How I Made Five Figures From One TikTok Video With Dr. Degha Fongod

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Hi, docs. Welcome to the Entre MD podcast, where.

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Practice medicine on your terms.

I'm your host, Dr. Umna. Well, hello everybody. Welcome to another episode of the entremd podcast. I have one of the fabulous doctors from the entre Business School, Dr. Dee Fongot, and she is a TikTok guru and she's going to come share her story, all the amazing things she's done with it, and Whether you're on TikTok or not, you need to pay attention. I am not yet on TikTok, but she may change that. We'll see. But I need you to pay attention. And even if your dominant platform is a different platform, I need you to pay attention because you're going to get stuff out of this that's going to help you use social media to grow your business. Okay? This is someone who is using it to create an roi. She's not just playing on there. She doesn't just have a following. She's creating a win win situation. So, Dr. FunGod, I am so happy to have you on the show.

I am happy to be here. Thank you so much for having me on this show. Absolutely. Share my story with you.

Yes, let's do it. Okay. So I know you're amazing. I know all about you, but I'm Going to give you a moment to introduce yourself to the listeners.

All right, so my name is Dr. Daga Fungaard, but everyone calls me Dr. D just because it's easier. I. I'm an internal medicine physician who decided to practice aesthetic medicine, and some people may not know what that is. It's basically a combination of cosmetic dermatology, cosmetic gynecology, and some obesity medicine or weight loss medicine. So I chose to combine the things that I'm interested in, and it turns out there's a specialty for that. So that's what I do. And I'm located in the Northern Virginia area.

Awesome. And so if you're in Northern Virginia area, look no further. Yeah. So, okay, so now, TikTok. How did this happen? Right. Like, did you decide from the beginning I'm just going to go into TikTok, or you stumbled across and it was working for you? What happened? How did this TikTok thing happen?

So when I started my practice, most of my patients either come from Facebook or Instagram because those are the dominant social media platforms at the time, like last year and the year before. So. So there's this thing where you can get influencers to, you know, you can try to barter services with influencers so that they can market your product or service. And so I met a local influencer who basically, as a part of showing what he could do for me, he told me he had 2 million followers on TikTok. And I was like, what is this TikTok? You know, it's not going to translate for me. I looked it up. It seemed like the Demographics was mainly 18 to 24. Didn't fit my demographic, so I kind of just brushed it off. He had like 50 plus thousand on Instagram, so we just did it specifically for Instagram. But every time he would come to the office, he would tell me, you should get on TikTok. And I just didn't listen. And it wasn't until the pandemic hit when I was without business for four months that I decided to say, okay, let me see what this TikTok thing is all about. And that's when I discovered TikTok.

Wow. So it's your. It's your patient that got you into TikTok?

Yes. Yeah, it was. Yeah. It wasn't something. I mean, I had heard Gary V. Speak about it. Gary Vaynerchuk, he's somebody that I follow. But I just. I was so attached to Facebook and Instagram because I thought that was going to be the best option for me.

Okay. Now, before we go into the nitty gritty, like, you know, what you think physician entrepreneurs should do with it, and you, your strategies and all this stuff. I need people to get a feel for how TikTok has worked for your brand and for your business. So what kind of return on investment have you got from being on TikTok?

So before I even start with that, most people think that TikTok is all about dancing, and that's how it. Usually that's how it started, but right now I will say that there's so many different things that you can do with TikTok. So. So when I was doing TikTok, I decided to use it to educate people. And so what I did was I had. I told one of my brand stories, like why I decided to open my own practice. And then I also shared one video about a burn that happened with laser hair removal, and that video went viral and ended up having 1.3 million views.

Oh, wow. I didn't know that.

Yes. And what happened with that is I was. I had to go back and look, I have had 15 leads from that that are like credible leads. So far from that, I have made $3,000 and I have $8,000 worth of services booked already.

Wait, from that one video?

From that one video?

From one video.

We're not talking about you on TikTok. Just from that one video.

Just from one video. One video about lazy hair and mobile. And so far, at least $11,000 to be made from that. And I'm sure more is going to come.

