Episode 827: Adding an Edge To Your Practice  

 If you’re looking to up your review game, it’s important that you’re in the right arena(s). In this episode, Kiera talks about why practices should showcase their best selves on social media. Specifically, she touches on the ideal number of reviews your practice should have, and why considering your social media presentation is so critical. Bonus: Ideas for social media content and a prime review resource!

Transcript:

Kiera Dent (00:00.526)

Hello listeners. This is Kira and I hope you guys are having just an awesome day. I woke up today so excited because it's podcasting day. I genuinely love to podcast with all of you. I love to be here. I love to be a part of this. I'm just so grateful that we get to be on the podcast together and that I get to hang out with you. I get to be wherever you are today. I actually got a text this morning from a podcast listener that's been listening since 2020. That just to me is so...

remarkable. I'm so honored and they get their team to listen to it. So I just really, really appreciate you guys. And today I am always, always, always going to remind you of Denali team's mission of the podcast is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible. And so if this podcast has blessed you, inspired you, has transformed you, please go leave us those five star reviews and share this with a friend today. That's the best way. And I know I ask for this every time, but please truly.

This is how you guys keep us top of mind for other listeners. This is how we're able to just really make the most of this. And it's ironic because today I want to talk about the new era of reviews. So welcome to a new age, you guys. Welcome to what I'm seeing as a trend. And just want to give you guys some tactical practicals for you on these reviews. So if you guys, so that's why I'm asking for reviews, go leave as a review. I super appreciate it. The podcast, if you want to leave our consulting review rock on. I appreciate that. If you're a current client.

And if you're not a current client, I'd love to welcome you into our family. But as I was thinking about this, I wrote down like the new era of reviews, Google to Instagram or social media. And so what I've been noticing with offices and just as a trend in society, we are becoming as like short form content society where we're on TikTok, we're on the reels on Instagram. We've got all these different places and what was happening in society.

is I think people are going to the Google reviews and then they're going to check out like videos and pictures on your Instagram page. And so for you guys like tis the season for us to elevate, to upgrade. And I know every single time that I feel like, oh my gosh, we've got to go and there's gotta be one more thing. I have to think like that's the evolution of people as well. I mean, can you imagine people who got washing machines? Like, oh, I have to figure out this machine and I gotta load the clothes in there and.

Kiera Dent (02:20.174)

I've got to figure out all of these buttons. It was so much easier just to do a bucket and water. And I don't want us to become the bucket and water of Google reviews and of being able to stay up with the trends. Now it can feel exhausting sometimes, or it can feel exhilarating. And I also think like, let's be careful with the language we're choosing to use, with the things that we're willing to say to ourselves, because I also think that that creates our reality. So if we feel like, oh, this is so exhausting and you guys truly trust me, I have been there before. I hated video.

I realized though, if I want more people to be able to watch the podcast, I've got to be willing to record. I mean, the background you guys are seeing now, this is background number five. It was so exhausting for me because I realized I needed to have a different background and I needed to elevate it. And my husband and I tried one thing and we watched a ton of different podcast studios. And then we found this one and then it took us all night long to put it all together. And then we...

Redid my like we bought a brand new home and I was like, I don't want to mount these on a wall I need it to look good and I want it to be a functional space and I was like I'm just a podcaster I'm not a video producer and I've got all these lights and I've got different cameras and but I thought The world doesn't expect perfection, but the world does expect us to stay up And so if I want to speak to you guys more do I need to have a different studio? The answer is no But did I want to make sure that I could create awesome videos for you guys and have a good thing going on for you for sure?

But I'm not going to lie to you. Like I was bitter. I was resentful. Our marketing team and I, there was a moment where I just said, uh, you guys go take care of this. I think I'm too close to the subject matter right now. And you guys go take care of it. Cause I really, there was just too close to it and I just didn't want to do it. But I think again, like, let's go back to the washing machine. I don't want to be the girl who's sitting there with a bucket and water thinking that that's a better, more effective use of time. And so again, let's just change it from, is it exhausting or is it exhilarating?

