Eco-Friendly Ideas for Dental Practice
We need to study the impact we have on the world around us. Each of us can do a little more to protect and preserve nature for future generations. As a decision-maker in your dental practice, you can do much more. You not only have a voice in deciding which products and methods to use, but you also have the power to influence and inspire others. Ultimately, your small efforts can benefit your practice, your community, and the world we all share.
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#1. How much waste does your dental practice generate?
Did you know that an average of 21 single-use plastic items are used for each patient treated per day in conventional dental offices? This means that dental offices collectively dispose of 680 million patient barriers and 1.7 billion sterilization pouches every year, according to the EDA. Moreover, a study has estimated that we could reduce yearly waste by 1.6 billion tons if every American household switched to online bill pay.
It’s important to note that dental offices may also dispose of hazardous waste such as mercury, lead, and harmful chemicals in x-ray and cleaning materials. However, we often consider the waste produced by our practice as one of the costs of doing business. We prioritize patient health, safety, and comfort, and seldom take much note of how many garbage bags we fill each day—unless we get saddled with the task of taking them out to the garbage bin.
But, did you know that you don’t have to compromise care in order to reduce waste? On the contrary, implementing some updates will heighten care, save you money, and make your patients even more satisfied that they chose you.
#2. Do Your Patients Really Care?
Going green in your practice can bring you various benefits such as tax breaks, lower operating costs, team unity, and the satisfaction of living in harmony with your values. However, it is essential to talk about it because your patients care about it too! Moreover, discussing current events can be an excellent way to gain more traction in your marketing. Consider these astonishing statistics:
- 66% of shoppers are willing to pay extra for eco-friendly products and services.
- 70% of consumers want to know what actions businesses are taking to address environmental and social issues.
- 77% of Americans want to learn how to live more sustainably.
Incorporating eco-friendly practices into your business can be a powerful way to attract and retain patients who are enthusiastic about sustainability and the environment. Hence, it’s crucial to communicate and promote your green initiatives to your patients.
#3. Here are 4 essential tips for effective and socially conscious marketing
As practices that prioritize giving back gain popularity, dental offices that are socially conscious can win patient loyalty and boost their business. Patients don’t just want to hear about your environmentally-friendly practices, they want to see them in action. Therefore, it is important to follow some essential guidelines to avoid any negative consequences or losing followers:
A. Speak up about a cause that is important to you, but keep it personal, not political. Your aim is to encourage others to join in, not to initiate disputes. Sharing your personal story reminds your followers of the human element that is the basis of your motivation.
B. Stay true to your values and goals, even if most of your followers lose interest. Those who are still interested are likely to call you out if they see that you were only seeking attention for the cause.
C. Set realistic goals with tangible outcomes. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Focus on one or two areas and explain why they matter. Acknowledge your achievements or explain how you plan to do better next time.
D. Be sincere. Cause marketing can be off-putting if it doesn’t come across as genuine. Therefore, prioritize making a difference and only then promoting your practice.
#4. 7 Ways Get Great Word of Mouth Marketing
Let’s explore some ways in which dental practices can minimize their environmental impact, encourage patients to do the same, and then communicate these efforts in a sincere and effective manner. Additionally, you can send customized gifts to schools for distribution on community outreach day, such as coloring books, pens and pencils, or dental hygiene items. Remember to offer free promotional swag for children, such as fidget toys, balloons, and stress balls.
1) Create a video showcasing the work you are already doing and explain why it is significant
Do you use digital billing and records? How about digital x-rays? Do you use an amalgam separator to get rid of old metal fillings? There are plenty of eco-friendly practices that you may already be doing in your dental practice without even realizing it. These practices are simply a side effect of having a modern, convenient and updated dental practice.
2) Reduce Trash, Then Show the Difference on Social Media
The plastic you use in your office adds up quickly and is not being recycled. Unfortunately, a significant amount of this plastic ends up in our oceans and harms the environment. You can easily reduce the amount of plastic waste generated by your office by switching to reusable cups or using small paper ones instead of plastic cups for your patients. This simple change alone can lead to a reduction of several bags of plastic garbage per week. Additionally, a revolutionary change can be made by using reusable cloth PPE and patient barriers. Although this change may initially feel strange to your patients, you can take a picture of your trash from the week before and after making these changes to show the significant contrast. This contrast can inspire excitement about the change among your team and patients, and it may even become viral.
