Video Marketing Tips for Dentists (or Any Small Business)

What would you do if 24% of the population feared your business, you only saw your customers twice a year (on average), and there were competitors on every block of your city? If you’re a dentist, these challenges probably sound familiar.

Luckily, digital marketing and video are at the ready, just waiting to fill reclining chairs with new patients. Along with tools like referral programs, reviews, and social media, video has become a highly effective marketing tool for many dental practices.

By building trust among potential clients, educating and retaining current patients, and harnessing the unique benefits of on-site video, savvy dentists are edging out their competition and growing their businesses. We spoke with dentist, Dr. Courtney Lavigne, all about her video marketing strategy.

Knowledge is power. It’s also comforting.

There are a lot of unknowns involved when you’re going to the dentist. How much will it cost? How painful will it be? Are they nice? By eliminating just a few unknowns for potential patients, you can lower mental barriers, relieve anxiety, and convince new people to try out your office.

“I’ve had a lot of new patients join our office because of the feel they got from our website,” explained Dr. Lavigne. “Patients have commented that they felt like they knew me before booking an appointment. It’s scary to choose a new provider, whether it’s a dentist, an internist, or a hair stylist! The more they know about me and my practice, the more educated a decision they can make in deciding if we’re the right fit for them.”

In this video, Dr. Lavigne highlights her new, state-of-the-art office and her overall philosophy. The statement, “I’m going to be giving patients an experience with dental care that they haven’t had before,” is supported with gorgeous shots of her practice. Lines like, “I’m not telling them what they need, I’m listening to what they want,” underline her values and work to assuage people’s fears.

Stellar Yelp reviews and friendly website design don’t hurt, but creating an emotional connection through video is hard to compete with.

“In 2016 patients want to be educated and informed about your practice, you and your team, and your philosophy,” said Dr. Lavigne. “We’ve given a web personality to our practice and set ourselves apart through the use of video.”

Build relationships to retain patients

When it comes to building any sustainable business, retaining current customers and creating meaningful relationships with them is just as important as finding new ones. In order to educate her patients and stay top of mind, Dr. Lavigne creates tutorial videos with titles like, “The Proper Way to Brush Your Teeth” and “What Toothpaste Should I Use?.”

“I started making learning videos because it’s not uncommon for patients to totally forget what we discussed when they were in the chair,” said Dr. Lavigne. “I know, because I’m that patient when I’m on the other side!” Patients are often inundated with information, so educational videos like Dr. Lavigne’s serve as friendly and useful follow-up tools.

These types of videos can also help foster relationships with patients who haven’t visited in a little while. Dr. Lavigne explained, “As new products come to the market, I often want to tell all my patients about them, but not all of my patients are due for an appointment. Video helps me deliver these messages to patients in their homes, rather than waiting until they’re in the dental chair.” With increased exposure to Dr. Lavigne, her patients can become more familiar and comfortable with her practice. Why wait 6 months (or more) to talk to your patients when video can scale personal communication?

Build your business

Rank higher than your competition

The truth is, as a dental practice (or any small business), if you don’t have a strong web presence, your competitors will outrank you. It’s as simple as that. Seeing that more and more potential customers are searching the web to book appointments, effective marketing tools, like video, can go a long way.

By optimizing your videos (and your webpages) for search, you can share your brand with the world and drive more traffic to your website. Luckily, if you’re using Wistia, our embeds will automatically help improve your video’s ranking on search engines.

Measure and improve

With Wistia, you can track how viewers are engaging with your content in real time, figure out what’s resonating (and what’s not), and improve your videos as you go. “It has helped me to know what areas of each video might be especially interesting, or when a video may be a little too long,” said Dr. Lavigne.

With Wistia’s analytics, Dr. Lavigne is also able to tell where her viewers are located. This empowers her to make informed decisions about her marketing strategy. For example, if most of her viewers are in Sudbury, MA, she can optimize the page where her video resides for the keywords “Dentist in Sudbury, MA.”

Types of video to make

In addition to the videos that Dr. Lavigne has used to market her practice, there are tons of others that you could try out. The following list is just the beginning. Think of video as a way to scale personal communication — the possibilities are endless!

• About us. Give potential customers a reason to trust the people behind your business. Smiling faces and some sincere introductions will do the trick.
• Testimonials. Ask some happy customers to answer a couple of questions for you on camera, then insert some B-roll of you chatting with them. Voila!
• Follow-up thank you videos in emails. After someone visits your office, send them a follow-up “thank you” video via email.
• Hyper-targeted videos to patients. Do you have younger patients who were super afraid to come to their appointments? Send their families “good job” videos to reinforce those positive vibes.
• Educational videos about larger procedures. Larger dental procedures can be nerve-racking. Why not make a quick video about all the steps involved and send it out to your patients days before their appointments? There’s nothing like a little mental preparation.
• Oral health awareness videos. Videos like the following one remind people that going to the dentist isn’t all about the cleanings. Screening for oral diseases is an important part of a regular dentist schedule.