How to Create Your Marketing Dream Team

Marketing makes the world go around.

But not every ‘world’ looks like the same.

Yours probably involves HR, accounts payable, answering the phone, reactivation, meetings, purchasing, choosing software, HIPAA compliance, and so much more.

With so much on your plate, it’s not surprising dental teams struggle to reach many of their marketing goals.

Yeah, they’re in over their heads.

They weren’t hired with the expectation to help the practice grow, right? Maybe they don’t excel at thinking outside of the box. Maybe they don’t think like marketers.

No system.

No frameworks.

No guidance to speak of.

So, is there a sliver of a chance that your marketing dream team will emerge like magic? Doubtful.

At least, not without a helping hand.

Fortunately, we’re happy to extend ours. 😉 But first, let’s set a few things straight…

Marketing is a team effort

It may feel tempting to put your marketing strategy in this nice little box and leave it there.

But that won’t do you any good.

To make sure you not only hit the ground running but also stay ahead, you need to understand:

• How the entire team contributes to your brand and what this has to do with the practice’s overall success
• Why marketing is so necessary
• How to plan ahead, make the most of morning huddles, and teach your team to look for marketing moments
• How to create a (realistic) plan and keep everyone accountable

Yep. It’s a LOT.

So, let’s break things down.

Your brand encompasses more than you think

It’s not just the logo.

And no, it’s not just your marketing materials either.

Your brand is every part of the experience patients have with your practice.

This involves everything: the first look at your website, the phone call to schedule, the wait in the reception area, the appointment itself, and even the checkout process.

With so many elements at play, everything your team does has an effect, meaning every detail can affect your practice’s brand.

When all these little details add up, the effects are staggering. Whether it’s your reputation, referrals, or patient retention, everything is affected by your brand.

So, you need to take some time to create a plan and get your team involved.

It’s not an easy journey, but rest assured, we’ll get you there. 👌

Take frequent, healthy doses of marketing

Because a goal without a plan is just a wish.

Let me paint you a picture:

The schedule is full, things are clicking along, and then things start to slow down a bit… and then we panic.

In this instance, some look at marketing as “medicine” to fix when something is wrong. Not enough customers? Take some marketing and call me in the morning!

Nope, doesn’t work like that.

Marketing is food – not medicine. You need it throughout the day, every day.

Some practices wait until they’re malnourished to do something about the situation. But healthy, thriving, strong practices “feed” their practice with marketing every day.

In other words, a marketing conversation a day keeps the doctor away.

Or, to be a bit less cliché: Make marketing a part of your daily conversation and you won’t have to go into panic mode every month or so.

Make a plan & stick with it

“Marketing is not only much broader than selling; it is not a specialized activity at all. It encompasses the entire business. It is the whole business seen from the point of view of its final result, that is from the customer’s point of view. Concern and responsibility for marketing must therefore permeate all areas of the enterprise.” – Peter Drucker

Can you spot the through-line here?

Correct: This is what we talked about in the “branding” part above.

That’s because marketing and branding are the same things!

Everything is marketing.

Every interaction your team has with patients is a marketing opportunity to build your brand.

But we’re not there yet.

Let’s talk turkey:

Everything starts with your budget

When budgeting, experts typically say that anywhere from 2-10% of your annual gross income should go toward marketing.

Of course, it’s not just about financials – you have to factor in time too.

So, let’s dedicate 5% of your time towards growth. Looking at your average, 40-hour workweek, 5% of that is just 2 hours. Sounds reasonable enough, right?

And yet, when EVERYONE on your team devotes 5% of their schedules to marketing, you can accomplish SO MUCH.

While every team is different, it’s always a good idea to:

• Create a marketing calendar to keep everything in one place.
• Figure out which members of your team are eager and able to help in specific areas.
• Organize your marketing goals by quarter. That way, you can sit down and get the next three months planned and ready to go.

Get everyone involved in morning huddles

We’ve all been there:

An unproductive huddle. Someone is late. Someone else is on the phone. Finishing breakfast, fixing nails, you name it… folks are NOT invested.

It’s time for a change.

Once you’ve made a plan and assigned roles, the entire team is accountable. Encourage others to take ownership and reward them for doing so.

Remember, every interaction you have with patients is a marketing opportunity.

• Set the expectation that each person needs to be invested in practice growth. Being a hygienist doesn’t exempt you from marketing!
• Brainstorm with the team and get THEIR ideas for social media, collecting reviews, grassroots marketing, etc. You might be surprised by the ideas they come up with!
• Make morning huddles a safe zone – ALL ideas are welcome.
• Also, make sure to ask, “What can we do locally?”
• Can you come up with gifts/giveaways for referring practices? Schools? Local businesses in your neighborhood? Office buildings/office parks?
• At the end of the week, have a review. Celebrate what went well. See if anyone hit any obstacles to being able to get their tasks done. What are the successes? What worked? Why do you think it worked?
• Likewise, share challenges that might be a block or a barrier to reaching a goal. Discuss solutions (not a vent-fest!) and invite the team to share not just what’s blocking them, but also what you can do to break through these barriers.

Of course, you don’t have to make marketing a part of EVERY morning huddle. Setting aside 10-15 minutes in Monday’s huddle for goal-setting, brainstorming, and assigning tasks should be enough.

When all is said and done, marketing is a big change for most practice members. It’s ok to try and fail! This is how you learn what works and what doesn’t. You have to learn to think differently.

You can always find marketing moments

Wait, are you saying that every moment can be a marketing moment?

Sort of.

Think more along the lines of opportunities that pop up each day to take photos for social media, ask for reviews, etc.

You can’t just wait for them to present themselves naturally. Chances are, you might miss them.

No, you have to train your entire team to LOOK and PLAN for them.

It’s easy to do this during your morning huddle.

Look ahead at the schedule and look for opportunities to:

• Take a picture for social media
• Shoot a quick video testimonial
• Ask for a review

Assign team members to be responsible for looking for a moment to accomplish that task. Having a checklist to complete helps retrain everyone to plan for and spot these opportunities.

Another way to make this happen is to set up a marketing station.

Think of a place to keep marketing tools in a central location – ideally, somewhere team members can easily grab them when a marketing moment pops up. These tools may include (but are not limited to):

• Smartphone tripods
• Selfie sticks & lights
• Printed cards with links to your review sites
• Printed cards with referral info or current promotions
• Fun printed photo signs
• Clipboard with photo release forms

When you and your team change your mindset to look for opportunities to take pictures, ask for reviews, and so on, marketing becomes part of your culture. And, before you know it, you start to become a marketing dream team!

Make your marketing dreams come true

There’s no “I” in “team”. But “t”, “e”, “a”, and “m” are there, and the same letters are present in “marketing”.

Coincidence? No chance!

It doesn’t matter if you’re running a dental practice or a nail salon – any team can become a marketing dream team if you know what you’re doing and have the right tools at your disposal.

And that’s where Angela comes in.

As a seasoned marketing whiz, Angela can help you:

• Pinpoint holes in your practice that are draining your revenue
• Create a 12-month marketing strategy backed by our team of marketing gurus
• Leverage additional practical tips based on your specific needs and preferences

So, are you ready to create your marketing dream team?

Schedule a Strategy Call With Angela… This text opens a new tab to the calendly website…