3) Take a Pledge to Save Water and Invite Your Patients to Do the Same
Did you know that most Americans leave their tap running while brushing their teeth? This results in the wastage of about 90 glasses of water every day, even if they brush for the recommended two minutes twice a day. This is a huge waste of natural resources and energy, and even more concerning if you live in an area prone to droughts.
To combat this wastage, you can put up signage in your office, click some pictures, and share information on social media. Encourage your team to promote this message to everyone who visits your office. You can even create social signs, click pictures with patients, and display a chart in your office to track the amount of water saved every day by turning off the tap while brushing. Keep tallying the numbers as more and more people take the pledge to save water!
4) Put Together Eco-Friendly Goodie Bags and Show One Off in a Video
Dental waste isn’t just limited to the waste generated in the dental office. The dental care products used at home also contribute to a significant amount of plastic waste. As a dental practitioner, you can help reduce the amount of waste that your community produces by encouraging your patients to be mindful of the dental hygiene products they use. The goodie bags that you send home with every patient are a great opportunity to do so.
Instead of providing a goodie bag filled with future plastic waste, you can allow patients to choose one usable item from a grab bag – a high-quality toothbrush, a travel cover for a toothbrush, or a reusable floss dispenser, for example. You can also take this opportunity to introduce patients to biodegradable and low-waste dental products such as bamboo toothbrushes, toothpaste pellets, or biodegradable floss picks.
To spread awareness, you can share stories on Facebook, reels on Instagram, and short videos on TikTok introducing patients to these options. This can help in reducing the amount of plastic waste generated in your community.
5) Consider organizing an event to clean up trash, plant trees, or create a community garden
It’s completely up to you to decide how much you want to scale this event. You could either organize a special day of service for your team, sponsor a community effort that’s already happening, or plan a large event from scratch. You might consider alerting the local media, partnering with other businesses, or offering raffle prizes and discounts to patients who participate. Regardless of what you choose, remember to take lots of pictures and videos of the event.
6) Make Plans to “Green” Your Office and Building
To reduce your carbon footprint, you can take several steps such as adding solar panels, replacing windows, installing weatherproof stripping, updating your HVAC system, installing motion-activated lighting, and turning down your thermostat on the days when you’re closed. These measures can be applied in both your practice and home. Moreover, you may be eligible for tax benefits that can offset the initial cost of implementing these changes. It’s also a good idea to inform your patients about the amount of energy you save every month and how they’re contributing to this effort.
7) Resolve to Become a Certified Green Practice and Share Your Badge
The EDA provides a Green DOC certification program that offers helpful resources to get you started. Obtaining this certification not only gives you a great badge to share on social media, digital ads, and your website, but it can also generate new leads through the EDA’s “Search Our Members” function. If you already use paperless billing, digital x-rays, and steam sterilization, then you’re already halfway there! Moreover, committing to becoming a more sustainable practice through this program will demonstrate to your patients that you’re not just making empty promises; you’re dedicated to becoming a more environmentally responsible practice and a leader in your community.
#5. Opening a Conversation That Matters
Socially conscious marketing is an approach that involves the whole team to see that your business is more than just appointments, paperwork, and bottom lines. As a business and community leader, you can use your influence to make this world a better place to live. When executed correctly, modern marketing is not just about promoting a business, but also engaging in a dialogue to meet a need. The need for all of us to be consciously involved in minimizing the harm we do to the planet is greater than ever, and your patients want to talk about it. So, open the conversation this spring and see what kind of impact it can have.
#6. Let us help you fill the gaps in your marketing strategy
If you are having difficulties and need more ideas on how to promote your pediatric dental office, it would be helpful to seek assistance from pediatric dental marketing companies like us. Our branding experts are passionate about designing customized marketing strategies that precisely align with your requirements. We offer a wide range of services including website redesigning and social media marketing to cater to all your needs.
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