The other day I spoke with one of our periodontal clients, and he made a comment that really resonated with me. He said that the more informed his prospective patients are before the consultation, the more likely they are to proceed with the dental surgery. He compared it to buying a car—and the amount of effort people put into research before visiting the dealership. He said that when a patient has done their due diligence and knows the benefits and risks, as well as the differences between doctors and practices, the initial meeting is more consultative and less salesy. He said, “the majority of the decision is made on a computer or phone—before they even walk in the door.”
He finished by saying, “and that’s where you guys come in. When people visit our social media, they should get all of their questions answered. I want them to hear from other patients who have had the same surgery. I want them to ‘virtually’ meet me and know who I am and feel confident that they are putting their teeth, gums, and smile in the right, capable hands.”
The takeaway? In our mix of digital content, we should all have an education bucket dedicated to helping our followers make informed and research-based decisions. Some of the examples we came up with for this client are as follows:
- Video testimonials from previous patients.
- Terminology explanations by the doctor.
- Before and After pictures with video explanation from the doctor.
- Meet the staff! Get to know the people who will see you before your surgery.
- Zoom interviews with other doctors on industry-specific topics.
Education should not make up your entire content strategy, but it should definitely be a piece of the content pie. If we help our visitors or followers make an informed decision, we can subsequently build trust and credibility with them in the process.
Actions I want you to take:
- Take a look at your overall social media content. Grade yourself on how well you are educating your audience.
- How can you make it better? More interesting? More valuable?
- Commit to understanding what the common questions or concerns are with your products, services, or industry, and try to solve them.
Do you agree that more informed prospects are better buyers? Or do you have a different experience or opinion? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to visit Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram and comment with your thoughts!
For further reading: This article is a few years old, but provides some great ideas on how to teach (and learn) through your content marketing.
