dental social media

AS VALENTINE’S DAY approaches, we are once again surrounded by one of America’s most popular candies, the conversation heart.

A Legacy Of Candy Messages

First developed by a Boston apothecary in 1847, Oliver Chase joined the lozenge craze spreading through Boston. Innovating from mortar and pestle, kneading, rolling and cutting to make lozenges, Chase invented the first candy machine. Inspired by the Valentine card market in Boston, Oliver’s brother Daniel started putting food dye letters on to the lozenges in 1866. It is legend that the Chase brothers’ wafers with love greetings were sent to soldiers during the Civil War.

In 1902 the heart shape lozenge machine was invented and the CRAZY4U conversation heart phenomenon was born. Daniel Chase went on to found the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) which today makes 100,000 pounds of the hearts year round, each day.

Through the years, conversation heart sayings have reflected how culture has changed. Sayings range from KISS ME, HUG ME, BE MINE, and CUTIE PIE to popular sayings likek TE AMO and GIRL POWER. For the digital age, we even have TEXT ME and TWEET ME messages.

The Wrong Treat For Braces

Conversation hearts might make great Valentines, but they are too hard to eat with braces. Orthodontist Dr. Ann Marie Gorcyzca says “Conversation hearts are not your braces’ BFF!”

At Gorczyca Orthodontics, we would LOVE YOU to show your braces some SWEET LOVE by not eating conversation hearts. This will make Valentine's Day for YOU+ME the BEST DAY ever. Give out your conservation hearts and be TOO CUTE, TOO COOL, and find TRUE LOVE.

Love From Gorczyca Orthodontics

We XOXO braces at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California and want your Valentine’s Day to be extra special. We hope your conversation heart Valentine’s Day dreams come true. Find us at www.clubbraces.com or call us at 925-757-9000 for a free orthodontic exam.

YOU ROCK for not eating conversation hearts with braces. Spread the conversation heart love and see you soon at Gorczyca Orthodontics.

Your SMILE is our inspiration.

MY FATHER ALWAYS ENCOURAGED ME TO WRITE A BOOK. Driving each morning for the past 17 years to my orthodontic office, I would call my father and tell him about the things we were doing at Gorczyca Orthodontics for our patients, for our community, and for our referring doctors. He loved hearing about these special things and thought other dentists would, too.

Marketing Is Very Important In The Healthcare Industry

When I was a student at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, I had the opportunity to study at Harvard School of Public Health in the Department of Health Management and Policy. There, I attended my first marketing lectures and started to understand the importance and broad-reaching effects of marketing in the healthcare industry.

I learned that marketing involves many things including case studies, comparisons, differentiation, product analysis, demographics, communities, and target audiences. Marketing is about personal preferences, branding and customer service. Marketing is the ability to move others and direct them toward what we have to offer—dentistry. This perspective is valuable to all dental professionals in the marketing of their business, the dental practice.

I Hope My Book Makes A Difference

My book It All Starts with Marketing—201 Marketing Tips for Growing a Dental Practice is a collection of ideas, experiences, and strategies I used to gain new patients and grow my orthodontic practice from scratch from the ground up. I hope that several of these tips will be helpful to its readers, especially those dentists just starting out who may need a little help, encouragement, a positive push or a “you-can-do-it” cheer to make them feel more empowered to persevere.

I hope this book is also useful to those who have been in practice for several years—those who are looking for a few new ideas to help make their patients feel special, their team more engaged, and their dental office just a little more fun.

My Dad Encouraged Me

My father was the most positive, loving, and optimistic person I have ever met. He was so looking forward to the release of this first book. I received the first final printed copy on July 30, 2013. I lost my dad two days earlier.

Ultimately, we all encourage ourselves. For me personally, this book will not only be the story of marketing at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California, but also a reflection of the beautiful memories of the morning phone conversations I would have with my dad.

“To my father, Fryderyk, who always encouraged me to write a book.”

