Being a dentist or running a dental practice is a very involved career that requires diligence and finesse to be successful. There are often several dentists in any given city/town, making it important to stay competitive and market yourself in a unique way. Having a marketing strategy in place that makes you more visible than your competitors is key for bringing in new patients. Below are a small selection our favorite dental practice marketing ideas…
Stay Relevant Online
Make sure that you have an online presence in the form of a professional website. You want to make a good first impression to potential clients. When looking for a new dentist, many people search using Google, Yahoo, or Bing. If the first thing they see is an unprofessional site, they may quickly hit the back button and go with one of your competitors instead.
You need to ensure that you have a current and up-to-date, modern website that has all the relevant information about what your practice offers, employees, hours of operation, and even an integrated Google Map so clients know how to best get to your practice. It’s also crucial that your website loads within three seconds. 40% of people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load (source). Every second counts!
Use Social Media
The internet also offers some great ways to stay in touch with patients and encourage new ones to come in for an appointment. Social media offers a unique and free or low-cost mode of communicating and marketing. Take a look at how Marcelino Dental Arts is using it to keep in touch with patients.
You can start a Facebook business page for your dental practice and market within seconds to hyper-local members of the community. You can market any current information or promotions and have it reach many people with the click of a mouse. This is some of the easiest and most effective marketing available in today’s current market.
Keep Current Patients Happy
Keeping your current patients happy is top priority. Loyal patients can refer you patients through word of mouth and positive recommendations. Make sure you reward patients that keep coming back for scheduled treatments with discounts or other promotions.
You can even go as far as setting up a referral program to reward current patients that bring in new ones. With this type of marketing strategy in place, new leads could be endless.
Target Customers That Need Dental Care
Are there certain areas in your town or city that attract older or less affluent individuals. These people may not take the best care of their teeth and could need your services. You can do local market research about people in your area that may lack dental care. You can offer steep discounted rates or promotional services encouraging them to come in and seek your help. This is called the “loss leader” marketing strategy because you are either breaking even or losing money on one service so that they may be a return patient for years to come. Repeat business is what keeps practices open for decades instead of just a few years.
Host Dental Education Seminars
Hosting a dental education seminar for the public is a great way to engage in marketing that targets your local community. It will likely take an hour or two of your time and it will allow you to educate people on ways to take care of their teeth and gums better. It’s a great community service that you can do for the betterment of the area and also to garner potential customers. Showing that you care about the dental health of the local area is a smart way to get new clients in the door and land some free publicity.
Example: Call up your local schools and ask if they would like a free seminar teaching the kids how to properly care for their teeth and gums. This free PR may trickle down to their parents, who are the decision makers when it comes to healthcare.
Be Aware of Your Customer Service
Make sure that your staff is aware of your expectations when it comes to supreme customer service. Having excellent customer service is part of a good marketing method because clients will remember it. Courteous and professional staff can go a long way toward having patients come back for more treatment. Not only does it mean more referrals from happy customers but those customers will leave positive reviews on sites such as Yelp and your Facebook page, increasing your search rankings. A double win!
