“Drill baby, drill!” might be a rallying cry at the Republican National Convention, but you’ll never hear it chanted in the waiting room at the dentist’s office.  That is why dentists need reputation management.  At a certain point in your career as a dentist, you’ve probably realized that people are scared of those medieval tools that you stick into our mouth.  But we suck it up for a twice yearly visit in the hope of still having teeth when we’re living in a retirement community in South Florida.

Being a caring and sensitive dentist will not only get you repeat business, but will get you talked about in person and online.  Of course, if you act like Steve Martin in “Little Shop of Horrors”, people will also be talking about you, but we’re going to focus on the superstars — not the sadists.  With this knowledge, you have to take the good with the bad and acknowledge that patients will not only praise your excellent staff and cheerful waiting room, but they’ll also discuss your “off” days as well.  Managing your online reputation and what your patients are saying about you is essential to growing your business and attracting new patients.

Below are some tips on managing your personal and professional online identities to enhance your business and reputation. [Read more…]