Say "aaaaaaah."

This week I was contacted by a cosmetic dentist in the tony neighborhood of Union Square in San Francisco who wants some social marketing oomph to stand out in the deluge of cosmetic dentists, holistic healers and “smile whitening” shops in the city.

I’m suggesting that we find a way to market to the after work and lunch hour crowd working within walking distance of the office — because someone’s more likely to switch to a new dentist if they can squeeze in an appointment during lunch or right before or after work.

While researching this project, I found the book, Social Media for Dentists. It claims that only 14% of patients use the yellow pages to find dentists anymore, where more than 80% use the web: http://socialmediadentist.com/

This dentist has a slick website, but how will it stand out when it doesn’t even show up in the top three pages of Google searches for “cosmetic dentist Union Square” or “holistic dentist San Francisco?”

My social strategy for the dentist will include:

- A Facebook fan page where we’ll invite in all of his existing clientelle, and offer discounts or specials to incentivize patients to sign up. We’ll also hand select people in the immediate vicinity and invite them to friend the page.

- A bi-monthly email and print newsletter with patient success stories and tips about dental care and the latest procedures.

- Pages created on relevant alternative health social networks – such as Gaia.com.

- Google ad words and Facebook advertising.

- Getting listed in social media dental networks like http://twentist.com/ and eco friendly listings like www.sustainlane.com

- Reward customers with discounts or perks in exchange for posting reviews on Google and Yelp. Reviews from real people will help up  the position of a Google profile.  As you can see below, the most reviews doesn’t always mean the top spot, but it does help get you in the top ten.  A well rounded profile with many links, pictures, and videos will also help.

- A press release sent on PR Newswire or several free press release services to help drive links to the site and increase the search rank.

- A free grand opening party, after work, with DJ music, free healthy cocktails, promoted with lunch time flyers and social network invitations.

Any more ideas on how to make our Dentist stand out and smile?