#107: Video Is The New Default Language of Trust

In this episode of the Dental Marketing Secrets podcast, Mark Thackeray breaks down why video has become one of the most powerful tools for building trust and improving patient conversion... and why most dental practices still aren’t using it effectively.

A lot of practices are so focused on getting new patients that they overlook the ones already in the chair. Video can give you an unfair advantage by creating familiarity, reducing anxiety, and helping patients feel like they already know you before they ever show up. In a world where people research everything online first, that level of connection matters.

Discover several different types of videos you can use throughout the patient journey — from simple “meet the doctor” and office tour videos, to treatment explainers, financing breakdowns, and FAQ-style clips that lower barriers and move patients forward. 

And you don’t need a studio or movie-level lighting to make it work. Authenticity beats production every time.

If you embrace video, you become a high-touch practice. The result is more trust, more case acceptance, better retention, and a healthier practice overall.

Chapters

00:00
Introduction to Video Marketing in Dentistry

01:29
The Importance of Patient Conversion

02:55
Why Video Establishes Trust

05:21
The Advantages of Video Over Static Images

10:00
Using Video at Different Stages of the Patient Journey

15:44
Building Trust Through Personal Stories

18:10
Explaining Treatment and Financing Options

21:36
Creating Effective Video Content

Get Marketing Support!

Find out if our team is a good fit for helping your practice. Contact Maria at maria@markthackeray.com to get started. 