That is amazing.

Yeah, I'll see patients. I'll be like, where did you come from? Oh, I saw your video on TikTok.

So the first time you hear. The first time you heard that, what was your reaction?

I couldn't.

Because you didn't know this was gonna play out this way?

No, I had no idea. I had no idea. So I had been on TikTok and I had seen, like, restaurants, farms, different small businesses using it to grow their business. And. And I couldn't really understand how it was going to work for a private practice. So I just decided that I'm just going to educate on there and see what happens. And, yeah, I had no idea this was going to happen at all.

I love it. All right, so I want to know what your thoughts are. You think every physician entrepreneur should be on TikTok?

Yes, I think so. I'm biased, but I think so. And the reason is because as a physician, I think that we're all able to educate our patients and. And because TikTok is a short form way of giving information to people. Like, just think, like, if someone asks you a question in the exam room and you answer like, that's already a TikTok video. So you don't have to, in my opinion, do too much to relay information to people. And that's gonna be really great for not just your brand, but it's great for the patients. I think overall it's good. And it's also a great way for you to be creative, like some people. I've seen some doctors doing some amazing things on TikTok.

So, okay, so you're saying Entre MD should be on TikTok?

I think so, Dr. Una. Not only because I think that Dr. Una, Entre MD is all about getting physicians to branch out into entrepreneurship, which will help them live their better lives. Right. You're not only inspiring doctors, because I know a lot of doctors that are on there that are not doing anything with it, but there are other people in different professions, such as lawyers, like different high professionals that may not think that they can also have a business outside of maybe whatever they're doing. So you would be inspiring other people in other professions to branch out into entrepreneurship. So that's a yes for you.

All right, boss. Noted. I just got some business coaching here, people. Okay. All right. Now, before we even get to strategies, because I know some people are introverted introverts who do not dance, right? And they're like, yeah, see, I'm going to do everything else, but I'm not doing TikTok because that's just not my thing. What would you say to that, doc? So introverted, can't dance and doesn't feel as creative.

Right?

Like to put all those, you know, little letters everywhere. Like, they're just like, yeah. It doesn't come to me.

If you can talk to one patient, you can do TikTok.

Okay?

And this is how I had to coach myself through it. I had to decide, okay, if I'm talking to my patient in the room, I am confident I know what I'm talking about, and I have no problems telling them what they need to do or what they need to hear. I just think that is the person that I'm talking to, and that's it. And it's very, very short. I don't know how to do a lot of captions, to be honest. So that's an excuse. I do it without captions. And I still get people to comment and to ask questions and to come to see me. So if you can Talk to one patient, you can do TikTok.

All right, that's a writer downer, people. If you can talk to one patient, you can do TikTok. Okay, so what are your top strategies? So say. I say, yeah, she's right. I should do TikTok. Right. What advice would you give me for dominating that platform?

So I would say that dominating isn't. It's a scary word, personally. So I would say that. Okay, so the things that work on TikTok and with any social media platform is that you need to be able to educate patients, you need to be able to entertain them, which you don't have to do, but you can find ways around that. And you need to be able to inspire them. So one thing that I've Learned from you, Dr. Una, is the power of storytelling. I'm still working on trying to get a story in to one minute. That's really difficult. But I think that if you can use these three things towards your social media, towards your TikTok, then you can get a lot of interaction. And remember, a lot of people, they have this idea of who doctors are. And I think that TikTok is demystifying that. You know, it's like, hey, our doctor has a personality. They have other interests. They're explaining it in a way that I haven't heard before. So I think it's a great platform for doctors because everybody's unique. So. So even if there's like hundreds of thousands of doctors on TikTok, your way of looking at it, things is going to be different. Your approach is going to be different. Different people are going to connect to you. So for me, for example, I'm of African descent. I get a lot of black patients who connect to me and they feel like they don't see a lot of black doctors. Like, I have people who just follow me. They're like, I'm following you because you're black. And it's just nice to see someone who is black and a doctor. And then, you know, I also make sure I talk about topics that are related to black people in health care, disparities and things of that nature. And that attracts that crowd. To me, someone else can't do that. So everybody is unique. And you can be on TikTok or any social media platform.