And again, I think that that also creates energy around it. Exhausting, I feel tired, I feel annoyed, I feel like I just don't have time for this. I'm already so busy. A lot of ego going on in there for Kira Dent over here versus it's exhilarating. Like let me figure out how I can actually make this look incredible and get it set up and make it to where it's an incredible experience for all of you and to be able to help and expose this to more people. I mean, the other day, one of our videos was able to reach 4 ,000 more people than we've ever been able to reach.

Kiera Dent (04:39.438)

that wouldn't have happened without video. And that's not to say that we had to have the background or different things, but like even learning how to podcast with a microphone and the audio and in the videos. And I just remember telling my husband, I said, I am not a video producer. And I was like, but welcome to 2024. You get to be a video producer. You get to learn how to do this and not to say that it has to be my full -time job, but I do want to keep up with the times. I do want to be able to make sure I stay in style. And so that's where we're moving forward for you guys of these reviews. So the reviews I'm noticing,

All right, number one standard is you've got to have like in my perfect world, 500 Google reviews is really what's happening. Like it just feels like we're multiplying and that does feel exhausting. That does feel a little crazy for it everybody. But to get your guys's reviews in a practice like minimums 200 Google reviews, ideally it'd be 500. And then the max that I've ever seen an office get was over 3 ,500.

five -star Google reviews. So if you guys really want to go, I know I actually had an office tell me they're like, Kira, tell me your highest office you guys consult. What is their Google review? Because I want to go after them and I want to make sure that we're able to like be in the runnings with them. And so I went and I looked at all my offices and there was an office that had 3 ,500 Google reviews. So there you guys go. There's the top that I've got. There's the bottom. But realize that people, they're going to go search for you. So the Google is going to help you because it's going to help you in the search ranks for sure. But then also,

What people are doing is they go look at those reviews and then they're headed over to your social media. And the reason why is not everything's going to go to social media, but you guys do dentistry. And so I just want you to think about if you were to go get surgery, let's say you're doing a mommy makeover. Let's say you're doing a nose job. Let's say you're, for me, I actually got some reconstructive on my face. I had an ex -fiance smash my face into a wall. That's why he's an ex and not the current.

And I went and I looked to see what was their work that they were doing because I've got to get my face put back together. Who do I want to look like? I think about when I go and get my hair cut, I look at who the person is cutting my hair, what their hairstyle is, is that my hairstyle? Because most of the time I walk out pretty similar to what that person is. And so that's what people are looking for is your artistic design, the style they want it to be. And I know we can't showcase our like fillings and how great those are.

Kiera Dent (06:57.646)

But you can educate people and you can make them feel confident in you as well So whether that's your cosmetic work that you're doing you're all on fours a great crown case And I know this might feel a little annoying but the reality is is a great quote -unquote free I understand that there's effort to go into like getting the camera set up and maybe taking a few photography classes to get there But the reality is it's a free it like massive air quote way to showcase your work and to be able to attract more Patients that you really want to have in your practice

because they're going to go search there first. They're going to go look at your Google reviews. We've got to get that one dialed in, but then they're morphing over to looking at those smile makeovers. They're morphing over into those all on four cases. They're morphing over to see what does your office look like? Is it clean? So yes, of course our websites are there, but I really do believe that the new era of reviews is also on our Instagram page. Uh, I was actually scrolling the other day. I like to look at dental offices. I like to see what other things are doing. And this is a practice in Canada because I know Canada can't promote as much.

but they literally had a patient say, hey, if you're going to a dentist and they're not providing you with this, and they took a whole picture of the office, of the amenities, of the things during their appointment, they're like, then you need to switch to this dental practice. And I just thought we've got our raving fans of our patients, we've got our way to showcase our work, and we have a way to showcase our office to attract our ideal patient. So before we even go down this whole rabbit hole, let's figure out who is your ideal patient.

Where are they at? If they're not on Instagram or Facebook or social media, then high five. Maybe it's going to be through mailers. But I do believe even in these older generations, like they do go to social media. They are looking there more than I think we give them credit for. And so for every one of you to just realize like this is where it's going to morph. And so how do we make this tactical? How do we make this practical? It's number one, if we're not getting at least a 500 standard of the Google reviews, let's go for that. And you guys can like check your state laws to make sure, but.

