Dr Alexa Vitek
Getting involved in your community can be a great way to give back, as well as raise awareness of your practice and bring patients to your door. But with so many deserving causes and different opportunities, it can be a challenge to direct your energy to where it will be most effective.
In March 2013 ADA New Dentist News spoke with a number of new dentists about how they used community involvement as a practice builder. Dr. Alexa Vitek, who built a general dentistry practice from scratch in DeWitt, Michigan, talked about the importance of getting people who could be potential patients into the practice. Here’s what she said:
“I had great success donating custom whitening trays for a silent auction fundraiser,” she recalls, “it literally put new people in my chair.”
Dr. Vitek also organizes events for the merchants in the shopping center where her practice is located, including a holiday prize drawing. “Prize winners come to my practice to pick up their prizes, presenting another opportunity for someone to see firsthand how friendly and welcoming our practice is.”
What about you—have you used community involvement as a way to build interest in your dental practice? Leave your suggestions and experiences in the comments.
Get involved in community organizations like Kiwanis, Rotary or Lions. You end up making your community better while also helping your practice grow by networking at the same time.
I think giving the trays away for free was a really great idea. And the events you organized also play a huge role. Things like that market themselves. People take photos and share them on social media, talk about it with family and friends, and leave with a memory that stays with them. Super important.