Transcript

0:01

Welcome back to the Dental Marketing Secrets podcast. This is episode 107 and we're talking about video and how video is now the default language of trust. And I bring this up because right now there are a lot of practices that I've been, I've seen their numbers drop a little bit and I've talked about that in recent episodes. Go look at those and go listen to those if you are, if you want more information on that. And as I was thinking about that, I thought of how important it is to get the most out of those patients that you're getting already. So if you're getting calls, you're getting leads, if you're getting walk-ins, we want to capture as many of those and convert as many as those as possible. Because that's alone, if you were to just focus that on that alone, it would elevate your practice considerably year over year. Because most, quite frankly, and I was talking to a doctor, two days ago and we were talking about this same concept of conversion and reactivation in some cases and unscheduled treatment and this whole idea of just what more can I do for my patients that I already have? And when we elevate that level of service and care, then it benefits our practice, financially. Benefits, we see more production, our patients have better results and clinical outcomes. It's a win-win all around. But instead, and this doctor commented, he said, but instead I focus on new patients. And it's just that you look at that bucket and you've got, you're constantly filling this bucket that has a leak in it. It's got these holes in the bottom. So no matter how many new patients you're getting, you're still losing some out the back door. And so this is where video has come. I've really thought about it a lot over the last couple of days. just because I think it's that key to better conversion, to higher conversion. And it starts with that ability to establish trust. And I mentioned the title for this episode is video is now the default language of trust because it's one of the quickest mechanisms through which we can lay that foundation of a relationship without having to be in person. Ideally, it's person, it's in person, it's face to face, belly to belly, toe to toe. But for new patients, that's not realistic. They're not going to go into the office, come meet you, and then go two miles down the road, go to the next office, or in my case, two blocks down the road and go to the next office, and do that again and again to compare. They're just not going to do that. So more often than not, they're going online, they search, and then they bounce to the next practice. They do that again and again. And... For those that have incorporated video, it's a huge strategic advantage just because in video we can get a feel for that person. A static image is great, but we can't hear their voice. We can't see their expressions. Maybe they're animated, maybe they're not. Maybe they use their hands when they talk, maybe they don't. But those are all communication signals. Those nonverbal cues are huge. in terms of communication. And there's also the things that don't get said that we we transmit. So video allows you to do that. It's really the next best thing to being in person. And one of the things that I love about it, too, is that it can be it's a one time investment for a video. And then you can use that again and again and again. So it continues to work for you and your practice in perpetuity. Yes, you might update it down the road, but for now, it's something that you can put into play and can work for you right away. And this is what we're seeing all the time. You look around and you see people on social media, it's video driven more often than not. It's the videos that people go to social media for primarily. There are still obviously if someone you know, it puts out a comment that's asking a question or for example, we just had one that a friend and her child has been diagnosed. with cancer and obviously not a video, it's just those get lots of engagement. So the personal connections are big, but em it's the video content that gets consumed more often than not, more than the static images. And that's just kind of the way, the direction that we're heading. More people are, and that's one of the reasons why Google, or excuse me, why YouTube is one of the top ranked search engines out there. There's Google and then it's really, it's YouTube because people want to... They want to ask questions, they want information, but they want to just watch it. They don't want to read it anymore as much. You know, and it's funny, I have to generalize it because I'm, I am actually a reader in most cases, but there's plenty of circumstances where a video is way more appropriate. And in this case, when we're talking about a practice and building that relationship, a hundred times more effective in my opinion, it's at least 10 times more effective just because now you can get all that, those communication signals. get a feel of that personality, you can see how excited they are about what they do. If you can communicate that in a video, you have a huge advantage over your competitors just because most doctors don't wanna do this. Plain and simple, it's work and they don't feel comfortable doing it. They don't like promoting themselves. They think it feels gross, but it's not. I always try and encourage my clients to think. what is best for the patient? You are the expert, yes, and you're trying to convey that to the patient for their benefit, not necessarily, not exclusively for yours. So it's more of uh a training piece, an educational tool that you can use to help your patients, right? And this just happened actually yesterday, I was on at a practice and yeah, it's. It's really interesting. Well, two things I'll say about my, just got back from a trip and visiting several different clients and one yesterday we did a little video session to just get, the ball rolling on this because there's an endless list of number of types of videos and we'll get into six or seven different ones that you can do later on in this episode. But just to get the ball rolling and get over that fear and, and just record and just record how you would talk to a patient normally. And that was a big hangup for her. She didn't want to. She wanted it to look really nice and she kind of had this vision that it should be, if this is going out there, needs to be this really high quality cinematic production and it doesn't. I just told her flat out, hey, you're a doctor, you're not an actor. And patients don't expect you to be one. They just want you to be who you are. They want you to be real and authentic. And yeah, you might stumble over your words, but we do that all the time. I've probably done it a dozen times just since I pressed record. but you just correct yourself and move on. And people see that as very authentic. It strikes a chord with people. So keep that in mind as we're talking about this. The other thing I was gonna mention is the, was talking with another doc and just about, you we were talking about reactivation. We were talking about conversion in general of existing patients and how there's all these opportunities, right? If we're trying to do. just re-care, we're trying to get people back in, there's all this unscheduled treatment that people aren't acting on. And if we were just able to help our patients see that and help them take those next steps, that would be a huge blessing to them and to us as a practice. we wouldn't, know, it would dramatically improve our practice production without the need to have to go out and get new patients. And especially in an economy that is, you know, it's not as robust as it's been in years past, where patients are taking longer to execute on that treatment, to act on that treatment, and they're considering multiple providers when they're