About The Author

Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca is a Clinical Adjunct Professor of Orthodontics at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, where she speaks on practice management topics including marketing, teamwork, treatment coordination, customer service, management systems, and human resource management. She was a marketing speaker at the 2011, 2012, and 2014 American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Annual Sessions. Formerly a faculty member at UCSF School of Dentistry, she has received teaching awards from UCSF and University of the Pacific Dental Schools.

WHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND when you think about YouTube?

If you’re like most people, the first thing you probably think is, “The place for funny, viral videos.” But did you know that YouTube is now the #2 search engine on the web? That’s right. People love watching videos—not just for entertainment, but also to better digest the information they’re looking for.

On our practice’s YouTube channel, we try to create, and/or aggregate, some of the very best thinking in orthodontics today. We do that so you can reference a hub of useful, relevant information about your oral health, your dental comfort, and your appearance.

And sometimes, we just like to have a little fun too.

So take a moment to browse the videos on our YouTube channel. We go out and collect a lot of the best thinking on the web so you don’t have to spend hours searching, or wondering about the credibility of what you’re watching.

You can see our channel by clicking on the link below:

And as always, THANKS for the trust you place in our practice, and for being our valued patient.

IT'S BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE I happened upon the Facebook post from the Chicago Midwinter Dental Meeting reading "Girls, stay in school." Having sparse historical background on it's creator, Dr. Howard Farran, I was intrigued to follow this dentist of modern times. Little did I know that I had stumbled upon the King of Dental Social Media.

Dr. Farran Has A Wealth Of Accomplishments

Looking back, it is unbelievable what Dr. Howard Farran has accomplished in the past 6 years. In awe I watched his dental social media empire grow from his first tweet to 19.6K Followers. He makes 70 Instagram posts in a single day, keeps 263,961 Facebook followers engaged, while maintaining more Pinterest boards than dentistry has specialities, with 45,005 entertained Followers.

As if superhuman, when not at his dental practice, or Farran Media, publishers of Dentaltown, Hygienetown, and Orthotown magazines, Dr. Farran:

• Writes books,
• Has taped over 600+ podcasts for Dentistry Uncensored,
• And travels all corners of the world lecturing about dentistry.

His talks are so entertaining that audience members experience stomach pain from laughter and smile until their faces hurt. Then when his work is done, Dr. Farran runs an IronMan.

But like King Arthur, what is most impressive about the Farranian legend is Dr. Howard Farran's good qualities which he uses to give a voice to those often not heard by dentistry. He does this with courage, charisma, humility, loyalty, honor, and faith.

Dr. Farran's mission is simple: "To connect every dentist on earth so no dentist will ever have to practice solo again." This he has achieved in legendary style as the King of Dental Social Media.

Thank You Dr. Farran

I am thankful for great people like Dr. Howard Farran. They truly make the world a better place. Here lie the power and benefits of social media.

Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca is an orthodontist at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California. She is author of the books "It All Starts with Marketing" and "Beyond the Morning Huddle".

ARE YOU ON INSTAGRAM? We are too. We know it might seem crazy to follow a healthcare provider on Instagram, but we honestly treasure our relationships with you. We consider you friends, and we care about what’s going on in your lives!

The Advantage To YOU, Our Valued Patient

• No obnoxious self-promotion; every post is considered from your point of view.
• You’re the first to know about cool news and deals at our office.
• Get those regular reminders and tidbits about how to have the best personal daily care.

We love getting to know all of our patients at Gorczyca Orthodontics and we hope that you would enjoy getting to know us. Instagram gives us the opportunity to show you our practice culture and what makes us unique as your orthodontic healthcare providers.

Our Instagram posts feature our patients, our team, treatments, and visits our personal lives. You will see us feature events from our office, Antioch, and Northern California community.

Keep In Touch, Stay Healthier!

A better relationship with your healthcare team means better health for you. Reminders and information about daily care is what makes a big difference in a healthy lifestyle.

Thank you for being counted among our Gorczyca Orthodontics Instagram friends and family. We look forward to seeing you on Instagram!

