Florida Dental Chatter is a private Facebook group designed for dentists to interact with other members, receive the latest updates and information and engage with Florida Dental Association (FDA) leaders and staff. Only those who are member dentists of the FDA and/or American Dental Association — as well as staff of the organizations — can join the group. Join today by visiting https://www.facebook.com/groups/floridadentalchatter/.
Among the many questions that are asked, one University of Florida College of Dentistry student posed the question, how do you handle sick children, parent-teacher conferences, etc. while working full time in a practice? Here are some of the responses:
“Lots of planning and communication! Recognizing that family comes first, and giving that same respect to your patients and your team makes any hiccups quickly and easily managed. Having a partner that’s a real PARTNER makes 100% of the difference! Flexibility and a sense of humor when all else fails!” – Dr. Becky Warnken
“One of the perks of having your own practice is the flexibility of making and adjust schedules as needed. Understanding staff and great support at home helps too. Also, make sure U and others realize u don’t have to be superwoman!” – Karin Irani
“You just do. Moms are superheros anyways and we always find a way. Take off for the important things. Life/schedule balance. Partner has to help too. At the end of the day your family comes first, dentistry second.” – Dr. Neila Bouchard
“Family help and we have an au pair that’s helps a lot. Blocking out the schedule early or scheduling conferences in evenings or Fridays when we are closed. But I agree that having a helpful partner with a flexible work schedule is the most important, choose your partner wisely.” – Dr. Jenna Schwibner
You can join in this conversation and others when you join the Florida Dental Chatter today!
The most successful brands are dynamic and ever-changing – constantly evolving to keep up with market trends and customer preferences. This evolution involves not only updating their product or service but also changing up their brand – their very identity – to make a bigger splash in the market and foster stronger, more meaningful connections with customers.
If you’ve been in the dental business for a while, it’s likely in your best interest to rebrand. The Florida Dental Association (FDA) explains why rebranding matters and how you could effectively rebrand below.
Why Does Rebranding Matter?
Brands that don’t change with changing times risk becoming obsolete and going out of business. It can and does happen to the most prominent brands: USA Today offers some examples here. Market conditions are never static – they change with changing customer values, innovations, preferences and other factors. With rebranding, businesses can remain relevant.
A good example is sustainability (or eco-friendliness). Some brands are being forced to become eco-friendly to satisfy eco-conscious customers (who will drop them otherwise). Another good example is being web-ready, as customers want businesses to be online (via websites, apps and other means). The Blue Frog Team explains other benefits of rebranding, like connection to a new audience, differentiating yourself from the competition and boosting your bottom line.
Below, we offer some suggestions on how to rebrand yourself effectively.
Create a Solid Rebranding Strategy
Rebranding is complicated. It’s not just changing your colors or business name – much more goes into it than you think. A rebranding plan can help you consider all the important details and give yourself concrete goals. Your rebranding strategy should revolve around your reason(s) for rebranding.
Do Market Research
Doing targeted market research can give you the data you need to create an effective rebranding strategy. You can gather customer feedback, check market trends, check up on the competition, pinpoint problems, and generally identify productive rebranding opportunities.
Reassure Current Clients and other Stakeholders
Springing a rebrand on customers (and employees or investors) out of the blue might not be the best idea. Many people don’t like change – they may lose faith in your company if you change everything without good reason. It’s important you get your stakeholders on board with the rebranding. Communicate the necessity and walk them through your overall strategy and vision. Give them a timeline. Don’t make significant changes (like a name change) without good reason.
Revamp Your Website
Websites are critically important in this digital age, where customers prefer to research businesses and transact online. Revamping your website to reflect your rebranding efforts is an excellent way to publicize and gain stakeholders’ buy-in. You may want to create a brand-new website to better suit your new image. Keep your old website for existing clients (to avoid disrupting your business).
Create Content About Your Rebranding
Create engaging and informative content to build trust and credibility with your audience as part of your dental business’s rebranding-focused content marketing strategy. This will ultimately lead to a raised profile, more transparency about the rebranding and increased sales. To learn more about content marketing, you can consult online resources.
Market Your Rebranding on Social Media
Marketing your new brand on social media is a good idea. It’s cheap, effective and makes you accessible and transparent. When publishing content on social media, encourage people to leave feedback and ask questions. Also, besides detailing your business offerings, share other valuable and engaging content. You can link this content back to your website.
Redefine Your Company’s Mission and Values
Your company’s mission and values are at the core of its identity. As your business changes, you may find that your initial mission or values no longer align perfectly. Recalibrating your mission, value and other aspects of your business culture is essential to rebranding. Ask yourself what is your current purpose for being and what matters to your company the most now.
Change Your Logo, Brand Colors, and Packaging
Every brand has a tangible sensory identity that comprises elements like logos, names, colors, slogans, tunes and packaging. You may need to recalibrate your sensory identity too. For instance, consider making your packaging eco-friendly or changing your business name to be more catchy and relatable. Make sure these changes are uniform across all channels. If you change colors on your packaging logo, for instance, change the colors on your website logo too.
Use a Market Automation Platform
Marketing (of which branding is a part) is a complicated process. Using software and tools can help you successfully meet your marketing goals. A marketing automation platform could keep your marketing team in sync, organize your marketing goals and avoid unnecessary duplication of effort. Look for a platform that features marketing analytics and allows you to customize campaigns and create automated tasks that respond to different customer needs throughout the purchasing cycle.
