TheWealthyDentist.com™ Newsletter Archive

News From The Wealthy Dentist #39: April 4, 2007

Editorial
by Jim Du Molin

Dental Marketing with Website Video

Last week I began to tell you how you can market yourself and your dental practice through short, informative video clips on your website (read part 1). Videos are an incredible marketing opportunity, but (as with so many things!) if you're going to do it, it's important to do it right. A well-shot video gives your website an instant aura of authority and professionalism.

Lighting

We strongly recommend you use the three point lighting technique for your video clips.

Key Light: This light is usually the strongest and is focused on the speaker in front at a 45 degree angle from center.

Fill Light: This light is placed opposite the key light, also at a 45 degree angle. The fill light is softer than, and not as bright as, the key light, filling in the shadows created by the key light. The combination of the stronger key light on one side and the softer fill light on the other side provides for a more rounded look with greater depth.

Back Light: This light is set up above and behind the speaker. This allows for the edges around the speaker to be more defined and also sets the speaker off from the background.

Audio

Use a lavaliere microphone attached to your lapel or shirt at about shoulder level. Plug the microphone into the line input of your digital video camera. Do not use the built-in microphone on your video camera.

In addition to the speaker’s voice, it is okay if your video clips also have accompanying background theme music. This should be edited in after your clips are shot. Keep it light and upbeat.

Background and Props

Keep your background simple and clean. Most doctors use their private office, treatment presentation room or home office as a setting. Don’t have a lot of awards or plaques behind you; they will look cluttered and be distracting. Remove any plants from directly behind your head - they could have an unintentionally humorous effect!

My personal preference is to use a dark neutral drop-cloth as a background. Most professional videographers will have one of these that they can bring and set up on a portable rack behind you. This solves the background problem and keeps the focus of the video on you. It will also greatly reduce your lighting problems.

No props! Don’t hold an articulator. Don’t try to explain a Cerec machine. The shot should be tightly centered on your upper body and head. Put your hands in your lap; if you do use gestures, keep them small and well within the video frame.

Dress

Men should wear a dark (but not black) suit or sports jacket, white shirt, and dark tie. Women should wear a dark suit with a light blouse. No patterns (checks, plaids, polka dots or big stripes) on clothes or backgrounds; they will distract the eye from you. No black suits. They’re too dark and can become a flat black area that lacks detail and dimension.

Relax!

The number one thing is to relax and be natural. Smile. I know this can be tough if you’re not used to doing this. Remember, the world will not come to an end if you don’t look and act like a trained spokesperson! Your web visitors are not expecting a professional actor. They are looking for a warm, caring doctor who is natural, relaxed and confident.

Scripts

I’m not a big fan of detailed scripts. First of all, you don’t want to look like you're reading a script. You will come off like a brick. I strongly suggest you write out your opening and closing sentences with a few short phrases in the middle.

For example, if you are doing your opening video for your website's home page, your script might look something like this:

Welcome. I’m Dr. Tim Johnson. Here at Tulsa Dental Care, we focus on... (your primary marketing focus area for this website; for example, "cosmetic dentistry for the whole family")

Our goal is to make every new patient feel... (fill in the blank)

We are different from most dental practices because... (what is the single most important factor that differentiates your practice?)

If you are looking for great dental care in the Tulsa area, click the "Appointment" link at the top of this page, or call us directly. We will always be happy to answer any questions you may have and get you started on the smile you deserve.

Remember, you only have 20 seconds. Brief is better!

Number of Takes

Personally, it usually takes me about five takes before I get one that I feel comfortable with. I’ve been known to go up to twenty before I’m relaxed and comfortable enough to get one right! A professional videographer can also edit different parts from each take to build the final clip. This usually happens when you sneeze, burp or hiccup in the middle of your best take.

Looking for Examples?

Video clips should be placed on key visitor pages on your website. The following examples are based on Internet Dental Alliance websites and were shot by professional videographers.

Home Page

What We Offer

Focus Area pages (up to four videos, one per focus area, can be displayed)

Libertyville Dentist: Sleep Sedation Dental Center

Meet the Dentist (this page can have more than one video if the doctor would like to include associates)

Turnkey Solution

If you are looking for an affordable turnkey solution to Internet dental marketing, call Colleen Rose at 877-446-5466 or schedule an appointment online now.