before they even go in. That is very critical. You know, if you have the ability to convert more of your existing patients, that by all means, and video is a great tool for that. The other thing that it does is it gives you that advantage like I mentioned before. If you are, if a patient is investigating or looking into different practices, they're not going to take the time to walk into your practice, come talk to you in your office, and then go down the road and go to the next one and do that three or four times. They're just not gonna do that. And so what do they do? They go online, they search up your website, they read a little, they bounce to the next one, and they do that three or four times. and then they come to their decision, then they call, right? That is a typical journey nowadays. And if you have video, that gives you a distinct advantage by being able to connect with them almost one-on-one. It feels one-on-one, even though it's one directional, they still get all of those nonverbal cues, they get the intonation, they get the passion, and that gives you a tremendous advantage, a tremendous advantage than just a static photo. The other thing I wanted to talk to you about video is that it's good for different uses. I mean, it can fit almost every stage of that patient journey. So if we're talking about new patients and they're investigating a practice, it is great for that because it can have the patient get to know you a little bit. They start to form that relationship. Maybe they identify common interests or if you have... You know, if you're like looking at my background and you see, there's a surfing picture, for example, I love to surf too. That builds common ground. And we look for those types of things when we're meeting new people so that we can, makes us easier, easier to process. yeah, that person's like this because they like this or they're like me in this instance. And you automatically have an advantage by doing that. And so it's really good for that stage where patients are still feeling you out. And especially if you have a video that calls out what makes you distinct and different. It makes it much easier for them to get behind that and ah feel confident enough to pick up the phone and call. So that's a great one. So awareness is a good, uh that stage of awareness where you are introducing yourself, of highlighting what makes you different and sets you apart. providing some credibility as well and before and after transformations, those type of things, those work really, really well. Another stage is that consideration where they are now starting to look at specific types of treatment, for example, you know, and so they're, they're looking at, ah know, let's say they're taking aligners, you know, they're doing, it's orthodontic. care that they need and they're comparing Invisalign versus braces and here you show up as they're kind of considering different options and different providers and you walk through the differences. Or maybe you have, like one of my clients, we have a little download, like when does braces versus Invisalign, what makes the most sense for you? And it's just a walkthrough of these different scenarios so that they can decide on their own so that you empower the patient. to make that decision themselves. And it's much more motivating when it comes from them instead of you. We've seen that all the time. I see that all the time with myself and with my kids especially. It's easier to see it on other people. But when it's their decision, boy, get out of their way a lot of times. It's awesome. So that's a great, example for that. We mentioned trust building and how important videos can be in that just because people get a sense of people. It's that gut feel. that you get when you meet someone or you talk to them. You have that intuition on who this person is and how they are, which is very important. And it's usually very sound too. It's very accurate in a lot of cases. So good specific examples of videos that help build trust, talking about yourself. For example, we talked with this doctor yesterday, talked about why did you go into dentistry? And she described an personal experience. where she was just overwhelmed with anxiety about going to the dentist. She had built up this idea that it would be absolutely terrible and painful and just uncomfortable and lo and behold, it wasn't. It was amazing. Like she thought the shots were gonna be terrible and it just wasn't. Like it wasn't at all like she expected. And... That was a huge blessing and really turned her eyes oh onto dentistry. And that's what she wanted to do. She wanted to provide that same type of experience for patients who suffer with high anxiety. And so that's, man, what a great tool. What a great experience to share with someone who is, a child that is definitely afraid to come in to the, in the door. Doesn't that make you want to trust them a little bit more? Like, you experienced this firsthand and now you're doing all these things to help patients feel much better. So that's a good one. Just touring the office so that there's familiarity when they show up because there's all these, you know, when you think about it and they're going all out of their way to try something new, there's a lot of risk there. And so anything that can come up and cause friction may derail them from uh their desired destination. Right? So if it's the common like, this isn't, and you've probably seen this in your life too. Good example is a restaurant, but you come to a restaurant and you realize that, just the visual, the appearance, the door, the room, that's not what I had in mind. And there's a lot of friction right there and there's risk. And so you're thinking, well, hey, I don't lose anything by leaving. I'm not committed. and it's easier to go, right? So if you can, an office tour is a great way to get them familiar so that when they come, it's comfortable, there's less friction, and they already know kind of what to do. Similar thing with team introductions. So if you're going around, say, hey, on your first visit, this is our hygienist. This is our hygienist Katie. She's gonna be meeting with you. She's gonna walk through all these things and have her talk a little bit about what she's gonna do. And then after, I'm gonna come back and see you for... and we'll just discuss, you a, ah give you basically a summary of how you're doing and what the next steps are. Just that sort of expectation makes it so much better for the patient. That trust is, it maintains that level of trust. So I kind of think of it like you have this level and anything that you're doing, there's credits and debits essentially to that level. So if you are, you come in and you don't explain things, for example, there's not a roadmap for them to follow or this expectation, then you lose trust because now they're guessing like, is this, that's weird. I didn't know that we'd be doing it right now. Or they're just wondering, well, last time in the other office, they did it this way, you know, and there's these question marks. And so it can lead to people doubting if they're at the right place or not. So that's a good one too for the trust. uh trust stage, essentially. And then we talk about conversion and how again, how videos in general play a huge part in that conversion process. Here are some specifics. if you a great video explanation on financing, financing is a big one just because it's it's a, it's a topic that comes in a lot. It comes up a lot when you're discussing bigger treatment. And so if you have a good way and this is important for you to do is figure out a good way to explain it to people and explain their options so that again that they feel empowered to make what's the best decision for them but if they don't know those options and they think man that's a $25,000 treatment