Keep Your Marketing Documents Organized
An efficient way to organize your marketing campaign materials is to convert your files to PDFs. This helps ensure your content is easily accessible and shareable while maintaining the formatting across various devices and platforms. When you go with a PDF maker, you can create a PDF from scratch or convert another file type (like Microsoft Word or Excel) into a PDF file.
You can effectively rebrand by having a clear branding strategy, communicating with your customers every step and ensuring your website and other channels effectively reflect the change. Using helpful software like a marketing automation platform can make it all more accessible, as can working with professionals (like web developers or branding experts).
The FDA is a statewide professional membership organization representing Florida-licensed dentists. Contact us today to learn more! 850.681.3629 or 800.877.9922
About the author: Karen Weeks is a Senior Lifestyle blogger. She struggled to find a new sense of purpose after retirement which made way to learn a new skill and took a computer course. She then created ElderWellness.net as a resource for seniors who wish to keep their minds, bodies and spirits well.
By Scott Ruthstrom, Chief Operating Officer, FDA Services, Inc.
Any dental office that handles electronic medical records should consider purchasing cyber liability insurance for these 5 reasons:
Protection against cyberattacks: Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly common, and dental offices that handle electronic medical records are particularly vulnerable to these attacks. Cyber liability insurance can help protect against the financial losses that can result from a cyberattack.
Compliance with regulations: Dental offices that handle electronic medical records are subject to regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Cyber liability insurance can help ensure compliance with these regulations and avoid potential penalties for non-compliance.
Recovery from data breaches: If a dental office experiences a data breach, cyber liability insurance can help cover the costs of recovering lost data, notifying affected patients, and addressing any legal or regulatory issues that arise.
Reputation management: A cyberattack or data breach can damage a dental office’s reputation and lead to loss of business. Cyber liability insurance can help cover the costs of managing the fallout from such incidents, including public relations efforts and customer outreach.
Business interruption coverage: A cyber liability policy can help cover lost income and expenses if a cyberattack or data breach disrupts normal business operations. This is particularly important for dental offices that rely heavily on electronic medical records to provide services to patients, as any interruption in these systems can lead to significant business losses.
Overall, cyber liability insurance can provide valuable protection and peace of mind for dental offices that handle electronic medical records and help mitigate the potential financial and reputational risks associated with cyberattacks and data breaches.
Starting a dental practice from the ground up is a dream for many dentists (and aspiring dentists). But financial setbacks can make this dream seem out of reach. If you’ve experienced challenges in the past, know that there are practical strategies for overcoming your obstacles and launching a dental practice that stands the test of time. Florida Dental Association shares some tips for doing just that!
Use your mistakes for growth.
As with any area of life, learning from your mistakes is one of the best ways to overcome your financial setbacks. If you’ve made bad investments, failed to manage cash flow or made any other financial mistakes, take it as an opportunity to learn and inform your decision-making going forward. That way, you can avoid making the same mistakes and position yourself to succeed financially.
Establish an LLC.
Forming an LLC is another step to consider taking when launching your dental practice. This type of business entity can help protect your personal assets if your business fails in addition to providing tax benefits and making it easier to raise capital from investors. Remember to research your state’s rules and regulations and work with a formation service to ensure your LLC is compliant. Plus, it will save you a lot of time!
Find cost-saving tools.
It’s essential to find ways to save money where you can when starting any type of business. Fortunately, there are many cost-saving tools available to entrepreneurs, such as online accounting software, discount office supply sites, web builders, video conferencing apps and more.
You’ll also manage your fair share of digital documents when launching and running your digital business. You can fill out digital forms quickly and accurately with a PDF editor tool, adding text, images and signatures with a few clicks. PDF editors are easy to use, extremely versatile and offer the utmost security for your important documents. You can learn more by clicking this!
Research the wealth of affordable technologies that can help you run a thriving practice. The right tools will help you stretch your budget further while helping you get off to a solid start and sustain success over time.
Every entrepreneur and business needs a supportive network of professionals surrounding them. Talk to other entrepreneurs who have started businesses despite facing financial challenges; learning from their experiences can give you valuable insight into how to triumph over hindrances and achieve the success you dream of. Plus, a supportive network can provide moral support when times are tough.
Learn to market your dental business.
Learning how to craft a stellar marketing strategy is one of the most important steps you can take when starting a business. Marketing is especially crucial for attracting new patients and growing your practice!
There are many different marketing channels to utilize — both digital and traditional. You’ll be in a much better position to launch and manage your dental practice by becoming well-versed in marketing fundamentals and creating a solid plan.
Consider these simple tips while developing your marketing strategy:
Establish a strong online presence through social media, content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).
Utilize email campaigns to stay in touch with existing patients and inform them of new services or promotions.
Develop relationships with other local businesses to get referrals.
Create professional materials like brochures, flyers, posters and business cards that you can distribute within the local community.
Run targeted advertising campaigns on radio and television stations to reach more potential patients.
Make sure your website is user-friendly and up-to-date with accurate information about your services and contact details.
Wrapping Up
Moving forward after suffering one or more setbacks can be an overwhelming prospect. But you can use your mistakes for growth and lay a firm foundation for a brighter future. Remember to establish the appropriate business structure, take advantage of cost-saving technologies, surround yourself with supportive people and learn how to market your dental practice. Get ready to overcome your obstacles and build a business that flourishes long-term!
Would you like to read more helpful content or learn about our dental association? Visit FloridaDental.org today!
Beyond the Bite 