How to Get Your Team Involved in Marketing [VIDEO]

Your dental practice has a team in place already. You just have to get them involved in your day-to-day marketing efforts.

So:

How do you get your team involved without feeling overwhelmed or losing steam?

The answer:

Having the right conversations (and doing a little planning) goes a long way to getting your team’s marketing on the right track.

Keep reading, and you’ll see why it’s so important to:

1. Allow yourself some time to plan your marketing.

2. Work with the strengths and talents of your team.

3. Remind yourself it’s about keeping the conversation going.

Whether you’re just getting started building your team’s marketing plan – or looking for inspiration – we’re discussing actionable tips for getting your team involved.

We met up with Briean Clark from Pivotal Solutions… Opens in a new window to Pivotal Solutions Now website… to talk about how she coaches teams for better team marketing involvement.

Watch the video above or read the transcript below to learn how Briean coaches her team – and others – towards building a growth-oriented team.

Getting your team involved in marketing with Briean Clark

Briean: My name is Briean. A lot of my friends call me Brie, but I live in Pennsylvania, and I actually practice full-time in Maryland, as well as coach businesses and purposes.

Whitney: Awesome. And the name of your coaching business?

Briean: Pivotal Solutions… Opens in a new window to Pivotal Solutions Now website…

Whitney: Fantastic. Well, Brie, we’re happy to have you with us today. One of the reasons that we invited you to join us is because you have joined us for several of our in-person events that we’ve done.

I think you’ve been at just about every class we’ve taught at the AADOM… Opens in a new window to the Dental Managers website… conferences over the years, and you’ve been through the marketing action plan workshop.

You have the marketing action plan workbook. So we’d love to hear how have you personally used that workbook in your practice?

Briean: Well, I can tell you the workbook was one of my favorite tools that I was able to leave the conference with. That was something tangible I was able to take back and actually use time and time again.

So thank you for that. I know I’ve told you before, but I appreciate so much how you make sure to give resources as a tool.

Personally, I utilized that myself. My favorite aspect was the monthly planning to sit down and have an actual blank calendar to give thought to each day and the topic you want to share.

Content is my biggest takeaway. Utilizing it was just what Angela said: “You have to plan to plan.” And it’s like, we all know that. But for some reason, when she said it out loud:

That light bulb went off, and I’m like, that’s so true. We need to carve out time to plan. And the workbook allowed me to do that.

I use the monthly calendar tool. I use the goal worksheets and many other pages, the marketing goals, and the hashtags. So that’s how I implemented it in my practice.

As far as having the light bulb go off and now having a tool that I can actually write out, it takes me 10 – 15 minutes to maybe come up with some ideas myself – or with my team members – and fill in that monthly calendar. So that’s my favorite.

Whitney: Yeah. I love that little gem from Angela, too: “We need to plan to plan.” And like you said, it feels obvious, but it’s overlooked.

So let’s talk a little bit about your team. You’re in the trenches. You’re in a dental practice. You’re working with a team. What have you done to get your team involved and excited in marketing efforts?

Briean: So for marketing, I find that I’m either coaching or working in my practice with the teams. Sometimes the word marketing freaks people out, and what I’ve loved to do the most is point out:

Everyone’s already doing something with marketing. So my biggest shift in focus, and a lot of the goals, surround internal marketing.

It’s as simple as giving a patient the business card on the way out and saying, “Here’s our contact information, and here’s one to share with a friend. We would love to have your friends join our practice.”

That’s a lot of the conversations we have. Dental assistants are doing internal marketing in the operatories with the patient experience they’re providing and the reputation they’re establishing through relationships they’re creating.

Internal marketing, and maybe while someone’s not comfortable being in front of the camera or creating content or able to brainstorm ideas, I really feel that anyone could be involved with internal marketing.

Your patient checks in, “Hey, while you’re sitting in waiting, why don’t you check in and tell your friends and your family that you’re here.”

Small conversations help throttle things within the practice, as far as everyone being able to pick up a component and participate in marketing without it being a big, scary thing.

That’s how I’ve kind of introduced it to my team, with getting their toe in the water, but then sneaking up on them and gradually increasing it – unknowingly to them.

And they’re doing fantastic with it. We’re seeing the reviews. We’re seeing the Facebook likes.

Most importantly, internal marketing establishes that quality long-term patient because you don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on outside marketing and mailers and ads and all of these things. You already have quality patients that you want to be a part of your practice.

So for us, we have found that focusing on things internally is helping us grow because they’re inviting their friends. They’re inviting their family members. They’re telling their friends, “Well, my dentist just sent me a card because my dog passed away,” and all of these little customer service/marketing things.

So that’s been our approach in it. It’s working well.

Whitney: I love that. I love that.

