MARKETING COLUMN – Where are we heading?

Vol. 13 – Number 49 – 2021 MARKETING COLUMN Page 5 Where are we heading? Prof. Dr. Sandro Henrique Batista Santos [email protected] – Specialist in Orthodontics – Uningá/PR; – MSc in Dentistry / Orthodontics – Uningá/PR; – PhD in Dentistry / Dental Materials – UFPel/RS; – Orthodontics Specialization Coordinator – BIONEP/PR; – Professor of Orthodontics – UNIPAR/PR and BIONEP/PR; – Manager Clínica Ideal Odontologia Pelotas/RS; – Lecturer in Orthodontics and Business Management in Dentistry; – 15 years of experience in Dentistry. Hello everyone, Have you ever wondered how fast the changes in our lives are happening, how everything has changed, and how all these transformations reflect on people’s behavior and habits? Without a doubt, the main cause of all this is the technological advance and transformation of the “digital” world. In dentistry, this evolution is also occurring at an accelerated pace, however, we cannot forget that, in the provision of services, the professional’s work is still the most important, even if complemented with modern procedures and equipment. We have already talked in previous columns that marketing should cover from strategies for attracting a new customer to the post-sale, also considering the loyalty and maintenance of the same. In other words, each step of this process is extremely important and it is clear that Digital Marketing is also evolving at a rapid pace, being increasingly studied and put into practice in several areas of our daily lives, in a natural way, through various tools that are already part of our lives. In fact, marketing accompanies the changes in any society. This is a path with countless advantages and there is no going back. All that remains is for us to adapt as best we can and follow this evolution, remembering that we should not confuse marketing with advertising. With this in mind, what have you been doing in relation to your profession? This questioning is important so that you can draw up strategies, have an organized planning, and, most importantly, define your goals. If changes are happening around us, it is necessary to identify them for our adaptation in the job market. Charles Darwin’s famous quote, “it is not the strongest that survive, but the one that best adapts to change” makes a lot of sense in our professional life, however, the first step is to be aware of the changes, so that our adaptation is thought out and conscious. To be able to plan accordingly, identify what you need to change and what your starting point is. We can quickly think about what we have been doing and whether we are changing according to the expectations and demands that our patients demand. The Laughing Cat has already said it well when he asks Alice where she wants to go and she answers that she doesn’t know. So he says: “If you don’t know where you want to go, any road will do. My friends, I wish you all an excellent year, may God enlighten the path and choices of all of us. Big hugs to all. DOI: 10.24077/2021;1349-GM5 Available for download, click here.