Jim Du Molin

Survey: Cosmetic Dentistry

In this poll, we asked dentists: Should cosmetic dentistry become its own board-certified specialty?

The clear majority of dentist don't think cosmetic dentistry should be a separate specialty. A full 89% of dentists responded, "No - The current system works, and cosmetic dentistry should not be board-certified." Only 11% replied, "Yes - It's time that cosmetic dentistry be recognized as its own specialty."

The most significant factor in determining a dentist's vote was geographic location. Urban dentists were far more likely than their rural colleagues to support board certification for cosmetic dentistry. This suggests that dentists in more urban areas are somewhat more likely to specialize in cosmetic dentistry. With a shortage of dentists in many rural areas, rural dentists sometimes have to fill more roles for their patients. For many of them, the idea of specializing in cosmetic dentistry just isn't relevant to their patients' needs.

Here are some of the comments our dentists had to share:

"It's time to admit to ourselves that the best 'cosmetic dentist' this week is the one with the best lab technician."
"If we at least require some sort of credential, if not actually creating a specialty, then those advertising will be at a baseline. An ENT or family practitioner could do a nose job, but wouldn't you rather go to a board-certified plastic surgeon?"
"All dentists are cosmetic dentists."
"I do better cosmetic dentistry than the local guys who spend a fortune to advertise."
"If anything, we should make general dentistry a specialty, as medicine has done for family practice."
"Anyone offering 'full-mouth makeovers' already has a specialty - it's called Prosthodontics!"
"Maybe cosmetic dentists should do makeup, hair styling, nails, tanning, eyeliner tattooing, and colon cleansing like some are already doing. Why use a middleman hair stylist?"

Read the full results

Stop the Presses! Britney Spears Visits Dentist

In a bizarre example of our country's obsession with celebrities (especially celebrities recently in rehab), Britney Spears' visit to her dentist last week made front-page entertainment headlines. Spears, who checked into rehab after shaving her head and attacking a photographer's car, left her rehab facility to visit her dentist for two appointments.

Her dentist, Dr. William Dorfman, has said Spears came in to have him check a tooth and to undergo Zoom whitening. He's also expressed disbelief at the amount of publicity surrounding this routine procedure. "C'mon, give the kid a break!" Dorfman told Access Hollywood. "Just let her whiten her teeth."

British Dentist Accused of Criminal Laziness and Poor Hygiene

A West Yorkshire dentist will soon face a disciplinary hearing on a variety of charges of unprofessional conduct and acting "contrary to the best interests of patients and dental nurses." Here are some of the appalling allegations against the dentist:

Used sterilized surgical tools to clean his ears and nails (without re-sterilizing the equipment)
Urinated in the sink at his dental surgery
Put used, unsterilized drill "burrs" back with new, sterilized ones
Routinely neglected to wear gloves during treatment
Failed to wash his hands between patients
Ignored cavities in the mouths of patients.

The 51-year-old dentist has been at the same practice since 1978, and allegations of poor hygiene date back to 1990. It has been reported that he has retired, though no one at his dental practice was available to confirm that. "If the professional misconduct committee finds that Dr. Hutchinson’s fitness to practice was impaired," said a GDC spokeswoman, "he could be suspended or barred from practicing dentistry."

GDC documents allege, "During the period from about February 1990 to March 2006 on occasion, whilst treating patients, you used dental instruments to clean your fingernails and ears and then replaced those instruments on a tray alongside sterilized instruments. The dental instruments with which you cleaned your nails... were, along with other instruments on the tray, liable to be used on a patient without being re-sterilized… [You failed to] take adequate steps to protect yourself, your dental nurses and your patients against the risk of cross-infection."

Australian Toddler with No Tooth Enamel Must Wait a Year for Treatment

Though England has influenced Australia in many glorious ways, there's at least one place where the Aussies seem to be failing as miserably as the Brits: public dental service. Horror stories come out of both countries on an almost daily basis about the inability of ordinary citizens to get even the most basic dental treatment.

One Australian toddler is a heartbreaking example. The three-year-old boy has no enamel on his teeth, but faces a 15-month wait before he can get treatment. The painful condition leaves the boy grinding his teeth for relief – and in fact, he's ground them back nearly to his gums. His frustrated mother has appealed to both the state and federal governments. Let's hope this poor kid gets some help soon!

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