I love, love, love it. Okay, so when you show up there, you show up to educate, educate. You show up to entertain you, show up to inspire and then own who you are, right? Own your voice. Nobody's going to do it like you. You're as unique as your fingerprint. Just do it. I love, love, love it. Okay, now, because we're both. We both think alike, right? Where I'm like, if you're on social media, it needs to be working for you. My philosophy is Max Zuckerberg is not on Facebook just watching funny cat videos, okay. He's also making money while he's there. So if you are on social media as an entrepreneur, what you do there should grow your business. So for the person who is showing up as an entrepreneur, as opposed to an influencer, who is just going for the, you know, the likes and the clicks and the follows and all of that stuff, what would you tell that person? How do they make the connection between educating, entertaining, inspiring, and also generating revenue in their businesses?

So. So I think this TikTok is very interesting compared to, like, other platforms where, like. Like when you're on Instagram, for example, you know, you can educate and then you have the ability to sell. For example, you could say, I have a sale, or things of that nature. TikTok is not really like that. So when you get on the platform, let's say you're able to do some videos and you gain about a thousand followers, it gives you the ability to put your website on the. On your bio, and then that just automatically directs people. So what I have found is, personally, I don't sell on TikTok at all. I have never said I'm selling anything. I just educate and I just talk about the services that I have that I offer, and then I tell them there's a link in my bio if they want to connect with me. And that's literally all I'm doing to get people in the door. Because on TikTok, I think there's something about video where if you're educating or if they see you talking, they. They trust you a lot more than if it's just a picture and words underneath for Instagram, for example. So when they see a series of videos where you're talking, they already have built that trust. I had someone come in. I live in Northern Virginia. Someone came from Baltimore. They drove 90 minutes to come see me. And when I asked her, she's like, oh, I feel like, I know you're ready. You're really nice on TikTok. So I want to. I want you to. That's it. You know, if it was me, I would make excuses as to why she couldn't come see me. Like, I was like, oh, we could find a derm for you somewhere up there. No, I don't know, I know you're.

My cousin on TikTok, who happens to be a doctor. Okay? So you, you put out, you, you said a lot of powerful things here, right? Like, so in your content, you are also talking a lot about your services. So not necessarily telling them, come and buy my stuff, but you're letting. They are aware. They're aware of what you do, right? And then you're consistently showing up. And that's the power of speaking really, is that it builds this, like, this know, like, and trust factor like almost nothing else can. Because what people will say is what your patient told you is like, I feel like I know you. Like, I saw your video. I feel like I know you. The person with the video will always win over the person without the video. That's just the way it is. And it positions you as an authority because, I mean, you're on video. You must know what you're talking about, right? Even though we all know that doesn't necessarily, you know, but what if you're on video? If you're on a stage, you know what you're talking about. That is so, so, so, so good. Okay, so someone is listening and they're like, sounds good. Maybe I should give it a go. Where do they start? What would you tell?

Like, I don't, I don't even.

I don't even know where to start from.

So you go to the Apple Store.

I love it.

Go.

Listen, people, go to the Apple store.

Download TikTok.

Download TikTok.

Create a username. What I would, I would. The advice I would give someone who's starting out, I would say carve out an hour a day. I know that's a lot, but carve out an hour a day and just watch TikTok. And there's something called for you page, which is the algorithm suggesting videos to you. So it's important to do that because you need to understand the flow of things. You don't want to just post like, it's just not going to work. You want to see what's trending, what people are responding to, and then look at what other doctors are doing. I feel like there's a lot of primary care doctors on there who are doing really, really, really great stuff. There's ER physicians, there's derms, there's urologists. Like, there's so many different people. And they're not only doing content that relates to medicine, so they're also sharing some of the things that they're interested in. Because people, like, I said the whole know, like, and Trust thing also also involves knowing what you like to do as a person as opposed to just making your page all about, you know, medicine. So see what other people are doing and then just start with one video. And then the thing I like about it is that if you have the ability to put videos in draft, so. So if you don't know if you want to release it, you can just leave it in drafts, like give it some time to think. Or if you post a video and you don't get too much interaction, you can private the video and no one's ever going to know. So there's just so much room for experimentation. But I'm still learning as I go. So I'm only. My first video went viral December 23rd, and there's just so much that I have.

