When I was building my latest startup, I tried everything to grow my practice, from the Yellow Pages to coupons, and more. I kept looking for a better way. During my search, I found myself in a lecture about how local businesses could use Facebook to grow, and my life changed forever.
I started experimenting right away, testing different things and seeing amazing results right away. Over the next two years, my practice grew very quickly. In fact, we got so many new patients our revenue tripled, we had to hire another doctor and hygienist, and we outgrew our office in about two years. Personally, the profits from the practice helped my husband and me become debt free, a dream of ours.
Since that time, I decided to help other dentists build practices to help them make more, work less, and love their lives through courses, like my Facebook Bootcamp, as well as podcasts, bootcamps, and the Delivering Wow Platinum Mastermind membership community.
After working with thousands of students, I identified the following four myths about Facebook that dentists need to overcome in order to achieve explosive growth using Facebook.
1. They think, “I’ve tried Facebook. It doesn’t work.”
This first myth is that Facebook doesn’t work or won’t work for them. Many dentists and other professionals have played around with Facebook for a few days, weeks, or even months, without any measurable success.
They look at pages like mine, with over 50,000 fans and think Facebook only works when you have a large following. They’ve posted a few pictures, spent a couple dollars boosting some posts, or placed an ad or two promoting their page, but they can’t identify any new patients, so they think Facebook is the problem.
I hear it every time I speak about Facebook. The truth is Facebook does work. I’ve helped everyone from practices that have been around for decades to practices that have been around for less than six months, like one client of mine who started getting 50 patients a month using the techniques I teach—with a six-month-old practice.
Just because Facebook hasn’t worked yet for you, doesn’t mean it doesn’t work at all. I’ve seen the results!
2. They think Facebook might work, but not for a dental practice.
The second myth is that Facebook only works for other types of businesses.
For decades, dental practices placed ads, contracted with insurance plans, and relied heavily on word-of-mouth to build their practices. Because of that, many dentists don’t see Facebook as part of a patient’s decision-process.
The reality is, there’s no better place to connect with patients, build excitement for your practice, and tell your practice’s story in a way that makes people want you to be their dentist.
3. I don’t have the time for Facebook.
Running a dental practice is a lot of work. Because of that, many dentists think it would take too much of their time or their team’s attention to use Facebook to build their practice.
Today, Facebook remains my best referral source with my team handling everything in about 30 minutes a week. Many of my students are seeing the same thing.
I recommend most dentists have their team members learn how to use Facebook well and then have their team members handle it.
With just a few hours of training and less than one hour per week, you, too, can grow your practice on Facebook!
4. It takes a lot of money to profit from Facebook.
Finally, many dentists believe it takes a lot of money to profit from Facebook. I had one dentist come to me who was spending $3,000 per month advertising on Google and another $2,000 advertising on Facebook. Every month, he spent $5,000. That’s way too much money, but those are the figures many dentists are used to seeing for advertising methods.
Facebook is different. In fact, once you know what to post and how to get your posts seen by the right people, you can attract dozens of patients for a fraction of what you might be spending in other places.
Have you tried using Facebook to grow your dental practice?
If so, what’s worked best for you? What hasn’t worked?
If not, why not? What’s keeping you from connecting with your future patients on Facebook?
TAKE ACTION TODAY:
If you want to know how you can use Facebook to grow your business, AND take action on your new knowledge, our upcoming Marketing & Practice Growth Challenge is for you! By the end of 21 days, you will have launched a marketing campaign to increase your visibility in your community AND grow your new patient list. Click here for more details!
And if want us to train you or your team on how to use Facebook to get 30 plus patients a month without discounting and wasting money on Marketing that doesn't work, our Facebook Bootcamp is for you! Click here to learn more.
