So you want to know how to market a dental practice?
Maybe you’re new to the dental marketing game and need some pointers or, your current marketing strategies simply aren’t working, and you need a change of tack. Either way, this post will help.
Before we dive into the ins and outs of effective dental marketing and how you can bring in a raft of new patients, we need to clear something up.
Dental practice marketing is an ever-changing arena. What worked a year ago may not work today, and what works today may be old hat next year. Moreover, and to compound matters further, what worked 5 or 10 years ago may well be the next best thing in the future. Oh my!
Thankfully, here at Mediboost, we live with the changing landscape of dental marketing every day, and we make it our business to keep our finger on the pulse. So with this in mind, we’re going to tell you what works today in 2021 that you can quickly implement to see an influx in new patients.
So let’s dive in.
Tip #1 – Obtain positive online reviews and lots of them!
Here’s an interesting stat.
Top online research group Statista suggests that the number of online reviews people read before committing to a product or service in 2019 was ten. That means that you need to be talked about (in a positive way) at least 10 times before potential new patients will trust you enough to book an appointment. It’s just how the modern world works.
If I want to eat out and try a new place, I go onto Google or TripAdvisor and look for reviews. Similarly, if I need a plumber or electrician, I’ll go onto Search a Tradie.com or Trade Critic and check out reviews.
There’s also another important reason why reviews are crucial for dental marketing. A high number of good reviews will help your website move closer to the top of Google (and other) search engine listings.
So, where can your existing and new patients go to give positive online reviews? Google and Yelp are the obvious choice but also places like WhiteCoat are becoming increasingly popular.
So how do you get patients to leave a glowing review?
The best way is to ask. Believe it or not, people are only too happy to leave reviews if they have experienced outstanding service at your dental practice. Make it a team effort. Get them to buy into asking patients to go online and leave a review.
The other way to increase reviews is to add a simple review link to your dental practice website. This way, anyone visiting your site can quickly leave a review.
How to market a dental practice tip #2 – Have a referral program in place
64% of marketing experts surveyed believe that word of mouth is the most effective form of dental marketing. Yet, few dentists currently have a referral program in place, or they used to have one, and it fell by the wayside.
When it comes to marketing your dental practice, a referral program is the easiest and quickest to set up and implement and one that gets you patients who will stay with you long-term.
New patients referred to you by other happy and loyal patients will likely trust you and proceed with much-needed treatment when necessary.
So how do you go about obtaining referrals and, by default – new patients?
Reply to a positive review
One way to ask for referrals is to reply to a review – something like,
“Thank you for your great feedback and for being our patient. If you have friends or family looking for a dental practice, we would love to accommodate them”
Incentivise
In most forms of life, incentivised persuasion works. Why not offer an existing patient money off their subsequent treatment when they refer a new patient. Alternatively, throw in a free hygiene clean when a new referral undergoes their first dental check-up.
Use the power of social media
If you haven’t already done so, set up a social media page about your dental practice and encourage your existing patients to follow you. Once they follow you, why not ask them to invite their friends.
Dental Marketing Tip #3 – Make use of online ads
When it comes to knowing how to market a dental practice, online ads can provide a great return on investment if you do it right. It can also be expensive if carried out incorrectly, but that’s for a different blog post 😊
For now, know that dental practices that utilise Google Ads and Facebook Marketing correctly should see a significant influx in new patient acquisitions.
So why do online ads work?
Because you’re placing your dental practice right in front of where your target audience hangs out – online! And where do potential new patients go when they are looking for a dentist?
You got it – online!
Facebook marketing is a little different. Here you can control,
- who sees your ads
- by how many people
- how many times and
- what they’re going to see.
The good thing about dental marketing using Facebook is that you can produce laser-targeted advertising placed in front of 20,000 or 30,000 people in your local area for not a lot of money.
If you expose your targeted ads to people for several weeks or a month, they will start to recognise you and click through to your dental practice website.
Tip #4 – Having an effective website
In reality, having a user-friendly, keyword-optimised and informative website falls under the category of “how to market a dental practice 101.“
Without an effective website, many of the dental marketing tips listed above won’t work. Therefore, this has to be your starting point.
We’re not talking about an expensive website with all the bells and whistles. Instead, by ‘effective’, we mean that it’s designed in a way that is easy to read, easy to navigate and tells the visitor what they need to know. Get this element right, and you are well on your way to dental marketing success.
Hopefully, this has given you some great information on marketing your dental practice using easily achievable methods.
Want to grow your new patient base?
If you need further help and are ready to grow your clinic, contact the team at Mediboost. We’re Australia’s #1 medical marketing agency for new patient growth. We work with dentists and dental practice owners to help them grow their patient base.
Why not find out more by calling us on 1300 163 058 and book a consultation with our experienced team today!