Did you encounter any resistance – or I know you mentioned the word marketing can be a little bit scary sometimes – but did your team have any challenges to getting involved or any limiting beliefs that you had to overcome, and how did you overcome that?

Briean: Yes.

I don’t know that resistance is the right word, but people are quick to hear when I’m sharing this information, to say, “well, no, you’re not taking my picture,” or, “I can’t be in a video” or, “wait until I lose 10 pounds and then I’ll do that.”

So I wouldn’t say resistance, but everyone thinks they need to polish something or prepare something.

What I can say about that, too, is it comes back from the management aspect – or the coaching aspect – is delegation.

Find people who are comfortable with being involved where you want them to be. You wouldn’t want to give your shyest, most timid person in your team the responsibility of making a live video or taking a selfie and sharing about a topic.

So I would say:

Really identify the strengths of each person, and ask them what their comfort level is and isn’t.

Maybe they don’t want to get in front of the camera, but they’re excellent at writing, and they can write a short blog or take on the responsibility of doing a monthly newsletter.

Maybe you have an older generation team member who taught Sunday school back in the day. They would be great at making the idea for each month of what game you could play if it’s a pedo practice. So let’s do a coloring contest or guess how many M&M’s are in the jar.

Sometimes, there are some old-school techniques, but again, it might align with the comfort level of the team member, and it also may align with the demographics of the patients.

I really personally believe not only in marketing but in every area of the business and practices; there’s no cookie-cutter approach. Whatever we learn or see others work for others, it may not work for us.

We need to be able to identify those things and see what demographic we’re dealing with so we can really customize content and interests in that way.

That’s fun too.

Whitney: I like that point. And I think that’s such a key point that you need to know who you’re talking to and tailor your message to fit.

Briean: If you have all elderly clientele, they may not care that you’re up-to-date with all the latest TikTok trends and whatnot. And I think that’s so fun and still relevant for that next generation of patient demographic you’re trying to attract.

But no matter the age of the patient, it’s fun to get them involved in some form or fashion. I do always like to take that into consideration.

Whitney: I love that.

So, how have you kept marketing top of mind for the team? I think sometimes we come home from a conference. We’re so excited to share this with our team. They’re excited, and then three weeks later, we’re like: “oh, totally dropped the ball!”

Briean: Guilty! That is me to a tee!

I come back super energized. When you talk about business and dentistry and patient care and all these things, I’m already super energized and passionate about it.

Watch out, people, when I come home from a conference all juiced up on the latest news and trends. But they tolerate me.

I will have to say, if you have a team that has the initiative to come to you with ideas or take things on, that’s fantastic! But that may not be everywhere. Again, it depends on team members, comfort levels, and all kinds of things. I will say, personally, I took that information from plan to plan.

While I may find that some brief conversations can happen while we’re maybe all having snacks and someone may say something.

I do find myself being the one to identify that and then trying to make it be a topic at hand where someone’s going to pick up on it and run with it.

But also recruiting help for the brainstorming when I have my monthly out. Like: “Hey, can someone look up, or are there any national chocolate days, or is it national walk your dog day?”

There’s something for everything. Maybe I can at least delegate and assign research to that person who isn’t going to get in front of the camera but will do the legwork for me.

So I will say, myself personally, it’s still coming down to initiating and delegating and that reminder, you know, we’re all human, we get busy. I have to keep that marketing aspect in the forefront of my mind and bring it up with reminders.

I’d say every couple of months or whatnot.

But also to add onto that point: The morning huddle was a fantastic time to focus on social media content or who’s asking for likes today. That’s something they teach us, and you’ve shared it too.

So I will say keeping it fresh is going to help when you’re talking in the morning huddle. So as managers, CEOs, practice, and administrators, I would say you often have to keep up with it.

Unless you’re one of the blessed offices that have someone willing to take on that as their baby and make it into something beautiful and relevant for your office, that’s amazing!

If you see someone dropping hints or showing signs that they could be that [marketing planning] person for you, pour into that and take them up on it. Don’t feel as a manager it’s only your responsibility, or you have to do it.

If you find someone with that gift, talent, and interest, give them that responsibility and go with it.

Whitney: I love it. I love everything that you just said. Two things popped out at me.

One is to use the strengths of the team. Not everybody’s going to be comfortable in front of the camera, but they may have other strengths in doing research or finding ideas. I like that because I think that that’s a really important aspect of all of this.

And then you use the word delegate a bunch of times. That’s such an important, sometimes overlooked aspect of it. It shouldn’t just all be on you, right. We’re a team!

Briean: Yeah. You have to get everyone on board and motivated. I think that can lead to frustration if you don’t.

So, if you’re assigning the task to the wrong person, it’s either not going to be done, or it’s going to be frustrating. And that’s not what the marketing or the social media and practice growth really should look like.