yeah sorry that's just not in the cards but if they know that well but you could do it at around $300 a month or you could break that up into you know you could do a thousand dollars now and there's just options then all of a sudden it opens the door and they think, okay, yeah, that's more realistic. But if they don't, if you don't explain that very well, then you aren't gonna, it's not gonna be a uh great conversion piece for you in that, in talking with patients. So that's a good one is just explaining the different financing options. You can also explain the, like I mentioned before, what to expect at your first visit, or you can go into detail about a specific type of treatment. if you're doing a cosmetic consult, here's what we do when you come in. We're gonna evaluate all your teeth. We're gonna take a scan to look at all these things. And you just provide, you just illustrate, paint that picture for them of what's gonna happen and the benefits involved. And all of a sudden that's a lot more palatable. They can chew on that, they can digest that. It's not something that they're gonna choke on and be like, that's way too much. Because a lot of times when they don't know that fear of the unknown, it builds up and so to the point where it's unmanageable, you know, we just can't overcome that because we don't know what it could be. It could be this high, it could be this wide, but if we explain it and articulate it, now we know it's defined and it's easier to manageable. Okay. Another good video is uh this is, you know, marketing related because that's what we're talking about all the time is just for referrals and what that means to your practice and how people can refer. Oftentimes, oftentimes patients don't, they don't know what the trigger phrases are, the things that could be an opportunity to refer someone. So you have to coach them. It's your responsibility to train them to identify those moments, those sweet spots where they can inject your name and pass along the good word, really. So it could be something like, hey, if you ever are talking with someone who, Uh, hold on. Okay, if you are ever talking with someone and it comes up in conversation, like, my daughter is just petrified to go to the dentist. That's a trigger. That's exactly, that's a great opportunity to share our practice and here's a unique offer that you can give them. You you train them on those opportunities and it makes it so much easier. Now they're looking for those things. They're not just wondering generally, oh, they're not waiting for someone to say, hey, do you know a dentist? but they're describing their situations which are much more common than someone just coming out right to ask for a referral or recommendation. So that's a really good one. I also like to explain what, that we are a referral-based practice and what that means. It means that we focused, we focus more of our investment, more of our capital, more of our time, effort and money into improving the patient experience, adding technology that helps them. uh training team members so that you when you come in you get the best absolute best care ah so that it makes it that much easier for you. But conversely what that also means is that we don't spend as much money on marketing. We don't have these billboards or TV advertisements or on the radio. So we need your help when you have that type of experience when you know the amazing experience that we deliver. We only we ask that you share that with people. because that's how we get the word out. That's how we help other people have a good dental experience. Something like that can be very simple. Another good one is just sharing stories, sharing stories of patients. They're kind of like the before and after transformations, but you go a little bit deeper into the why, into the uh benefits, and into the contrast of the before and after. So they were feeling like this before, having all these challenges, and then afterwards now, a week later, two months later, two years later, they're an entirely different person. So just explaining that process, those are huge, huge opportunities. Okay, so those are several different ways that you can use video to improve your conversions and to build more trust with patients. And once you do it, it's fun. Yes, it's sometimes, well, I'll just say it's not always, mostly fun. There's times when you just, can't get over a certain line that you really want to share and you have to do it a couple of times and sometimes it's not your day. But I think more often the more you do it, the easier it gets. That is true in life in so many instances, just like marketing, the more you do it, the easier it gets, the more clear you can see clearly, you can see how it works and how it operates and how to prove it. So those are several different examples. um But just remember, Yes, it's a little daunting, but you don't need tons of fancy equipment. A smartphone works great. Just make sure you have decent lighting. know, typically go find a window where it's not necessarily direct sunlight streaming in, but it's during the day and you have enough ambient light and natural light coming in that it looks great. And then it's quiet enough. And that was my thing this time. I've had kids, it's the day off and so they are... running amok at my house and so you've probably heard some shouts and screams which is uh par for the course at our house. But if you can make sure that your audio and lighting is good and then just talk from the heart. Speak from the heart and if you correct yourself keep going. Just keep going. I've done it a couple of times in this. It's just fine. So that's what that would be my recommendation. Write down a few of these ones that you want to start with. Typically starting about yourself, why you got into dentistry, what you're most excited about, what just brings, what gets you up in the morning? What makes you smile in ear to ear grin when you're talking, thinking about your practice or how you're helping patients? Those are great ones to start with. And then frequently asked questions are also easy too because you get those all the time and you could do those in your sleep. that's my recommendation for this. Write down some things this week. that you can write down some video ideas just to start. Take them to your team and just say, this is what I'd like to do. Can you help me with this? And more often than not, they would be happy to, as long as you don't ask them to get in front of the camera. No, I think it's good for them too as well. But it's a great example for them to see you doing something that most likely makes you uncomfortable. It's a great example, shows that they can do that too. So start this week, identify which videos, just pick a couple, just one or two even, of videos you're going to record and give yourself some accountability. Tell your team that you will have it done by next week and tell them to write it on the board and to ask you. And otherwise there'll be lunch for everyone or something like that. It's good to have some type of consequence or repercussion. Skin in the game. So that's it for this episode, my friends. If you guys have any questions, if you... would like me to review a video, I would love to. I love getting ideas. I'm not the end all be all expert because there's just so many great ways to do it. But I love to share what's worked well for me and my clients. So hit me up, it's mark, M-A-R-K at markthackery.com. And if you would like just marketing help, we would love to help you in your practice. We would love to support you in helping the community know how good you guys are. at what you do, then reach out to Maria to get started. It's maria, M-A-R-I-A, at markthackery.com and we can schedule a time to talk more. And until then you guys have a great week and we'll talk to you soon.