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Earn Your Patients’ Trust Before They Walk In Your Door

Earn Your Patients’ Trust Before They Walk In Your Door
by Naren Arulrajah

As a dentist, you face a unique challenge. A large percentage of the population is actually afraid of you. Even those people who don’t have severe anxiety are likely to feel a little nervous before a dental appointment. Furthermore, many people are suspicious of expensive diagnoses and wonder if you are trying to sell them a treatment they don’t need.

Your challenge is to overcome these misgivings and earn your patients’ trust—and do it before you ever meet them. Today’s technologically savvy dental patients do their research, visit your website, check social media, and read reviews. They are likely to form an opinion about you and your practice before they even pick up the phone. If your website and promotional materials fail to convey a message of trustworthiness, they probably won’t call.

Five Things Your Website Should Include

Your website is the hub of your online presence. It should describe your services and provide other essential information, but it should also establish credibility. Check your site for these trust-building elements:

• Dentist biography: Include information about your training, experience, accreditations, education, and professional memberships. A little personal information such as your hometown, hobbies, family, and pets will make visitors feel like they are getting to know you.
• Team: Many offices add short biographies of all of their staff members, which is excellent for personalizing your website. If you have a high turnover or a large staff, this may not be practical. However, you can still include a page describing your employees and their dedication to patients.
• Photos: At minimum, you need a photo of yourself accompanying your biography. Individual pictures of your team members, or a group photo, is a nice touch as well. When you participate in a charity event, or have an event in your office, be sure to take pictures. These are great additions to a news page or blog.
• Testimonials: Patient reviews are one of the most influential factors in converting leads. Encourage patient feedback, and request permission to post it on your website. Video testimonials are excellent, especially for cosmetic cases. (Always check applicable laws before adding reviews to your site.)
• Awards: Have you been named a “Top Dentist” or received an award for excellent customer service? If so, make sure that your website visitors know about it.

Read full article on Dentistry Today.