Oh, wow. That's less than. That's less than two months ago at the time of this recording. Awesome. Okay. All right. So where do people find you on TikTok?

So my handle on TikTok is @doctor DMD, and it's the same doctor DMD on Instagram. So if you want to message me, then you can just directly message me that way.

Awesome. And we'll put the links in the show notes as well.

So.

So tell me, where do people find your aesthetic practice?

So. Oh. So my website for aesthetics is aesthetics.delitemd.com and I am currently in Ashburn, Virginia, but I probably will be moving soon, so still in Northern Virginia. So if you go through my website or you go through my social media links, you should be able to find me.

Awesome. And I'm going to let you leave everybody with one last tip. So people listening are mostly physicians who are entrepreneurs. And, you know, we're all either trying to start, grow, scale our businesses. What one tip do you have for the docs that are listening?

So marketing is probably one of the most important things to grow a business. So if social media, I think social media is probably one of the ways to grow your business. So I would say you need to know what your strengths are and then play to your strengths. So if you're a writer, then you should either do Instagram or blogging. If you're great at tweeting, I'm terrible at Twitter, but Twitter is an option. And if you're comfortable doing video, which everybody should be, if you've listened to any of Dr. Una's podcast, you should know that video is what's dominating right now. So if you're comfortable doing videos, you should do TikTok for short form. Videos and probably YouTube for long form videos. I think all of those avenues can help you grow your business tremendously. It doesn't just have to be like a private practice. It could be something else. It could be coaching. It could be starting a skincare line. It could be arts and crafts. I know somebody who sells T shirts and is a doctor, and they're killing it. So just know your strengths and play to them and you'll grow your business that way.

I love it. It's marketing. Then know your strengths in marketing and play to them. I really, really, really love it. And if you're here, you're like, I don't know what my strength is, Then do rotation. Do them all. Then you'll find it, right? Because that's, you know, you didn't start off going like, oh, TikTok is going to be my thing, right? And then you just experiment is all. It's like medical school. You do rotations in almost every subspecialty you can find. And then you pick. You pick the one.

I did. I experimented for two years on Facebook and Instagram and then I found TikTok. So. And I'm like, I'm not doing anything else. This is where I want to be. So you're right. Definitely rotate.

And I love what you said because, you know, now someone's going to say, well, I don't want to waste two years. But the beautiful thing is it's never a waste, right? Because all the times you spend doing those videos on Facebook lives, what made it easier for you to transition very easily into TikTok? Because you're not also nervous about video. You're just like, I know how to do that stuff. You know, I just need to make them shorter. So. So that's awesome. Thank you so much for sharing this. I will go and download the app for TikTok and take a look and see if it plays to my strengths or not. And if you see Entre MD on TikTok, you can say it's your fault. How about that?

I would love to see you on TikTok. Dr. Oona, if there's one thing I've learned on TikTok, is that people would want to see you as Dr. Una. Maybe not us. Entre MD. So it will be me.

We'll see. All right, everybody, so here you go. Okay. She's really doing a fantastic job. She posted about it in the entremd business school. We're like, okay, let's come talk about this on the podcast. She's gonna do a whole step by step tutorial for us in the business school. And it's gonna be fun. Okay, but you have enough steps to start, you know, to start with. So go do it. If you're like, wait, what business school? Come join us on tremd.com business. Come find us. And then make sure you share this episode with someone else. Because doctors, we have a lot of good stuff and we need to put it out there. Our communities need to hear us. Our country needs to hear us. The people we're called to serve need to hear us. So just share it with somebody else and I'll see you on the next episode of the Entre MD podcast. Hey, if you love the listening to the Entre MD podcast, I want to.

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