I mean, your team, I saw an office and they're so stinking cute. They have a calendar. This is one of our offices. So shout out to them. One of our offices, they literally have it to where they've got a calendar and they've got all these gold stars. And every time they get a review, they put it up on the calendar and they actually do it on social media. So now their patients know that every time they get a Google review, the team is putting it up on a calendar and they've got this like fun internal thing of how many people can we serve this month?

Kiera Dent (09:17.998)

Well, now the patients are starting to chime in. They're starting to leave more reviews. So it actually was this like really beautiful morphing for them to get more reviews, but the whole team is on board with it. And it's just really, really fun to watch them do that. But they got the social media to encourage their patients to show what's going on behind the scenes in a very positive way. So number one is we've got to get those Google reviews up. I also really love Swell. You guys know I obsess about Swell. Be sure to reach out to them. That's swellcx .com.

I think that they are one of the best review sites out there and I have used them for years. I have promoted them for years. They are someone that I've actually worked with their founder since the beginning Zeke. I called him up. He was brand new and I was brand new and I said, hi, I'm Kira Dent. I heard you do really great with reviews but I wanna test you before I recommend you. And to this day, he and I are so really great friends and I just asked him to please give whomever I send his way.

always the best of the best of the best deal. So because I met Zeke almost on day one, just be sure to say that you came from dental 18 and they will give you the lowest pricing literally that you can ever find anywhere else. So be sure to tell them that. But I have seen offices that I have consulted get 85 Google reviews in one month.

So just know it's very doable. I say swell, they're swell because they do it so well. So you've got to get those Google reviews up and they're very, very, very inexpensive for you. So it's not like it's going to be this big cost for you. It's not like it's going to be something where, like I think it's one of the cheapest ROI's for like less than 150 bucks a month. You guys are going to be able to get a ton of reviews in an ethical way where you're not paying for them. They just do a really good job of helping your patients realize like they are strategic of when they send the reviews out.

and then they follow up with them if they haven't given a review. And if it's a patient, then maybe you're like, please don't ask them for a review. You can actually not send the review to them. So I think they just do a really awesome job. So step one is we've got to get those reviews up. And then step two is let's maybe just say this month we're going to add in one showcase of our work. So we find a patient, make sure you get those patient release, being able to take their photography and we post them. Or you can make sure you don't show their faces and you just show their mouth.

Kiera Dent (11:27.776)

Other great ways, but make sure you check your laws for sure We want to make sure you guys stay HIPAA compliant But it's a beautiful way to start showcasing this and I watched in office and just so you know It's not gonna be an overnight thing. You're not going to get this overnight You're not going to have this influx of patients overnight marketing is a slow burn So that's really just so you guys know marketing is a slow burn Marketing is something that just doesn't happen for you guys overnight But it is something that really truly is going to be able to grow over time because people will start to see your work

You're gonna get better at it. You can show a before and an after. There's a lot of great ways to do it. And again, like I said, let's just start with one a month. One a month where we're starting to showcase our work, we're going to showcase our office. But again, figure out who your ideal patient is and make sure that the work that you're putting up on social media is stuff that that person wouldn't wanna see. So is your ideal patient in their mid 30s? Well, you're gonna do a little bit different of posting versus your ideal patient being in their 70s or an ideal patient being a mom versus a dad.

Whatever it is, there's different ways to promote this. Maybe it's single families, maybe it's working professionals, whatever it is, make sure that your content is relevant to them. So again, first step is get your Google reviews there. And then second step is, like I said, it's the new era of reviews. And I'm just watching people starting to go look at it. My friend who just had a really incredible surgery, she literally went to every single potential surgeon's website.

and then went to their Google and then went to their reviews, uh, to their Instagram and social media pages and literally looked for the work that they were doing. And so just realize it's a beautiful way, way to showcase it to more people. I thought about like, like I said, it can be exhausting or exhilarating, but just think that one post can reach hundreds of thousands of people very quickly and very easily versus in the past, we used to have to hope and pray that they might be able to find us in like a phone book or in the newspaper.

