you develop a list of content and then start producing it. It shouldn’t be a difficult process, and in many cases won’t take much of your time at all.
Simple ways a dentist should use video to promote market and sell more:
- Before and after videos (give a short explanation of why the procedure was needed and how you helped your patient).
- Testimonials – these should be easy since you are one of the best dentists in your area and have many happy patients
- FAQ videos – You probably get the same questions asked. What if you had a series of FAQ videos on your website that you could direct patients to after you recommend a procedure? This would help build trust, show your expertise and put calm their fears
- Motivational quotes – who doesn’t like to be inspired. Come up with 50 inspirational quotes, add an image and loop them on your videos.
- Meet the Dentist – use this opportunity to talk about your passion, background and how you love helping people.
Want to get started? Give us a call. We have produced videos for clients all across the country and would enjoy talking with you to give recommendations on how to best utilize video content for your dentistry practice.
Photo by icethim
