Struggling to grow your dental practice? It can feel overwhelming to juggle lead generation, social media, and marketing, all while providing quality patient care. The key to a successful dental marketing strategy is a holistic approach—getting all the moving parts to work in sync. In this blog, we’ll break it down into simple steps so you can hit the ground running. Let’s dive in!
1. Identify Your Ideal Patients
Don’t guess who your ideal customer is—do your research to ensure the most effective dental practice marketing. When you truly understand your patients, you can create a clear path to your goals. Start by asking these key questions to identify your target customer:
- What are the demographics of the area you serve?
- What kinds of patients would you like to attract?
- What sets you apart from the competition?
- Who are your competitors targeting?
2. Employ Online and Offline Marketing Tactics
If you build it, they will come…but only if you promote your practice. There are many dental practice marketing tactics you can employ to attract new dental patients, and it’s important to start with what feels manageable. Below are some tips on where to begin:
Social Media
Social media is a critical part of any successful dental marketing strategy. When used correctly, it’s an effective way to show your community what your dental practice is all about. Use it to inform people about your offerings, build trust, generate referrals, and increase website traffic.
If you’re new to social media or don’t know where to focus, begin with the platforms you’re comfortable with. Facebook and Instagram are great choices–these platforms have broad reach and user-friendly tools for posting content and engaging with your audience.
Here are some examples of social content to introduce:
- Meet the team
- Educational content
- Patient testimonials
- Before and after photos of patient results (with consent)
Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
To attract new dental patients, investing in local SEO is essential, as most patients begin their search for a dentist on Google, Bing, or similar platforms. Local SEO helps optimize your practice’s online presence, so your website appears when potential patients search for terms like “best dentist in [your area]” or “emergency dental care [your area].” The keywords you target should align with your specific goals and services.
Partnering with an SEO expert can help you build a long-term strategy, which may include keyword research, blog creation, and website optimization. This is a long-term commitment that requires regular monitoring and adjustment, but it can yield great results for years to come.
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) and Pay-Per-Call Advertising
PPC ads are great for getting in front of new dental patients, especially when you’re just starting to grow your patient base. Start by choosing the right platform based on your audience—Google Ads is ideal for people actively searching for dental services, while Facebook and Instagram are great for local awareness.
If pay-per-click ads sound overwhelming or haven’t been effective for you in the past, consider incorporating our pay-per-call service to generate high-quality patient leads connected directly to your dental practice. The best part—start receiving calls in 24 hours after signing up, and only pay for valid leads.
To get started with either pay-per-click or pay-per-call, start with a small daily budget and make sure to measure your success, whether it’s appointment bookings or contact form submissions. Gradually adjust your dental marketing strategy and budget based on what works best.
Email Marketing
Your email list is highly valuable to your marketing efforts. Send emails regularly to keep your practice top of mind for your patients. You can promote special offers, patient referral incentives, practice news such as new services or locations, and upcoming events.
Using a platform that supports email and text campaigns can streamline this process. Automated email campaigns can help you manage your contact lists and send both promotional emails and appointment reminders. Start by sending a monthly newsletter, and when you have a special promotion or a major update, consider sending an additional email to keep your audience engaged and up to date.
Direct Mail
Even though digital marketing is everywhere, you can still use traditional methods to your advantage. Direct mail, whether you send flyers, postcards, or personal letters, is still a highly effective way to reach your target audience. The content you include in your direct mail depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
Some examples include:
- Letting prospective patients know that you’re taking on new patients
- Provide an overview of your services
- Offer free or discounted services for new patients
- A friendly and brief introduction to dentists and staff—photos are great here!
- Explain your unique selling proposition (USP)
Make sure to include a way to track which patients are coming to you through direct mail, like asking them on a feedback survey or including a QR code with a tracking URL that leads to a contact form.
3. Encourage Patient Reviews and Referrals
Potential new dental patients rely heavily on online reviews to choose their dentist. More positive reviews boost your credibility and help your practice stand out in local search results, increasing your chances of being found by new patients.
Getting reviews and referrals shouldn’t be like pulling teeth. When your patients feel like their dentist, hygienist, and front office staff actually care about them, they’ll be more than willing, perhaps even excited, to spread the word about your practice.
Tip: Automate review requests through patient communication platforms like PatientActivator.
4. Implement Online Appointment Scheduling and Patient Communication Systems
To build a loyal patient base, it’s crucial to make their experience as pleasant and convenient as possible. This starts before they even walk through your door and continues after their visit. A streamlined communication system can enhance the scheduling process, improve follow-up care, and maintain strong relationships with your patients.
Here’s how to implement patient communication systems effectively:
- Streamline Appointment Scheduling
- Encourage Future Appointments
- Automate Follow-up Messages
- Personalize Communication
- Enhance Patient Engagement
When choosing a system to manage patient communication and appointment scheduling, keep the following in mind:
HIPAA Compliance: Protect patient privacy by choosing software that adheres to HIPAA regulations.
Integration with Existing Software: Ensure the system integrates well with your current tools and workflow to avoid operational disruptions.
User-Friendly Interface: The system should be easy for both your staff and patients to use, ensuring seamless interactions.
Feature Set: Does the system have the capabilities you need, such as multi-location scheduling, automated follow-ups, or HIPAA compliance?
5. Community Engagement and Local Partnerships
As mentioned previously, online dental practice marketing is critical to your overall growth strategy. However, nothing can replace meeting and interacting with the community face-to-face. People work with people they like and trust, and in today’s digital-first world, creating genuine connections in real life is more valuable than ever.
You can start by meeting your ideal patient where they are. Participate in local events and conferences that they would attend. If you have the budget, you can even sponsor some of these events.
Another great way to get out there in your community is collaborating with other local businesses for comarketing initiatives. Don’t choose just any business though. For example, you could partner with a local gym and/or optometrist and build messaging around taking care of your overall health. Or if a large portion of your patient base are seniors, you can partner with a local retirement home.
Do your research and speak to the owners or managers to get a feel of who they are and how they work with partners and clients. You want to ensure you’re working with reputable businesses that are dedicated to creating mutual success.
6. Track and Measure Growth Metrics
Tracking your results is necessary to track the effectiveness of your dental office marketing strategy. After all, you can’t improve what you can’t measure. And you can’t continue rolling out successful initiatives if you don’t know what you’re doing well.
Here are some key performance indicators (KPIs) you should keep an eye on:
- Lead to appointment rate: (Total # of booked appointments from inquiries / total number of new patient inquiries) * 100
- Show rate: (# of patients that show up to their appointments / Total appointments booked) * 100
- Treatment acceptance rate: (Treatment plans accepted and completed / Total # of treatment plans proposed) * 100
- Cost per acquisition: (Total spend to acquire new customers via all campaigns and channels / Number of new customers acquired from those channels and campaigns)
Growing Your Dental Practice Just Got Easier
Expanding your dental practice may seem overwhelming at first, but by focusing on key areas such as identifying your target audience, using a mix of marketing tactics, improving patient experience, and fostering community relationships, you can set your practice on a path of sustainable growth. Prioritize exceptional care and service for your patients and remember to track and measure KPIs to ensure your efforts are paying off. With a thoughtful, patient-centered approach, growing your dental practice can become a manageable and rewarding process.