This is a way to just mass spread to hundreds of people. And for me, I believe like I have an ethical obligation to help and serve as many dentists as I possibly can. Well, where are dentists hanging out? Y 'all are on social media. I know how you guys work in between patients. You run in and you're doing your emails. You're scrolling your social media feed. I don't blame you. You're busy all day long, but I know where you're hanging out. And so if I can give you a quick like 10 second or 15 second thing that would help you, it would grow your practice, give you guys an idea.

Kiera Dent (13:49.294)

That's where you're going to be. And that's my job is to serve you at the highest level. Just like your job is to serve more patients at the highest level and the ones that you want to be serving and the ones that you know you were meant to serve. I want you to be able to get out there and just help more of them. So like I said, they're going to look at your Google reviews and then they're also going to be coming to your social media page. They want to get to know you. And it's like your social media page is a way for them to showcase your work, but also to showcase you and the vibe and the feel. And I mean, dental team, we're fun and it's a...

It's an elevated fun is what we are. We're experts, we're professionals, but we have a ton of fun. And that's what you're gonna fill out our page. If you're not about that, I had someone once email me and they're like, Kira, your summit and the way you do your consulting is not my style. And I was like, high five. Thank you so much. I'm not here for every person. I'm here for the people that vibe with us that are growing, that are evolving, that are high end experts that just wanna have a freaking ton of fun in life.

That's who I am. I'm always here for the glitter. I'm always here for the confetti. I'm always here to make lives easier. That's who I am. But there's some people who don't want that. They want a very black and white by the book. We follow a set model. That's not me guys. If you want a set model, don't work with that on my team. I have very strong systems, but it's going to be only systems that I'm going to implement that will grow your practice. Why come in and shake things up if they're already working well? There's no reason. I'm willing to do a 1 % improvement for sure.

but I'm not willing to come in and give your team extra work when it's unnecessary. I will not do that. So for all of our practices, it's custom. It's what you guys need. We do have a little bit more of a set model through practice momentum where every month there is a set topic and a set theme. So you guys can really dive into getting systematized in a 12 month period. It's very easy. It's self -learning, but it's also collaborative group learning. And you also have access to the consultant. So if that's more your style, we have morphed a smidge.

but our private is straight up wild cards. Like, I don't know what I'm gonna implement, just like, you don't know, because I need to find out what your team is doing well and where we can improve based on the goals you guys want and the patients you wanna serve. But I have my ideal patient, I have my ideal client of who we wanna serve and who we wanna work with, and our information is very, very, very strategically made for you, for you specifically. So make sure you as the dentist in the practice, you guys are making content on your social media.

Kiera Dent (16:05.614)

that really, really speaks to your ideal patient. The one that you want coming there, the one that you know, whatever your style is, make sure you're speaking to them. So welcome to the new era of reviews. I hope you guys are super excited to be here with me. I hope you guys are excited for this. This is the time. Don't be afraid of it. Embrace it. Like I said, it can either be exhausting or exhilarating and you get to be the determining factor of that. So if we can help out in any way, like I said, we do have that more.

DIY, a little bit less on the cost for you guys, but an incredible value for you. Some people don't want the private one -on -one. Some people want to just test out consulting. So we have that group one. It goes in a set. It follows a pattern for you. So it's very easy. It's predictable. But at the same time, there's tons of opportunities for you still to come get that custom experience as well.

And then we also have our private one -on -one consulting. So if I can help you guys out, get you guys the confidence, get your team on board, it's still doctor and team always. I know how hard it is to be an entrepreneur, a busy business owner, a busy family person when you also are trying to grow your practice and then take it to your team and grow your team as well. So we still always do doctor and team and we train your team for you. But if we can help out, reach out, hello at thedentallyteam .com, get on board. Let's make this exhilarating and not exhausting. Tis the season, you guys have a moral obligation.

to serve and help more patients. So get on board, share your brilliance with the world. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental League Team podcast.