There’s no doubt that FaceTime, Zoom and Teams really aren’t the same as the real thing, but I’ve been wondering whether they may have cemented their place in our lives for years to come.

Prior to Covid, many of us used Facetime to stay in touch with loved ones. For some, it has always been an invaluable tool for feeling closer to those who live far away, allowing us to feel part of something even if we aren’t physically there. Personally, I can’t say I used it all that often!

A lifeline

Of course, video conferencing has become a lifeline for many businesses since March 2020, allowing employees to stay in touch while working from home. I believe it has also helped people battling with loneliness and aren’t able to see a soul for days on end. On a personal level, I have loved every second of seeing my two baby granddaughters via virtual means, it’s all we have for now!

I think that the power of virtual technology, such as Teams and Zoom has really come into its own and meant that more people than ever are using these systems and understanding the advantages they can bring. Do I think virtual meetings will replace real meetings for the long term? Perhaps not. Nothing can truly beat a face-to-face conversation, whether that’s over a coffee or a board room!

However, I do believe that virtual technology has probably cemented its place in our lives for the long term. We can cherry pick when we use it and it can be used to help us all achieve a better work-life balance by opting for a virtual meeting rather than long travel times or even boosting profits thanks to more streamlined processes. I know many dental practices who will stick with virtual consultations for the long term as they have found patient interest and subsequent treatment uptake has been phenomenal.

I long for the days of hugs, live music, and long champagne afternoons with friends… there are some things that virtual technology simply cannot replace!

I then had to inform a couple of my team members, who are self-employed, that I did not have enough work to be able to continue using their services at the present time. This was not a good feeling as these people have become friends and they also have young families.

I sat down and reminded myself that I needed to look at the positives. I may have lost a lot of clients but I was very lucky to have retained 13, which would be enough to keep the wolves away from the door.

Backlash

In the scheme of things, you might think that all is well but then I started to notice a backlash on social media coming from some people who had a lot to say about marketeers and dental practices who continued to use social media through lockdown. Some of the comments I saw included: ‘How dare they,’ ‘disgusting advertising while coronavirus is happening,’ ‘what are they thinking,’ plus much worse.

This made me begin to question myself, thinking that maybe I shouldn’t be providing my services at all. I am normally a confident person, especially when it comes to my work, so for me to have doubts is unusual. However, in addition to everything, I had also just been informed that my mum, who was battling with advanced dementia, was put on end of life care. This devastating news just exacerbated my uncertainties. A week later, she passed away. While this blog is not about loss, it is about feelings and understanding.

Opinions and their impact

I know that sometimes people will have opinions that differ to mine but I have always been able to appreciate this and accept that disagreeing is part of life. However, for a couple of weeks, I forgot this and started taking things too personally.

I questioned my every thought, I even deleted some statuses from my personal Facebook account in case I came in for criticism. Things were really starting to get to me… it was time to give myself a good talking to!

I re-iterated to myself that the work I was providing to my clients was the right thing to do, they wanted that service and I believed in it. While I wasn’t creating the content I usually provide I was instead keeping their followers and patients updated with useful information, such as whether the practice was open and if they could attend for emergency treatment.

As the weeks passed, we changed the tone of the posts to a more fun and motivating style. All my clients were amazing at getting involved in social media challenges that were springing up everywhere. It gave their followers/patients a real sense of the people behind the brand and the response was fantastic, all my clients’ platform insights went through the roof.

In addition, my clients and their teams had something positive to do and think about, they loved it, they said they felt closer as a team and found it fun at a difficult time. I loved receiving their ideas and collaborating with them to make it happen.

What I have learned

So here we are in September and things are changing still. New clients are starting to approach me, mainly practices that have not used social media marketing before but have seen the good things it did during the last few months.

Lockdown taught me that I need to continue to believe in myself and my thoughts, accept that others may disagree and even if they do it doesn’t mean I am wrong!

It also showed me that we all need to be more thoughtful of each other as we never really know what is going on behind the scenes. So please folks, if you can be anything, be understanding.

While this does come down to personal choice, here at HI Marketing we believe that if you are open for business and are offering a service then you should definitely be actively marketing it! While some people have undoubtedly had a hard time over the last few months and are tightening their belts, others have seemingly sailed through furlough and even have a little more to spend due to cancelled summer plans.

This means that even in these strange and uncertain times, you do still have a customer base and it might actually look a little different to normal. In which case, you should be spreading your marketing net a little wider in order to appeal to those who are actively searching for the services you provide.

What about blogs?

With regard to blogs, we love them here at HI Marketing. This is because they provide your website with fresh content, something that Google absolutely loves. That’s why blogs with cleverly woven in keywords can really help to push your website up on Google search rankings, which is precisely what we all want!

We believe in using blogs to keep your content lively and interesting. It’s a great medium for answering common questions, showcasing customer testimonials, talking about anything new at your practice (such as an exciting treatment or new staff member), or providing useful information that customers need to know. Keep them light and chatty, with a friendly tone that maintains professionalism… just as though you were talking to a patient in your chair.

Too time consuming? As always, you know where we are! If you’d like some help to get started, get in touch on 07805506477, or drop us an email at hayley@hayleyironsmarketing.co.uk.