It should be something burning inside us that we’re excited about.

And it’s our belief system. It’s our why. It’s our confidence. And that’s what’s going to help your practice grow.

Whitney: Love that, love that.

So what have been the results of getting your team excited and involved?

Briean: I would say just what I was talking about, which would be growth.

I mean, especially through previous years and unfortunate events around the world where it’s led to loss and short-staffed practices and all of these things to overcome.

I’m very proud my practice has thrived through it all. I can say that we responded to the events and not reacted to the events. So we are just busting at the seams!

We are growing – and not with people coming in the door and then leaving out the back door. We are growing with patients that are good long-term quality patients. I think a lot of that has to do with our focus and efforts on our internal marketing. And everything surrounding it.

While it all starts online, it also starts from the phone call. Then entrance to the office and their experience in the operatory with the team and the doctors – how we were able to treat them on the financial side and the scheduling.

So I will say that’s been our impact. Having this information, having the knowledge, taking the time to have planned – it’s been very beneficial and, hands down, something that I will never not do.

Whitney: I love that. I love that.

So what advice would you give to other office managers who might be looking to get their team involved in their marketing, looking to delegate, looking to plan? What are your top pieces of advice?

Briean: I would say my biggest advice is – something it would be safe to say we’re all guilty of – which is we think we have to figure it all out. We find out this information, “oh my gosh, I have to do this. How am I going to do that? What are we going to do about this? Are they going to like this? Are they going to participate in that?” We just ask ourselves all these questions.

So my biggest advice is, instead of asking yourself these questions – thinking you have to have the answers – make it a conversation. Bring it up to your team. Present them with the information.

“Hey guys, it’s time to get on track, and let’s focus on X, Y, and Z. What ideas do you guys have? You know, what do you think would be fun? What do you think would be relevant? What do you think you could offer? How do you think we could do it?”

Don’t just go huddle in a dark corner of your office with your action plan and try to answer all these questions.

You have to get the conversation going, and that’s where your responsibility lies. That’s it. Bring it up, talk about it, and then plan to plan. That’s just what you have to do.

That’s my biggest advice. I would say.

Whitney: That’s great advice!

So for anyone who wants to get in touch with you or ask questions, can you tell us a little bit about how they can get in touch with you? Tell us a little bit about Pivotal Solutions and what you’re doing with that too.

Briean: Of course, yes!

I can be found, and we can connect on Facebook @Pivotalsolutionsnow… This text opens a new tab to Pivotal Solutions Now’s Facebook page…
 I can be found online at www.pivotalsolutionsnow.com… Opens in a new window to Pivotal Solutions Now website… . There are contact forms there. My email addresses are available.

Pivotal Solutions, that to me “pivot,” in the last few years, has become such an important word to me. It just made sense.

And my slogan is “There is a better way.” It’s not really what we’re doing or how we’re doing it, or how we’re saying it, but there is a better way to what we’re doing.

I pride myself on giving people those light bulb moments just like Angela did for me. We all need a person in our life like that.

I’m very much willing to help. I’m so passionate. Results matter to me. Success matters to me. And I can be someone in your back pocket virtually.

I can come into your practice and help really with any concept. And I have no shame in my game. If you feel that I’m not the best fit for you, I’m very confident I can point you in the right direction.

If you need a better way, if you have a question or need a solution, we need to talk. Let me help you.

Whitney: Love that. Well, thank you again, Brie. This has just been an absolute pleasure.

We love hearing how you’re using the tools and some of the practical ways you’ve been able to implement these ideas, and how you found success.

So thank you so much for coming on today and sharing this with us

Briean: And thank you for the invitation. And thank you for the tools.

I’m sure you guys have poured your heart and soul into this. It’s obvious. It’s not just a little nugget of information. It really is, start to finish, how to do this.

So thank you guys too. I appreciate it.

Whitney: All right. Thanks for joining us. We’ll see you soon, everybody.

Briean: Bye.

The takeaway

As you can see, pulling together a great marketing team effort includes:

• Planning to plan
• Getting to know your team
• Shifting focus to align with your goals
• Finding moments to talk about marketing
• Delegating tasks

When you pull on the strengths and interests of the team you already have, it’s easier to plan your marketing efforts and keep the momentum going.

Briean Clark from Pivotal Solutions gave a few small but real-life actionable steps while stressing the importance of knowing your team and how “planning to plan” has helped her practice thrive.

Do you need more ideas, or just love how Briean brainstormed these fantastic ways to keep your team’s marketing momentum going?

Contact Briean through her website at: http://www.pivotalsolutionsnow.com… Opens in a new window to pivotalsolutionsnow website… or connect with her on Facebook at @Pivotalsolutionsnow… Opens in a new window to facebook website… .