Gorcyzca Orthodontics, 5201 Deer Valley Road, Suite 1A, Antioch, California 94531 www.clubbraces.com (925) 757-9000.

IT'S BEEN A FEW YEARS NOW since I read Mark Schaeffer's classic social media book "The Tao of Twitter."

I decided to follow this author's advice and reach out and schedule my first "tweet up" with a person I had never met before who I considered "The Queen of Dental Social Media" Livvie Matthews. The experience in the words of Seth Godin was "remarkable."

Livve had worked in dentistry for 30 years and that's where her social media dynasty began. When it comes to social media, Livvie lives by the words "Content is King" and "Consistency is Queen." Always friendly, helpful, never "sales-y" and putting forth great content in a positive and inspirational manner, Livvie has helped thousands of dentists, dental assistants, and people in dentistry and small business with the "social" side of their of social media.

Livvie Shows Her Followers She Cares

Through her facebook and twitter posts, blogs, video series, and soon to be released podcast with Dr. Howard Farran of Howard Speaks, Livvie constantly shows her friends and followers that she cares. Livvie simply lights the world with her love and positivity through social media.

So I met up with Livvie in Charlotte North Carolina.

Our "tweet-up" exceeded my expectations! Larger than life, with a smile on her face, love in her heart, and enthusiasm emanating from every pore of her body, Livvie continued to amaze me in every way. What amazed me most of all was something unexpected. Livvie gave me some of the best and most effective dental practice management advice I have ever received!

Since our "tweet-up" Livvie has branched out into becoming an online marketing business coach for many industries. Her morning posts are a great way to start the day and keep business owners focused on what's important in running a successful small business.

Livvie's Posts Are Inspiring

Livvie's social media contributions continue to inspire me. I can't wait for my second "tweet-up" with the Queen of Dental Social Media "Livvie Matthews Online Marketing Business Coach."

http://www.livviematthews.com/

I am thankful for great people like Livvie Matthews. They truly make the world a better place. Here lie the power and benefits of social media.

Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca is an orthodontist at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California. She is author of the books "It All Starts with Marketing" and "Beyond the Morning Huddle".

She lives in Walnut Creek and the Sea Ranch, California with her husband and son.

Top image by Flickr user Kvasir79 used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

OK... If you’re already a Twitter user, you get it... So, just follow us!

If you’re NOT using Twitter yet, you’re probably thinking, “What the heck is Twitter, and why should I care?!”

We understand, and here’s a quick course:

Twitter Is A Real-Time Information Network...

that connects you with information you find interesting. Small bursts of information (140 characters in length) called Tweets share a lot in a little space. Connected to each Tweet are linked rich details, deeper context, and embedded media.

You Don’t Have To Tweet To Get Value From Twitter

Whether YOU CHOOSE to tweet a lot, OR NEVER, you still have access to the voices and information that interests you. You can contribute, or just listen in and retrieve.

Why Follow Our Practice On Twitter?

You may be asking yourself, “Why use Twitter at all, when there are already so many other distractions in my life?” Good question. You’ll be surprised how much you’ll learn from little tiny snippets. Life is busy. Sometimes there’s no time to sit down and read a newspaper article, magazine story, or lengthy blog post. You may be sitting, waiting for somebody, and have a couple minutes. Our Twitter stream provides meaningful info and/or links to things you can consume and benefit from in a minute or two.

Whether or not you are already a Twitter user, you can click on the icon below to see our Twitter feed or follow us on Twitter @DrGorczyca or @GorczycaOrtho. Then, you can decide if you’d like to sign up for your own Twitter account!

You can also find us at Gorczyca Orthodontics www.clubbraces.com at 5201 Deer Valley Road, Suite 1A in Antioch, California 94531 or call us at (925) 757-9000.

As your lifelong oral health partner, we want to be accessible to you in as many ways as possible, and to connect with you in whatever ways are BEST FOR YOU! As always, thanks for being our valued patient.