6 Genius Ways Cell Phones Drive New Patient Growth for Your Dental Practice

By Jayme Amos.  Get free updates of posts here

Are you ready for serious New Patient Growth?

Of the hundreds of new patient growth tools out there, cell phones hold the most power now…and likely will for years to come.

Below, you'll find 6 specific ways you can increase new patient flow by using simple tools that patients use with their cell phones.

Your practice growth could rocket ahead if you do these things right.

I noticed this on Mother’s Day…when we finally convinced my wife to upgrade her phone.

Lisa’s New Phone

Why is this big news for YOUR practice?

Setting: Mothers day (4 years ago)

Jayme: Tell mommy to open it!

The kids couldn't wait for my wife to open the box...

Lisa: Wow. Its nice. But why do I need such a huge phone??

I’m about to tell you something that might change everything about new patient growth in your practice.

Be careful about reading more…your perspective on the potential for new patient growth in your practice may change forever..

Lisa and I try to be wise with our money – and sometimes upgrading a phone that your wife doesn’t want upgraded ends up falling to the bottom of the list. The average person in America gets a new phone every 24 -30 months. Lisa seems to have no interest.

But this year, I’ve watched her oogling the calendars and maps of her friends phones!

Plus, the kids want to play games!

So for Mother’s Day, we got her a new Samsung Galaxy S5.

The Amoses catapulted from a phone with a slide keyboard up to a phone with more tech than NASA had in 1990 – all on a Sunday morning!

HERE is the perspective you need to see through the lens of your patients' perspective. if you tap into this massive shift in our society you'll tap into more new patient growth than you can handle:

Lisa's social  life, our 2 kids’ lives and our family are all coordinated on her phone now (with a calendar you can be on).

In order to be relevant to patients like Lisa, your practice must show up in this dominant tool called a cell phone (all other trusted, prioritized things in her life now work their way into her phone...will your practice?)

Her “life coordination tools” are there.

Her important relationships intersect in that phone, everyday.

Is your practice in that intersection for your patients??

Of course, we’ve all felt this day coming, when cell phones coordinate life for us.

But now, of crucial importance, your practice must engage in this. Because even Lisa and I are letting those tools rule our life coordination.

At blazing fast speed, patients are jumping in to WILLINGLY have their lives fully managed by the tech in their hand.

What are you doing about it?

Will your new patient growth tap into this new reality?

6 Genius Ways Cell Phones

Drive New Patient Growth for Your Dental Practice

Use this checklist.

Ask yourself, “does my practice get new patient growth with …”:

1. ___ Facebook (as mentioned above) Lisa keeps in touch with all her important people on facebook. If your practice isn’t there, you may not be in the important position your practice will need in the coming years of distracted consumers. If not your practice, who’s? One of the little-used techniques for dental practices is the “check in” tool on facebook. New patient growth can leap forward if every mom in town sees Lisa “check in” with a dentist she trusts.
2. ___ Google Calendar – never before could you put YOUR appointment on the patient’s family kitchen calendar…do you realize the influence you can have, now that you can have YOUR dental practice’s appointment show up on ANY patient’s home calendar? Stop and think about that. Imagine that in 2005, there was a tool that automatically placed a post-it -note for recare appointments on the calendar inside your patients’ kitchen. How much would you pay for that magical tool? Well now its free – its called google calendars and millions of families use it as their new “kitchen calendar”.
3. ___ YouTube – My 6 year old, 4 year old, my wife and I literally watch funny YouTube videos during family dinner. Have you posted or shared any videos for your practice? Even 1? What if you posted and forwarded  a friendly invitation video from your team in a welcome email? Nothing fancy.  A simple candid video like that could create a deep connection – and you can make it private, only sharing it with patients. Your welcome video could show up at the family dinner table – and patients would be touched. New patient growth would increase.
4. ___ Pandora – yes, the music playing ap.  You can advertise here…have you considered it? Ads can be purchased at very low rates, targeted to a specific zip code or demographic criteria. Want 45 year old males? You can have them hear or see your ad on Pandora while they listen on their phone.  Lisa plays music from her Pandora ap every day on her phone. Will you show up there or will another dentist?
5. ___ Google Maps  - I have no ownership of google stock even though I sound like I’m pumping them. Like it or not, they’re taking over the world and the map will help them dominate. The map is PRELOADED on Lisa’s phone (the best selling phone on the market). Does your practice show up in her map? Are you sure? If it doesn’t she won’t find you…but she will find another dentist.
6. ___ Texting – Texting was taboo…7 years ago. That was when people were charged for each message. Now Lisa (and all patients) expect the important people in her life to text her. Do you hope to be considered important to your patients? You better start getting permission to text them. Your dental team must ask every patient for permission or you’ll lose out on a big opportunity to communicate with Lisas everywhere – in a way that matters to them.

Patients typically want to engage with you and your dental team.

They want a relationship with you.

If you connect with them on their phone, you’ll take a big step forward in deepening your relationship and your trust with patients in meaningful ways.

-- How did you do on the checklist?

-- How will you use these tools for new patient growth?

Email me your results and I’ll put the results in the next newsletter!

Want more powerful ideas?

Get the free 7 Elements Video series for powerful concepts that new practices need to use. Just click here: 7 Elements Video Series 

Jayme Amos